These Multitasking Balms + Salves Are Saviors For Thirsty Skin

With winter season slowly creeping in, stocking up on a few barrier-boosting skin balms is top of mind (and at the top of our shopping list). And aside from the epic gleam that these silky ointments offer, it’s their versatile uses and reparative perks that make them beauty aisle standouts. Whether it’s quenching parched lips, salvaging chapped cuticles, or restoring lost moisture and suppleness — these are THEE ultimate do-it-all miracle workers.

Scroll down as we showcase six of our all-time fave balms with a few genius hacks that’ll help max out your glazed-skin glow. 

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant, $24

Source: Ulta.

The GOAT, the OG skin savior — this has won countless beauty awards (there’s literally one on our WFH desk as we speak), and our love for it runs deep purely due to its versatility. You’re probably familiar with its hydrating, soothing, and protective properties, but it delivers so much more than that when incorporated into your makeup routine. Use it as a shine-boosting brow gel, dab some on your lids and lips or keep it in your carry-on bag as we do for some in-flight moisture replenishment. 

Topicals Slick Salve, $16

Source: Topicals.

A newbie from the Topicals brand and best believe it does wonders for winter skin. This triple-duty ointment banishes all types of dryness — from dehydrated lips to worn-out cuticles, it’s one hell of a skin saver. Just envision a balm and a hydrating serum joining forces to quench even the thirstiest spots. Superstar ingredients include peptides, amino acids, and plant stem cell extracts to soften skin and repair damage, while vitamin E and castor oil further soothe and keep every bit of moisture locked in.

Lano Golden Dry Skin Miracle Salve, $18

Source: Lanolips.

If you’re a fan of Lanolips lip balm, you’re going to love this multi-tasking salve. Keep in mind, it’s hella rich texture-wise, so if you’re prone to extremely dry and rough skin, this baby is definitely worth buying. The base ingredient here is lanolin, an occlusive that keeps skin moisturized, soft, and supple all. day. long. And to further enhance this balm’s hydrating and healing properties, manuka honey and vitamin E are also added to the mix to offer you peak TLC.

Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream, $32

Source: Amazon.

Another cult-fave that celebs swear by and, once we found out it was inspired by Queen Cleopatra’s treasured salve for glowing skin, we added this to our carts (repeatedly!) and never looked back. When it comes to all-purpose balms, this formula is in a class of its own. Use it as a face cream, eye cream, dewy makeup primer, lip balm, makeup remover, body moisturizer, after sun, or to reduce stretch marks and scars — it’s honestly next level. It’s all-natural and formulated with beeswax, honey, bee pollen, propolis, and royal jelly — 5 ingredients with supreme anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antiseptic properties, making it a pretty incredible ointment for skin woes like rashes, burns, eczema, and psoriasis. 

Glossier Balm Dotcom, $12

Source: Glossier.

This lip balm goes the extra mile with its untinted ‘original’ shade specifically, as it doubles as a skin salve as well. We love its travel-friendly packaging for guys and gals on the move, which makes it a whole lot easier to banish out-of-the-blue dry spots. Its ingredients list includes occlusives, castor oil, beeswax, and lanolin — a dynamic trio that intensely hydrates and prevents moisture loss. It’s also available in a couple of flavored and tinted varieties, which are great to use when you wanna take your dewy soft glam look up a notch. 

Dr. Pawpaw Multipurpose Soothing Balm with Natural Pawpaw, $10

Source: Amazon.

You guys are going to die for these tinted skin balms. From their price point to their creamy consistency to their lightweight hydration and fake-summer-flush tint, you’ll find yourself collecting every single color, like Pokemon cards — “gotta catch ‘em all!” Vegan-friendly and fragrance-free, use their OG or shea butter shades to treat and hydrate lips, skin, hair, and cuticles or dab on their pigment-loaded alternatives for a monotoned beauty finish.

Skinfix Remedy+ 911 Ointment Multipurpose Healing Balm, $24

Source: Sephora.

It’s called 911 for a reason — from brittle cuticles, dry skin, heels and elbows, burns, cuts, and post-wax redness, this balm soothes and remedies everything. It contains two key actives — 5% allantoin, a hero skin protectant that aids in healing damaged skin from chaps to scrapes, with 4% cupuaça butter working overtime to increase elasticity, softness, and keep hydration levels in check.

Now that you’ve uncovered your new go-to skin salve, check out these hydrating serums that will rescue your dry winter skin, too.

Disclaimer: Every product we review has been independently selected and tested without bias by our editorial team. We never take payment to review products, although some brands allow affiliate links, so we may earn a commission if you purchase a product by clicking on one of our links.