Carmex? Carmax? What? - Page 2

bigaggietrumpet · 08-29-2005, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sublmbadfish

I've heard that the camphor in carmex is bad for your chops...i use blistex DCT after a long day of playing. It numbs the lips a little and helps keep swelling down.

I was going to post this earlier, but because it was in Manny's board and he hadn't posted yet, I decided to wait. Guess now works.

See that highlighted word? That's what bothers me. Everybody has HEARD this. As an engineering student, I have started to take hearsay less and fact more. I find this theory hard to believe because I have yet to see any solid proof. Nobody has shown me research, experiments, nor the results of such. So honestly, I have a hard time believing that. I have used Carmex for years, and can't really say that I've ever felt a difference. But if someone has said scientific proof, I will consider changing my opinion.

Sorry, I don't mean for that to sound huffy, it's just the only way I can word it this late...

trickg · 08-29-2005, 09:59 AM

BAT, I tend to agree with you about hearsay and fact. That whole "capmphor is bad for your chops" could be from one person saying that they thought camphor was bad for "their" chops, and then it gets generalized and perpetuated ad nauseum without there ever having been anything to back it.

After doing some quick perusing online, I have found multiple references to Carmex/camphor being "bad" for your lips, but it certainly isn't from any sort of scientific perspective.

Alex Yates · 08-29-2005, 11:46 AM

Tons of trumpeters have already been through this with the Carmex and the camphor, etc, etc, etc. That is your scientific proof. Anything that is going to heal (i.e. DRY UP) a cold sore is not good for the skin on your lips. If you use it on your lips often, it WILL dry them out and the vicious cycle starts where you can't live without the stuff. And yes, I even asked my doctor about this long ago. Why take the chance when there are natural remedies easily available? Even Blistex is not such a good idea to use all of the time. It feels good when applied, but it also has some medication to help with cold sores, etc. So, trust me......it is the experience of many trumpeters resonating in the warnings of "hearsay". To the normal non-brassplaying Joe, none of this really matters, but for us, it is important.

bigaggietrumpet · 08-29-2005, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trompetvrouw

Tons of trumpeters have already been through this with the Carmex and the camphor, etc, etc, etc. That is your scientific proof.

Technically, no, that is actually more hearsay evidence. What I mean by experimental is that all things are held constant- amount of carmex per day, amount of time of practice per day, a standard of performance to be expected to compare to. I even think that you would need to find some way to determine the level of chappedness (is that even a word?) of the lips. That is the only way to scientifically prove one way or the other.

The problem is that I've used carmex, blistex, chapstick, lots of stuff. None of it seemed to affect my playing (with the exception of my lips being chapped, of course). I cannot see where there was any adverse effect.

trickg · 08-29-2005, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trompetvrouw

Tons of trumpeters have already been through this with the Carmex and the camphor, etc, etc, etc. That is your scientific proof. Anything that is going to heal (i.e. DRY UP) a cold sore is not good for the skin on your lips. If you use it on your lips often, it WILL dry them out and the vicious cycle starts where you can't live without the stuff. And yes, I even asked my doctor about this long ago. Why take the chance when there are natural remedies easily available? Even Blistex is not such a good idea to use all of the time. It feels good when applied, but it also has some medication to help with cold sores, etc. So, trust me......it is the experience of many trumpeters resonating in the warnings of "hearsay". To the normal non-brassplaying Joe, none of this really matters, but for us, it is important.

Sorry, but I have to disagree - I have used Blistex in a tube for years (ever since band camp, summer of 1986 when I had REALLY chapped lips) and my experience with it is almost opposite of what you have just described. In fact, in many ways I think that it is actually beneficial because there are things in Blistex that promote increased blood flow, thus helping muscle and skin tissue heal and recover faster. Not only that, but it moisturizes the skin of the lips - what good would Blistex be for dry, chapped lips if it continued to further dry them out?

Of course I could be totally mistaken. I might be imagining these healing, beneficial effects, or I might be one of just a few people on the planet that benefit from using Blistex.

Ok, sarcasm aside, I don't use Blistex constantly, but as someone that plays hard when I gig, I do have several tubes lying around for the occasions that I do rub my lips a bit raw or they do get dry and chapped.

Alex Yates · 08-29-2005, 03:07 PM

"To each his own" is basically what this boils down to. If you have to use lipbalm all of the time, it is not a good thing. It is better to build up resistance having to use it only when really needed - i.e. after a rough gig, long exposure to central heat or stage lights, etc. In my younger days, I used Blistex most of the time. There is still a tube lying around for when I have extremely chapped lips in need of "treatment". As far as keeping the skin of the lips soft and conditioned, I prefer ointments and conditioners using natural ingredients.

