Has Winter Chapped Your Lips? by K. Verdugo

Winter is just around the corner bringing a variety of weather conditions ranging from cold or dry air to rain.  During the winter season, your lips are constantly exposed to these elements and need to be protected.  Since your lips have a very thin layer of skin, they lose moisture more frequently than any other area on your face.

Here are some key factors that may play a part in chapped lips:

Dehydration may lead to painful cracking, dry, chapped lips. It is recommended that you have eight glasses of water a day.  Staying well-hydrated is important when the weather changes.

Lip licking may also be a contributing factor to sensitive lips.  Try avoiding doing so and moisturize your lips instead.

Your body’s pH maybe in an acidic state which can cause chapped lips. Increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet will restore your body’s pH to its proper state.

Allergens and irritants such as fragrances or dyes in cosmetics or skin care products should be avoided. They can make your lip condition worse.

Although chapstick is a great and effective way to treat most chapped lips, it’s important to note that some brands can dry out your lips even more. Read the ingredients list to determine whether or not your chapstick is helping your dry lips.

Ingredients to Avoid

• Alcohol
• Salicylic acid
• Menthol, campor and phenol
• Fragrance or artificial dyes
• Aloe butter
• Vitamin E

Ingredients to Include

• Sunscreen
• Dimethicone
• Humectants (5%)
• Paraben-free
• Moisturizers for example Vaseline, beeswax and ceramides
• Lanolin and cocoa butter

Helpful Home Remedies

Honey

A great healing and anti-bacterial antigen is honey. Honey combined with Vaseline is an effective home remedy.  Perform the following steps:

First, apply honey on your lips and let it dry for a few seconds.

Once the honey has dried, apply Vaseline over your lips. Make sure you do so without moving your lips.

Keep the honey and Vaseline on your lips for 10-15 minutes. This is like a deep conditioning mask for lips.

Finally, dip a Q-tip in hot water and use it to remove the honey and Vaseline.  Just remove in two strokes.

Repeat this treatment once a day for 2-5 days to find relief for chapped lips.

Coconut Oil

It has been proven that coconut oil is a wonderful natural remedy for cracked lips. Apply a small amount of coconut oil to the lips several times a day.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is an amazing herbal healing agent for the skin. Applying aloe vera gel to the lips daily will greatly help chapped lips. Don’t lick your lips since the aloe vera has a very bitter taste.

Cucumbers

Many people have found that using cut cucumbers are very beneficial. You want to rub the cut cucumber on your lips for 30-60 seconds.