Chapped lips are no fun for anyone. That dry, flaky feeling is nothing but annoying and can look bad too.
There can be multiple reasons you have chapped lips, such as the dry cold air of winter, lack of vitamin B-2, a lip biting habit, how you heat your home, allergic reaction to dyes in lipstick or the hot dry heat of Summer, even your lips can sunburn and become chapped. It’s important to take care of our lips.
When you have chapped lips, try hard not to lick them. It’s tempting and sometimes it gives just a moments relief. However, licking or biting your lips could be part of the problem.
When you have chapped lips use daily cool salt water compresses. To make a cool salt water compress put one teaspoon of salt in a pint of cool to cold water. Place a clean cloth in the water and let it soak for a few minutes. Then take the moist cloth and lay it over your lips. Leave the cloth on your lips for a few minutes.
When you remove the cloth, you can lightly pat off any excess water. Then apply an emollient ointment like Vaseline or a wax based lip balm very liberally on your lips. This will seal in the moisture helping your lips become soft and smooth again. You should repeat this daily until your lips are better. This is a good method to use before you go to bed, so your lips can rest allowing the moisture to work.
For severe chapped lips, you may want to try an over the counter ointment with one percent of hydrocortisone in it. Apply this liberally and when you won’t be rubbing your lips by eating or drinking. Again, it’s very important not to lick or bit your lips when they’re chapped.
If you suspect an allergic reaction to a lipstick is causing your chapped lips, stop using the lipstick. If you’ve recently began using a new brand of lipstick, you might be allergic to something in that specific brand. If you’ve been switching brands to find one that doesn’t chap your lips, chances are you’re allergic to lipstick. In that case you may want to switch to tinted balms or alternative products.
Summer time chapped lips are usually caused by being sunburned. While it’s never good to have a sunburn on any part of your body, often our lips are a place we don’t pay much attention to. You should apply a lip balm that contain sunscreen year round.
To get rid of all those dry and flaky skin cells from your lips, use a little lemon juice. Apply it directly on your lips. This will exfoliate your lips leaving the new and healthy skin on your soft smooth lips.
Once you’ve taken care of your chapped lips, there are things you can do to prevent chapped lips in the future.
Start by using a really good lip balm or chap stick. Look at the ingredients and make sure you find one that is made from beeswax or cocoa butter.
Keep your body well hydrated. That could mean drinking over the recommended eight glasses of water a day. Some experts have suggested people with hydration issues drink a hundred ounces of water a day. Chapped lips are one sign of possible dehydration.
Take a multivitamin supplement daily. This will help prevent chapped lips from nutritional deficiencies.
If your home is dry, add a humidifier.
Lastly when you put your shoes on to go outside, no matter the season, get in the habit of applying a lip balm to your lips. Your lips are a sensitive part of your body and need to be protected.