I must note that the other important element in all of this concerns how much you play each day as well. If you are a pro who plays many hours every day (as I have done for 25 years), you will have different needs than a young person starting out in marching band or a college student developing his embouchure or an amateur who plays every so often for enjoyment. It is basically a personal choice more than anything else. No hard feelings "man". LOL.

trickg · 08-29-2005, 04:00 PM

Ok - you are right, "to each their own".

I did get to a point once where it seemed like I needed to use Blistex all of the time, so I weaned myself off of it. I used it a bit last week because I just got waxed by back to back gigs the weekend before and my lips were a bit raw. I actually had to scrounge to find a tube too - durned little things!

Ok, so it seems to me that we have several products for the chops - some better than others:

Carmex
Blistex
Chopsaver
Nature's Way B F & C
A & D Ointment (if you want your chops to taste like a diaper!)
Burt's Bees
Badger Lip Balm
Chapstick
Blistex DCT
Vasaline lip balms
Bag Balm (actually designed for use on chapped cow udders - it comes in big tins - I know a tuba player or two that swear by it.)

The reason I still use Blistex in a tube after after all this time is because it works better than anything else that I have used...to date. I haven't tried half of the things on that list, so it looks like I have some experimenting to do.

Bob Odneal · 08-31-2005, 09:51 PM

Carmex works fine for me. It has for years.

08-29-2005, 09:59 AM	#12 (permalink)
trickg Forte User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Glen Burnie, Maryland Posts: 2,054	BAT, I tend to agree with you about hearsay and fact. That whole "capmphor is bad for your chops" could be from one person saying that they thought camphor was bad for "their" chops, and then it gets generalized and perpetuated ad nauseum without there ever having been anything to back it. After doing some quick perusing online, I have found multiple references to Carmex/camphor being "bad" for your lips, but it certainly isn't from any sort of scientific perspective. __________________ Patrick Gleason email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com "What we do in life echoes in eternity" "At my signal, unleash hell." - Maximus Decimus Meridius

08-29-2005, 11:46 AM	#13 (permalink)
Alex Yates Forte User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 2,405	Trust me and many other trumpeters Tons of trumpeters have already been through this with the Carmex and the camphor, etc, etc, etc. That is your scientific proof. Anything that is going to heal (i.e. DRY UP) a cold sore is not good for the skin on your lips. If you use it on your lips often, it WILL dry them out and the vicious cycle starts where you can't live without the stuff. And yes, I even asked my doctor about this long ago. Why take the chance when there are natural remedies easily available? Even Blistex is not such a good idea to use all of the time. It feels good when applied, but it also has some medication to help with cold sores, etc. So, trust me......it is the experience of many trumpeters resonating in the warnings of "hearsay". To the normal non-brassplaying Joe, none of this really matters, but for us, it is important.

08-29-2005, 03:07 PM	#16 (permalink)
Alex Yates Forte User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 2,405	No need for sarcasm "To each his own" is basically what this boils down to. If you have to use lipbalm all of the time, it is not a good thing. It is better to build up resistance having to use it only when really needed - i.e. after a rough gig, long exposure to central heat or stage lights, etc. In my younger days, I used Blistex most of the time. There is still a tube lying around for when I have extremely chapped lips in need of "treatment". As far as keeping the skin of the lips soft and conditioned, I prefer ointments and conditioners using natural ingredients. I must note that the other important element in all of this concerns how much you play each day as well. If you are a pro who plays many hours every day (as I have done for 25 years), you will have different needs than a young person starting out in marching band or a college student developing his embouchure or an amateur who plays every so often for enjoyment. It is basically a personal choice more than anything else. No hard feelings "man". LOL.

08-29-2005, 04:00 PM	#17 (permalink)
trickg Forte User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Glen Burnie, Maryland Posts: 2,054	Ok - you are right, "to each their own". I did get to a point once where it seemed like I needed to use Blistex all of the time, so I weaned myself off of it. I used it a bit last week because I just got waxed by back to back gigs the weekend before and my lips were a bit raw. I actually had to scrounge to find a tube too - durned little things! Ok, so it seems to me that we have several products for the chops - some better than others: Carmex Blistex Chopsaver Nature's Way B F & C A & D Ointment (if you want your chops to taste like a diaper!) Burt's Bees Badger Lip Balm Chapstick Blistex DCT Vasaline lip balms Bag Balm (actually designed for use on chapped cow udders - it comes in big tins - I know a tuba player or two that swear by it.) The reason I still use Blistex in a tube after after all this time is because it works better than anything else that I have used...to date. I haven't tried half of the things on that list, so it looks like I have some experimenting to do. __________________ Patrick Gleason email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com "What we do in life echoes in eternity" "At my signal, unleash hell." - Maximus Decimus Meridius

08-31-2005, 09:51 PM	#18 (permalink)
Bob Odneal Pianissimo User Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 116	Carmex works fine for me. It has for years. __________________ Bob Odneal Casual Double High "C" method on CD www.bobodneal.com

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