Stocking up on lip balm is a good idea during the winter, but there are other reasons your lips could be chapped besides cold, dry air. For instance, licking your lips too much can lead to chapped puckers. Spicy foods, sun exposure, and the common cold are also culprits! Even some cholesterol meds can be the cause. Fortunately, there are ways to get relief from these painful lips. Here are some of the best ways to treat chapped lips.
Use a Good Lip Balm
When your lips are chapped, you don’t want to use just any old Chapstick. Instead, choose options that contain petrolatum to lock in moisture and dimethicone to seal off cracks and splits. Other helpful ingredients include castor seed oil, ceramides, hemp seed oil, mineral oil, shea butter, and white petroleum jelly. Avoid products containing eucalyptus, cinnamon, citrus, mint, fragrance, menthol, phenol, propyl gallate, salicylic acid, and oxybenzone.
Try Natural Remedies
Aloe vera gel has vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory properties that can soothe and rehydrate chapped lips. In addition, coconut oil and green tea can combat inflammation; honey can moisturize; and cucumber can improve your lips’ overall appearance. These natural suggestions are worth a shot to curb chapped lip symptoms.
Do Not Further Irritate Them
Do not suck on or lick your lips in an attempt to hydrate them. And do not bite or pick at your lips to remove excess skin. This will only lead to further irritation and prevent the healing process.
(Lightly) Exfoliate
If you’ve been dealing with dry lips for a while, the skin may be too thick for healing agents to access. A lip scrub containing baking soda or sugar and other soothing ingredients can help remove that excess layer. Be sure not to over-exfoliate, it can increase your risk of bringing on an unwanted cold sore if your lips become overly irritated.
Use a Humidifier at Night
Humidifiers can add moisture to the air to aid dry lips and skin. Test it for a few nights and see if you get some relief.
Thank you for the advice and information, because my lips sometimes feels very dry and cracks a bit.