Nare irritation mitigation

Over the eight years I have been on XPAP, when using various masks such as nasal pillows, nasal prongs, or hybrids; I have sought ways to mitigate the irritation to the nares that seems to be a critical comfort element in their use. For the most part, I used Lansinoh (a lanolin ointment principally targeted at nursing mothers). However in doing more research for a better solution - I don't particularly like the greasy nature of Lansinoh - I came across several references to the use of beeswax lip balm. For several years I have been using products from a natural skincare company named Carley's Clear & Smooth; among the products are two I thought might fit the need:

1) http://clearandsmoothskin.com/shop/inde ... ucts_id=12

2) http://clearandsmoothskin.com/shop/inde ... ucts_id=16

They both contain no animal or petroleum-based ingredients other than beeswax. #1 is sold as a foot treatment but it works wonderfully around the nares; it is the one I have been using for several weeks now and I find it very pleasant to use (it smells and feels a lot better than Lansinoh) though it is recommended that it be kept refrigerated because of its low melting point.
While they are not exactly cheap, the cost of #1 is less than half the cost of Burt's Bees Lip Balm ($19 for 2 oz vs $3.30 for 0.15 oz - that's $44 for 2 oz of Burt's Bees) and has somewhat similar components and ingredients. All their products include free Priority Mail shipping and a bar of their remarkable Shea Butter soap. Carley's also usually tosses in several samples of other products with the order.

What most people around here recommend is Lansinoh, which is a best seller on Amazon for breastfeeding mothers.

Lip balm? I used lip balm to lube the butterfly valve of the carbureter on my motorcycle,
because when it rained, my throttle would stick--wide open. Frogs are jumpy about that.

chunkyfrog wrote:\Frogs are jumpy about that.

aren't frogs just generally jumpy in the first place?

yaconsult wrote:What most people around here recommend is Lansinoh, which is a best seller on Amazon for breastfeeding mothers.

That is correct; as I stated, I used it for quite a while. But, also as I stated, I just didn't like its greasiness - hence, my switch to something I liked better.

I was quite curious to see this thread about Lasinoh lanolin. I bought a tube recently for the first time, after seeing it recommended here. It works fine, but it has a terrible odor. I don't think it's just me, since a search online found others, mainly nursing mothers, who also found the smell horrendous. Any other suggestions?

Does all lanolin smell this way? I would describe the smell as rancid. The expiration on mine if not until Oct. 2018, so I know it's not old.

SunnyBeBe wrote:I was quite curious to see this thread about Lasinoh lanolin. I bought a tube recently for the first time, after seeing it recommended here. It works fine, but it has a terrible odor. I don't think it's just me, since a search online found others, mainly nursing mothers, who also found the smell horrendous. Any other suggestions?

Does all lanolin smell this way? I would describe the smell as rancid. The expiration on mine if not until Oct. 2018, so I know it's not old.

Is your sniffer sensitive to other common products? Lansinoh lanolin has almost no smell. The slight smell is neutral.

JimW159 wrote:1) http://clearandsmoothskin.com/shop/inde ... ucts_id=12

As a matter of principle, I would never buy a product that has such a terrible ingredient list. The ingredient list is targeted at superstitious people who fall for this kind of nonsense. There are tens of millions of them.

INGREDIENTS (in order of prominence):

Mango Butter
Camelina oil
Cocoa Butter
Beeswax
Jojoba Oil
Meadowfoam Seed Oil
Pomegranate Seed Oil
Sea Buckthorn oil
Borage Oil
Squalane, Olive Oil
Tangerine Oil
Orchid Extract

Ridiculous.

Midnight Strangler wrote:

SunnyBeBe wrote:I was quite curious to see this thread about Lasinoh lanolin. I bought a tube recently for the first time, after seeing it recommended here. It works fine, but it has a terrible odor. I don't think it's just me, since a search online found others, mainly nursing mothers, who also found the smell horrendous. Any other suggestions?

Does all lanolin smell this way? I would describe the smell as rancid. The expiration on mine if not until Oct. 2018, so I know it's not old.

Is your sniffer sensitive to other common products? Lansinoh lanolin has almost no smell. The slight smell is neutral.

No, I would say that I do pick up on subtle odors, but, I'm not usually bothered to this degree. I use lotions with scents, air freshner and some fragrances, though, I'm picky. I use unscented for laundry.

