The "skin" on your lips is not really skin, but a thin mucous membrane with no oil glands. Lip anatomy, combined with factors such as the environment, smoking and lip licking, can lead to dry, chapped lips in spring, summer, winter or fall. Products such as ChapStick® may be convenient, but contain chemical ingredients you may not wish to use on your lips. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to get rid of chapped lips without ChapStick®.
Lifestyle Remedies
Step 1
Drink eight to 10 glasses of water each day. Dehydration is a major cause of chapped lips. Health-Issues.org attributes this to the thin membrane covering your lips that allows moisture to evaporate faster than on other parts of your body.
Step 2
Make changes to your diet. Eliminate foods and beverages such as orange juice, alcohol, pepper, mustard and barbecue sauce, and replace them with non-acidic fruits, vegetables and a vitamin B supplement.
Step 3
Stop licking your lips. Evaporating saliva takes lip moisture with it. In addition, saliva contains digestive enzymes that irritate your lips.
Step 4
Stop smoking. Smoking strips what little natural moisture is present in your lips, causing excessive dryness that can lead to chapped lips.
Step 5
Cover your mouth before going out in cold weather. Cold, dry weather can be devastating to lip moisture.
Treatments
Step 1
Exfoliate your lips. Rub your lips with petroleum jelly, allow it to sit for a few minutes, then wipe with a washcloth to smooth dry, flaky lips.
Step 2
Use a natural overnight lip conditioner. BeautyGuide.com recommends rubbing peanut butter or cocoa butter on your lips before turning in for the night. You can also rub in a mixture of glycerin and cream as another way to provide overnight conditioning--simply mix 2 drops of glycerin with
1 tsp. heavy cream.
Step 3
Use hypoallergenic lip products, including lip balms, glosses and lipsticks that contain a sun protection factor, or SPF, of at least 15. Avoid any lip products that contain salicylic acid, as this is a harsh and drying chemical.
Things You'll Need
- Water
- Petroleum jelly
- Washcloth
- Peanut butter/cocoa butter
- Hypoallergenic lip cosmetics
- 2 drops of glycerin
- 1 tsp. heavy cream
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