Are you looking for how to get rid of dry chapped lips this winter? For chapped lips home remedies to soothe your dry cracked lips?
Well, you’re in luck because in this article we are going to be talking about seven ways to treat chapped lips! These easy home remedies for chapped lips will promote healing and add moisture fast! There are also tips on how to protect your lips and prevent chapped lips from happening in the first place.
When lips are dry, they are prone to cracking. This is not only painful and irritating, but makes the skin prone to infections as well! They can become a real problem if not treated quickly. This is especially true during the cold dry winter months, December-February.
This is why I am sharing these tip tips to help you treat those irritatingly chapped lips and get them back to being soft and happy. Lips are an important area of your skin and their health should not be neglected. So, let's heal chapped lips quickly and prevent recurrence.
8 Ways to Get Rid of Chapped Lips
Though chapped lips are a year-round problem for many people they become that much worse during winter. Lips chapped when the air is drier and colder will only get worse and more uncomfortable until treated.
Luckily you don’t have to sit back and suffer because there are many chapped lips remedies to try out for yourself! Remedies to help to treat your severe chapped lips, so that you don’t have to have those dry, winter lips.
The best thing for severely chapped lips is maintaining moisture and most of these tips help with that. They will soothe and begin healing chapped lips quickly, while preventing reoccurrence.
1. Stay Hydrated
Hydration is one of the key tips when it comes to how to get rid of dry chapped lips. In fact, this tip could help you to avoid getting dry lips altogether and is great for overall skin health!
Water makes up a very large portion of our body which makes it vital to many functions. That includes the health of your lips and skin.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day to help keep your skin healthy and hydrated. Reducing your chances of getting severely chapped lips.
Try to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water daily and avoid having too many caffeinated drinks.
If you aren't a fan of drinking plain water try adding a flavored electrolyte powder. I personally use Ultima Refresher in my water frequently. It is zero carbs and my favorite flavor is their lemonade.
2. Exfoliate Regularly
When your lips are looking a bit scaly it is a good idea to exfoliate them in order to remove the dead skin cells. Just like if your face was looking a bit dry you would use an exfoliator.
If your lips are particularly dry during winter you can exfoliate 2 to 3 times a week with a lip scrub, in order to remove any buildup of dead flaky skin.
You can either do this with a simple coconut oil based DIY lip scrub or by wetting a cloth and rubbing your lips gently until they are smooth.
3. Use a Lip Balm Containing Honey
If you notice the skin on your lips looking particularly dry and scaly try buying a lip balm that contains honey.
Honey is a humectant which means that it will draw moisture from the air to your lips helping to hydrate them. It is also naturally moisturizing all on its own and will help to soothe any pain or irritation. It is one of my favorite natural remedies for a host of skin conditions.
If you wanted to get the benefits from honey you could include it in your lip sugar scrub. A thin layer of honey could also be used as an overnight lip moisturizer, with out without coconut oil added.
4. Apply a Moisturizer Overnight
If you suffer from chapped lips it is a good idea to invest in some kind of heavy-duty lip moisturizer such as Aquaphor that can be applied overnight.
If you want to avoid petroleum jelly based products and use something more natural. Such as shea butter or coconut oil both are great options. The anti-inflammatory properties of coconut oil topical application are well documented. [ref] I personally prefer the shea butter alternative for the rich thick coverage it provides.
Apply a generous amount of your lip moisturizer of choice before going to bed to help your lips to stay moisturized overnight. If they are particularly bad a mixture of aloe vera and coconut oil or petroleum jelly product (such as Aquaphor) coating them at bedtime can be helpful.
TIP: Treating dry chapped lips with aloe vera gel shortly before coating with oil boosts moisturizing even more. This easy two step home remedy is one of my favorites.
5. Use a Natural Lip Balm Throughout the Day
When trying to find out how to get rid of chapped lips one of the most important things to do is to apply a good lip balm full of healthy fatty acids regularly.
Make sure to reapply lip balm throughout the day as needed to avoid having your lips dry out without you noticing.
This is the best way to avoid having your lips get so dry that they begin to peel or crack which can be very painful.
Try to find a lip balm that is more natural and contains fewer artificial ingredients. Look for lip balms that don’t contain artificial flavorings or fragrances. Avoid products with camphor or menthol, as they can cause a burning sensation on the sensitive lips.
Instead look for more natural lip balms that contain plenty of natural oils, butters, and beeswax. In addition to coconut and shea, jojoba oil and almond oil are also nourishing and something to look for on labels.
Choosing a product with neem oil, such as this balm is also smart. Neem oil is loaded with beneficial fatty acids and is reported to boost collagen production and speed healing. [ref]
EOS is one brand of balm I recommend. It applies smoothly and is loaded with shea butter. Badger makes a great set of organic tinted lip balms perfect for day wear. Lip gloss with vitamin E, castor oil or dimethicone are also healing for lips.
Slow application in cold dry weather will allow the warmth of your lips to soften the oils and make application smoother.
6. Avoid Licking or Biting Your Lips
This chapped lips remedy might seem like an obvious one but this is something that many of us struggle with! While licking your lips, may seem to soothe them in the moment, it intensifies the issue.
If your lips are peeling it can be easy to begin to bite your lips without noticing. It is also common to begin licking your lips in concentration, particularly when the sensitive skin becomes dry and irritated. Although counter-productive, it is instinctual.
These are things that many of us do without realizing, but the drying effect caused when saliva evaporates can cause chapped skin to become far worse!
Try to keep lip balm handy in order to deter you from biting or licking your lips.