Before buying this stuff, I was using a water based jelly product and it had no smell. I had to stop that though, because that stuff, I learned, contains citric acid! It was burning my nose. I thought I had allergies. lol

So, I'm pretty much stuck with this lanolin. I just wonder if trying a different brand would make a difference. If I don't use anything, my nose gets really sore. I would consider that I just got a bad batch, except for the ladies on line who said they thought it stunk too.

Oh, I just had another idea. Maybe, it's one of those things like some people smell it and some people don't. Like some people see one color and others see another. There was a big story about that last year. The quiz was what color is this dress? Some saw it as blue and the other was something else. I'm not sure how that was explained.

It was an ad for a dress.
Differences in perception worked with contrast, background color, and lighting.

Midnight Strangler wrote:

JimW159 wrote:1) http://clearandsmoothskin.com/shop/inde ... ucts_id=12

As a matter of principle, I would never buy a product that has such a terrible ingredient list. The ingredient list is targeted at superstitious people who fall for this kind of nonsense. There are tens of millions of them.

Would you rather see this:
White Petrolatum 45% Skin Protectant Uses - helps prevent and temporarily protects chafed, chapped or cracked lips - helps prevent and protect from the drying effects of wind and cold weather - Warnings For external use only Keep out of reach of children. If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away. Directions apply as needed Other information - store at 20-25°C (68-77°F) Inactive ingredients arachidyl propionate, camphor, carnauba wax, cetyl alcohol, fragrance, isopropyl lanolate, isopropyl myristate, lanolin, light mineral oil, methylparaben, octyldodecanol, oleyl alcohol, paraffin, phenyl trimethicone, propylparaben, red 6 lake, titanium dioxide, white wax, yellow 5 lake

Perhaps one should consider that if "tens of millions" persons believe something to be true, it might actually be true?

SunnyBeBe wrote:I was quite curious to see this thread about Lasinoh lanolin. I bought a tube recently for the first time, after seeing it recommended here. It works fine, but it has a terrible odor. I don't think it's just me, since a search online found others, mainly nursing mothers, who also found the smell horrendous. Any other suggestions?

Does all lanolin smell this way? I would describe the smell as rancid. The expiration on mine if not until Oct. 2018, so I know it's not old.

I think Berts Bees has a lanolin product. There are other nasal lubricants or coconut oil but I find them just way too slippery and like the tacky, sticky feeling of Lansinoh myself. Also try asking a pharmacist or your doc for other suggestions.

JimW159 wrote:Would you rather see this:
White Petrolatum 45% Skin Protectant Uses - helps prevent and temporarily protects chafed, chapped or cracked lips - helps prevent and protect from the drying effects of wind and cold weather

Petroleum jelly is one of the safest products available for use on lips and skin. It's commonly recommended and used by doctors and hospitals. No need to buy a formulated product.

I buy little generic tubes of petrolatum similar to:

Vaseline Lip Therapy

Active Ingredients: White Petrolatum USP (100%) (Purpose: Skin Protectant)

Midnight Strangler wrote:As a matter of principle, I would never buy a product that has such a terrible ingredient list. The ingredient list is targeted at superstitious people who fall for this kind of nonsense. There are tens of millions of them.

Exactly. Never underestimate the gullibility of the population. "There is a sucker born every minute."

Hang Fire wrote: Petroleum jelly is one of the safest products available for use on lips and skin. It's commonly recommended and used by doctors and hospitals. No need to buy a formulated product.

I buy little generic tubes of petrolatum similar to:

Vaseline Lip Therapy
Active Ingredients: White Petrolatum USP (100%) (Purpose: Skin Protectant)

Midnight Strangler wrote:As a matter of principle, I would never buy a product that has such a terrible ingredient list. The ingredient list is targeted at superstitious people who fall for this kind of nonsense. There are tens of millions of them.

Exactly. Never underestimate the gullibility of the population. "There is a sucker born every minute."

There are some problems inherent in these statements:
1) It is widely held that petrolatum-based products should not be used in contact with the silicone-based interfaces common in xPAP therapy, such as masks. (this is, after all, what the thread was predicated on, not just as a skin protectant)
2) It is also widely held that petrolatum should not be used when adding oxygen to the therapy.
3) Was it superstition that led to the understanding that chewing willow bark could help mitigate headaches - or was it critical observation?
4) Was it superstition that led early planters to modify the soil in which they planted with animal material - or was it, again, the result of observation?
5) Is it superstition, as well, that is driving pharmaceutical researchers to look critically at folk medicine for clues to new treatment modalities? Are they perhaps aware that some solutions are found first in nature - or are they among the "...sucker(s) born every minute?"