The skin on your lips is so delicate and fine it can crack and peel before you’ve even got out of bed. Even when your skin is glowing, lips that look like crisp crumbs are stuck to them totally ruin the look.The age old method for primping your smackers is to vigorously scrub them with a tooth brush and smather on lashings of Vaseline but sometimes that just doesn’t cut the mustard.
Most people get chapped lips from time to time. There's so much you can do to treat — and prevent — chapped lips. Consider these tips:
- Protect your lips. Before going out in cold, dry weather, apply a lubricating lip cream or balm that contains sunscreen — and then cover your lips with a scarf. Reapply often while outdoors.
- Avoid licking your lips. Saliva evaporates quickly, leaving lips drier than before you licked them. If you tend to lick your lips, avoid flavored lip balm — which may tempt you to lick your lips even more.
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of fluids, and moisten the air in your home with a humidifier.Avoid allergens. Avoid contact with irritants or allergens, such as fragrances or dyes, in cosmetics or skin care products.
- Breathe through your nose. Breathing through your mouth can cause your lips to dry out.
- Apply balm compulsively. I swipe on balm all the time. "From email to editing, from a meeting to a phone call, I apply lip balm."
- Pick a product that actually works. Look for one that’s viscous, rather than waxy, to really get into the cracks, and look for a formula with hydrating ingredients, like petrolatum, shea butter, hyaluronic acid, or dimethicone. (I’ve been a longtime fan of Kiehls Lip Balm or Dr. Paw Paw
- Brush, floss, and swipe on some lip balm. Toothpastes, mouthwashes, teeth-bleaching systems and facial cleansers all mess with the pH balance in your mouth, which can also cause chapping. Applying lip balm right after brushing your teeth or washing your face can help, says dermatologist Audrey Kunin.
- Get rid of flakes—the right way. You need to be gentle when exfoliating your lips, or else you might exacerbate the dryness. Get rid of dry flakes by buffing lips with a damp washcloth or a baby toothbrush and rubbing in a drop of eye cream around the edges of the mouth—it’s more moisturizing than lip balm.
- Break out the oils. At-home remedies can be just as helpful as store-bought balms. Dr. Fusco recommends olive oil or coconut oil.
Any of these work for you? Let me know.
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