Dry, chapped lips

Agghhhhh! My lips are dry again. The first sign of even cool weather and my lips seem to lose all moisture and crack up! Then of course the temptation is to chew them, or lick them to stop them from drying out – both of which just make the situation worse. So in an effort to avoid dry lips for the entirety of Winter, I have developed a “lip-care routine” which sounds silly but is helping. I have outlined what I do below but would love to hear about any tips you may have:

  1. If your lips are dry avoid licking them. Once the saliva evaporates, your lips dry out even more.
  2. Exfoliate your lips – to help improve dry lips, gently rub over your lips with a face washer or face scrub as this will exfoliate any dry or dead skin from your lips. This allows moisture to soak into live skin cells where it is really needed.

  3. La Mav Lip Balm with Hyaluronic

    Apply lip balm before bed – particularly if you mouth breathe apply a natural lip balm rich in beeswax. Beeswax holds in moisture without having an occlusive effect unlike mineral oil based products. Even organic oil based lip balms aren’t ideal. They are great for a high gloss look but not for stopping immediate moisture loss. Some of our beeswax rich lip balms include Suvana Paw Paw & Honey Lip Balm, any of the Badger Lip Balms and Third Stone Botanicals Chocolate Lip Balm. The other good option is La Mav Soothing Lip Balm with Hyaluronic, an ingredients that attracts and holds moisture in skin cells.

  4. Wear lipstick or a rich lip balm during the day and apply regularly – air-conditioning, cold, wind and low humidity will exacerbate or even cause dry lips so keep them glossed!
  5. Consider a lip balm with SPF if you are playing sport or exposed to the sun for extended periods of time. Lavera SPF10 Lip Balm is ideal in such cases.
  6. Drink plenty of water – dry skin and dry lips can result from dehydration – it’s that simple sometimes!
  7. Good oils – if your skin is dry in general as well as your lips, consider adding a few extra essential fatty acids into your diet as they help the skin cells hold onto moisture. Good sources include avocado, nuts, seeds, deep sea fish and flax oil.

  8. Suvana Lip Balm

    Avoid too much caffeine and alcohol as they dehydrate your skin, lips, everything basically!

  9. If the body of your lips is smooth but you regularly get cracks or irritation in the corners (I get them from eating potato chips – now you know all my bad habits!) it may be related to a vitamin deficiency. Generally cracks in the corners of the mouth equate to low B group vitamin levels. If this is the case, you will see very rapid improvement by taking a B supplement. If not, consider seeing your Dr to get your iron levels checked  as these cracks, known as angular stomatitis may also be linked to low iron levels (don’t take iron tablets without having your levels tested first though).

And all of this in an attempt to get a kiss no less! You may not need to do everything on the list but remember that all these tips apply to your skin in general. Keep in well moisturised and nourished and it won’t get dry or dehydrated during winter. Something I must remember! I am off to get a glass of water…and apply some lip balm!

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