4 Tips to Soothe Chapped Lips

CN Digital Studio
CN Digital Studio
self
self

We are in the depths of winter now, which means bitter temps, dry air and often cracked and chapped lips. Chapped lips can be unsightly and for many they can be down right painful! Hopefully these tips can offer some soothing solutions to one of winter's most annoying problems.

Related: 21 Good-For-You Snacks

What causes chapped lips?

Chapped lips are primarily caused by environmental factors like low humidity and cold air, both of which lead to dehydration. And while licking your lips may feel good initially, that can just make the condition worse (more on this later). If you suffer year-round from chronic lip dryness you should discuss it with your doctor. Chronic dryness could be an indication of other health issues.

What can I do to relieve chapped lips?


1. Pick the right lip balm
- Lip balms can definitely help soothe dry, chapped lips, but not all of them use the same ingredients. Some balms use wax (beeswax or microcrystalline wax) as the primary ingredient. While wax is a great barrier and can help prevent moisture from escaping your lips, you may not find it to be soothing if your lips are already chapped. Petrolatum and lanolin are better moisturizers and I personally find them to be more soothing. Also, if you use lip balm and still feel like your lips are chapped or irritated, be sure to look at the ingredients. Some lip balms contain fragrance and oils (like peppermint oil) which could be irritating, or you may even be experiencing an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients. My best advice is to look at the label and have some patience. You may have to do some trial and error to find the right balm for you.

See More: 6 Secrets to Firing Up Your Metabolism

2. Stop licking - I know, easier said than done. Saliva can lead to both dehydration, as well as irritation due to the enzymes present that are meant to aid in digestion. You may not even realize that you are licking your lips, so you might want to enlist the help of a good friend to gently point out when you are licking to help you kick the habit.

3. Break the addiction
- You may feel like you are addicted to your lip balm and there is actually some truth to that sentiment. It turns out the immediate moisturizing effect of lip balm sends a signal to your skin to stop producing fresh skin cells. This results in drier lips once the lip balm wears off. Of course, since your lips feel dry again you have to apply more lip balm and the cycle continues to repeat, possibly leading to a psychological addiction. Of course, stopping cold turkey with lip balm could be quite difficult and probably isn't necessary (particularly in the winter when your lips likely do need the extra moisture from lip balm). However, this is an option for those of you wanting to break your addiction!

Related: 38 Anti-Aging Foods

4. Get a prescription - If drugstore options are just not working, your doctor can prescribe a hydrocortisone ointment to help relieve the pain.

Bottom Line
: Chapped lips are hard to avoid in the cold winter months. Experiment with a few lip balms to find the best ingredient(s) for you and try to kick the licking habit to help keep lips looking and feeling their best!

More From SELF:

-Yoga Moves for Flat Abs
-20 Superfoods for Weight Loss
-Jillian Michaels: How to Lose Two Pounds a Week
-The Healthiest Cities for Women