Soft, smooth lips are ideal when it comes to applying your favorite lip gloss and lipstick. Don’t let chapped lips keep you from that!
We’re here to help you understand how you end up with dry chapped lips in the first place, so you can get rid of them and perfect your pout. Knowledge, like a statement lip, is power.
Why do lips become chapped?
Lips can become dry and flaky for a number of reasons, but the primary culprits are climate-controlled settings, excessive mouth breathing, consistently licking your lips, and dehydration.
A climate-controlled setting refers to a place where the air conditioner or central air is constantly running, whether that’s an office, school or your bedroom. Recycled air lacks moisture, so temperature-controlled areas can be incredibly drying.
Excessive breathing through the mouth is a more obvious culprit — when your nose is plugged and you’re consistently passing air across your lips, it can easily dry out your pucker.
If you’re the type of person who habitually licks or bites their lips, you may be accidentally drying them out. While saliva temporarily hydrates the lips, it then dries and dehydrates them all over again. Over time, your lips produce less oils that keep them hydrated.
Dehydration is the most common culprit of dry lips, and it can result from diet, smoking, alcohol, or excessive sun exposure. Doctors recommend 2 liters of water a day for women (eight 8 oz. glasses), and remember that certain liquids (alcohol and sodas in particular) dehydrate your body more than they hydrate it.
What are the best ways to prevent dry, chapped lips?
1. Drink more water!
Self explanatory. Keep your body hydrated so it can function in the way that it should, keeping your lips silky smooth, instead of flaky and dry.
2. Try a humidifier.
Creating a more humid home or office environment will keep your lips from drying out and chapped skin from developing. Moisture in the air = moisture in your lips!
3. Hydrate that pucker.
Carry a hydrating lip balm throughout the day and apply frequently. When picking your chapstick, look for ingredients such as shea butter, natural oils (almond, coconut, jojoba, olive, hemp seed, avocado and grapeseed) and aloe. Make sure that camphor, phenol and menthol are not ingredients in your chosen lip products, as these are known to dehydrate.
If your lips are already feeling super dry and flaky, throwing on a simple chapstick won’t solve your problem. Try out a good lip scrub or a treatment lip balm, which will work harder to combat those dry, pesky flakes. Also, try patting a couple of drops of Hyaluronic Acid based serum directly onto clean lips. It can offer benefits in seconds, either as a hydrating mask or a primer before applying other lip products.
My dry lips get itchy around the edges (specifically lower lip). Is this common?
What’s the difference between dry lips or the possible cancer I have heard about that leaves a whitish plaque which I think I have.
What’s The difference between chapped lips and the possible cancer that I’ve heard about that leaves a white plaque on the lips. I think I might have that
Dry Lips Remedy
Your lips don’t have oil glands, and they’re almost always exposed to the elements. So if you don’t take care of them, you’ll pay the price. What can you do to keep them safe?
Use lip balm. A good, natural balm can buffer your delicate lip skin from the elements. Choose one high in emollients. Check the ingredient list for petrolatum, which locks in moisture, and dimethicone, which seals off cracks and splits in drying lips. Don’t limit yourself to products with the word balm in them, either. Lip ointments are just as good a choice. Buy manuka oil for dry lips today: http://bit.ly/manukaointment
Apply early and often. Whatever type of product you choose, apply it before you put on lipstick or lip gloss, not after. To keep your lips protected, reapply frequently. You need about six to eight coats during the day, so apply first thing in the morning, last thing at night, and every couple of hours during the day. To make this easier, stash a tube in your purse, one in the car, a third your desk, and another near the bed.
Protect your lips when you’re outside. You cover your hands and feet when the temperature drops; do the same for your lips. Wear a scarf or a ski mask that covers your mouth when you go out in the cold. And remember to choose a lip balm with sun protection year-round.
You Don’t Get Enough Water
Factors inside and outside your body can dry out your lips. Want to keep your whistle wet?
Drink up. You know it has tons of benefits for your body. One of those is to fight the dehydration that leads to chapped lips.
Use a humidifier indoors. These devices provide the moisture your lips and skin crave. It’s great to have one at work as well as at home, especially in the winter. Turn it on at night to replenish your skin while you sleep.
Don’t lick your lips. While it might seem like a good idea at the time, running your tongue over your lips is the worst thing you can do for them. As your saliva dries, it takes more moisture from your skin. Reach for your lip balm instead.
Buy manuka oil for dry lips today: http://bit.ly/manukaointment