Dry and chapped lips are very painful. They not only look bad, they are quite uncomfortable and ugly too. There are many reasons that cause chapped lips like dry and cold weather, overexposure to sun-rays, habit of lip biting and sucking, deficiency of vitamin B2, etc. By taking care of few things you can get rid of your dry and chapped lips. We have compiled a few tips which can help you get rid of chapped lips.
1. Lip balm
Apply lip balm on your lips several times a day. The lips get chapped when they lose moisture. Use moisturizer and they will be just fine. Alternatively, you can also try applying vitamin E oil or aloe vera gel on your lips . They all help in moisturizing the skin.
2. Exfoliate
Before going to bed, gently exfoliate your lips with either a dry brush or a wash cloth. After exfoliation, apply petroleum jelly generously. After few days, you will see a marked improvement.
3. Don’t smoke
Smoking is not good for overall health is a known fact. What is less known is the fact that it also dries the skin near the mouth. This dryness further causes chapped lips.
4. Stay hydrated
Keep yourself hydrated by drinking lots of water. You must drink at least 10 glasses of water in a day. If your body will be hydrated your lips too will remain hydrated otherwise even mild dehydration can cause problems.
5. Eat balanced diet
Dry and cracked lips can be due to deficiency of vitamin B2 or riboflavin in your body so try to increase your riboflavin intake by including red meat, green leafy vegetables, dairy products, whole grains, etc.
6. Change toothpaste
Sometimes tartar control toothpaste can irritate lips and cause irritation and peeling. If you use one and also have chapped lips then this could be due to your paste, so ask your doctor and change the toothpaste.
7. Wear lipstick with caution
If you wear a lipstick on daily basis then it is very important for you to apply a moisturizing lip balm under your pigment. Sometimes ingredients of a lipstick irritate the sensitive skin of lips and hence when you apply a barrier on your lips in the form of balm then your lips will remain moisturized and protected.
8. Use sunblock
Over exposure to sun can also lead to chapped lips, so either wear a lipstick with adequate SPF or apply a good lip balm with SPF before stepping out of home.
9. Use a humidifier
If you are supposed to stay in an AC room or the one with HVAC then it is best to use a humidifier in the room as dry air sucks all moisture from your lips.
10. Don’t lick
When lips get dried up people develop a tendency to lick their lips for wetting them but this is a very bad habit as licking evaporates all moisture from the lips and end up in dried and chapped lips.
These tips should help you out of the problem but if the problem persists than it is best to consult your doctor as persistent chapped lips could be a symptom of some underlying health problem.
