At first glance, the phrase “lip balm addiction” may seem totally ridiculous.

But let me tell you, it is totally real and totally a problem that I, along with many others, have.

For some, it may start one dry, winter day when your lips are crying for some much-needed moisture; for others, it may be because you liked the taste and never stopped.

For me, it was an ingrained habit learned from my mother, grandmother and sister that I’ve had for as long as I can remember.

In my many years of applying various lip balms to my lips about every 30 minutes, being a “lip balm addict,” I have learned quite a few things about the different types of lip balms, and I’d like to share them with you before you choose your go-to cure for those dry winter lips.

1. Vaseline

Coming out at number one on the list is Vaseline. The switch to Vaseline has been, by far, the best for me. Vaseline is, in my eyes, the one true lip balm, especially when it comes to effectiveness.

It can come in an easily concealed tube just like Carmex, and I can go more than an hour without having to reapply rather than every 15-30 minutes like the others. It doesn’t have any sort of taste, but it gives a smooth, thick texture to my lips that lasts longer than any other.

Vaseline gets exempted from the Taste category on this one, 9/10 for Feeling and 9/10 for Lip Dryness, receiving the overall highest score with a 9/10.

2. Carmex

After using EOS for years, my switch to Carmex felt glorious. The texture was so much thicker, lasted longer and the cooling mint sensation was just enough to cure my dry lips. It was much easier to carry than EOS because the tube was easily concealed in any pocket and didn’t bulge out.

Then, when my mother (who also used Carmex) lips started to break out, the entire family switched over to another lip balm once again in fear of this happening to us too. After I switched over, I began to realize how unhealthily addicted I was to the cool mint feeling of Carmex, and that, in itself, made me more addicted to lip balm than I was before.

I’ll give Carmex a 6/10 for Taste, 8/10 for Feeling and 7/10 for Lip Dryness, giving it an overall score of 7/10.

3. EOS

EOS (Evolution of Smooth) eggs were my first great lip balm love. I used them consistently for about five years until I eventually left them in the past. I loved all of the flavors they had, especially the Honeysuckle Honeydew, and I loved how cute the little eggs were — even if they were an incredibly awkward round shape to carry in your pocket.

However, after having to use another chapstick for a few hours when I misplaced my EOS egg, I realized how much less I was having to reapply lip balm and how much better my lips felt, so I decided to switch over.

I’d give EOS an 8/10 for Taste, a 6/10 for Feeling and 6/10 for Lip Dryness, with an overall score of 6.67/10.

4. Burt's Bee's

Burt’s Bee’s tends to be a fan favorite among many Lip Balm addicts. My experience with Burt’s bees is much like that of my experience with Chapstick, only with the added twist of Beeswax and mint.

I eventually gave up because I kept losing the tube, and while the mint was a nice feeling, it only dried my lips out more and made me further addicted. My general rule is that Lip Balms that can melt are no good for your lips.

Burt’s Bee’s comes out with a 7/10 for Taste, 6/10 for feeling, and 5/10 for Lip Dryness, coming out with an overall score of 6/10.

5. Chapstick

Fifth on the list is the OG lip balm--Chapstick. I can recall faint memories of being seven years old in the movie theater, attempting to discreetly pull my grape chapstick out of my purse without disturbing anyone else in the theater.

However, I hated that the cap was constantly falling off, the actual balm could be chipped and melted (unlike the liquid tube lip balms that I use now), and it barely helped my dry lips in any way whatsoever, which is why when I eventually lost that Chapstick, I never bothered getting a new one.

Chapstick gets a 6/10 for Taste, 5/10 for Feeling, and a 5/10 for Lip Dryness, bringing it to an overall score of 5.3/10