Everyone knows that lips tend to get dry and cracked more often in the winter. Chapped lips are a problem everyone has had at some point, and a lot of the time it is sooo painful.
The medical term for the condition is Cheilitis, which is an irritation of the skin around the mouth caused by licking, rubbing, or biting the lips, which can remove natural oils the body uses to keeps lips moist.
Chapped lips can cause painful cracks, crusting, bleeding, and other more serious issues like infections if gone untreated.
The cold weather, wind, and dry air doesn’t help at all, but if it happens to you, here’s what you need to do to heal your skin.
Stay hydrated
No matter what you try, one foolproof method that will help chapped lips is to make sure your body is hydrated. Nothing will help more than cutting out the juices and sodas and filling your body with a natural moisturizer!
Set aside the flavors and tints
Set aside the fancy, scented lip balms. Any additives used in the ingredients of the balm to make it smell good or tingle your lips is only going to irritate the skin more.
Use gentle products
The best thing you can do for yourself is pick up a boring jar of Vaseline and apply it every few hours. Coconut oil is a good option too; anything that’s gentle enough to give your lips moisture and a protective layer while your body is healing in the background.
Exfoliate
Here’s a great recipe that will gently remove skin that’s READY to come off. Make sure your hands are clean before you apply it and don’t rub too hard.
Don’t touch your lips!
Picking, rubbing, and feeling what’s hurting isn’t going to make it any better. Your hands are only invading on the process. If you have extra skin that’s starting to tear away that you want to pick, you’re only going to make the problem even worse.