7. Use a Humidifier
As mentioned above winter air is on the drier side which can have a negative impact on your lips.
The dryness of the air can further inflame already dry and irritated lips by making them dehydrated and dry especially as many places have the heating on during winter. A humidifier can remedy this situation and help keep your lips healthy.
You don’t even need to use a large whole house humidifier as even a small smartly placed one will do the job! This small humidifier has a simple unobtrusive design and would be a great bedroom option.
Try to use a humidifier in your home and in your room at night to help add some moisture to the air. You could even use a mini humidifier in your workplace if you find the air particularly dry there.
Doing this will help to incorporate moisture back into the air helping your lips to become less dry and chapped.
8. Green Tea Bags
Treating your lips with phenol and polyphenol rich green tea can help soothe them by reducing inflammation. [ref] The tannin in green tea is full of antioxidants and has antimicrobial properties,[ref] making it great for promoting skin healing and avoiding infections.
Applying a tea bag soaked in lukewarm water and leaving in on the damaged skin a few minutes is good prep for covering lips with honey or nourishing oils.
Why Do You Have Severe Chapped Lips?
Unlike the rest of our skin, our lips do not contain oil glands to keep them nice and moisturized. This is why we must do that manually to avoid having painfully dry and chapped lips.
You can get dry lips during any season for a series of reasons. Some people get dry lips during winter due to cold weather and dry air. Sun damage can also cause the issue.
Chronically chapped lips might be due to a tendency to bit or lick your lips throughout the day. Drying them out and removing your chapstick.
Some kinds of medications have a tendency to cause chapped lips too. So if you suspect that one of your medications might be the culprit make sure to check the side effects.
If you have problems with dry cracked lips one of these common causes might relate to you:
- Allergies
- Environmental changes
- Licking or biting
- Dehydration
- Dry air
- Lack of moisture
- Certain medications
What Can Cause Severe Chapped Lips?
Just about everyone has experienced chapped lips at some point. As it is an extremely common ailment that we all experience rather regularly.
But certain risk factors can make you much more likely to develop painfully chapped and dry lips. So, it is a good idea to keep these causes and risks in mind for yourself.
Here is a list of some vitamins and medications that can cause you to have dry lips more frequently. If you take any of these vitamins or medications, you will need to take extra good care of your lips.
- vitamin A
- chemotherapy drugs
- retinoids
- lithium
But other factors can make your lips dry out worse such as:
- vitamin deficiencies, particularly B vitamins, iron or zinc
- severe dehydration
- certain chronic health problems like cancer or a precancerous condition called actinic cheilitis
- infection can also cause lips to not heal
These are all big factors that can have a negative impact on your lips. Causing them to be dry, chapped, painful, and peeled.
If any of these risks apply to you, you will need to keep a watch over your lips to keep them from getting severely chapped. Apply more moisture and try to remove dead skin very frequently.
How to Prevent Chapped Lips
Even though you have many chapped lip remedies to choose from, it is still best if you can avoid getting dry lips altogether. Preventing it from happening is much better than having to try to treat the issue.
With consistent care, you can avoid getting dry and peeled lips. Just by committing a little extra bit of care to protect your lips, you can have nourished and smooth lips all year long, even in the harshest of weather conditions!
It is really very easy to avoid getting severe chapped lips as long as you are taking care of that delicate area of skin. Here are a few things to do regularly in order to avoid getting dry chapped lips this season:
Regularly Apply Lip Balm
This is a pretty basic step that most will probably already be doing. But don’t underestimate the importance of regularly applying lip balm.
This is a great way to completely avoid getting any form of dry or chapped lips. As you are keeping the skin on your lips soft and supple.
Try to get a good lip balm that contains plenty of natural oils and butters, such as Shea or coconut oil. Avoid lip balms that are very artificial or hard and waxy.
Stay Hydrated
The second most important tip to preventing severe chapped lips is to stay hydrated throughout the day.
Just getting in enough water is going to help you to have softer lips that are more moisturized and less scaly. This is exactly what we want, as you are hydrating your skin internally instead of just externally.
Try to set a water goal each day and reach it by tracking your water intake. You can slowly build up to drinking more water each day until you can see a difference in your skin.
Avoid Going Out into Harsh Weather
This is a tip that might be easier said than done, but it is important to try to avoid going out into harsh weather. Wind, slow, and dry weather all contribute to dry and chapped lips.
Try to avoid going out in harsh weather or if you have to, make sure to apply plenty of lip balm as protection. while I prefer natural ingredients, slathering on some petroleum jelly would be protective. You could even cover your mouth with a scarf to protect that delicate area from the elements.
You are not free to ignore protecting your lips in summer months either though. Sun damage can also result in chapping. Make sure to use lip products that contain SPF protection. This not only avoids chap, but helps guard this area of skin against skin cancer.
Use Overnight Lip Moisturizers
Another great way to prevent getting dry and painful lips is to use an overnight moisturizing balm.
This will help to prevent your lips from drying out at night. This often happens because we get dehydrated as we sleep which can dry out our lips.
By using a night lip balm you can help to keep your lips moisturized all throughout the night. So that you can wake up with soft and hydrated lips in the morning.
Severe Chapped Lips Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed these home remedies for chapped lips and found the information helpful to keep your lips healthy.
Many people struggle with having dry lips myself included and they can be a real trial sometimes. But thankfully there are many chapped lips remedies to try out in the hopes of treating them.
Let me know what you do to treat your dry chapped lips and what remedies you might have found to be effective. I’d love to hear about what has worked for you!
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