Your skin may be oily but your lips often become chap and crack especially in the winter when it is cold and dry outside. Besides, when it comes to taking skincare people often put stress on body skin, they forget that lips are the softest part of the skin which also does not have any oil gland. However, you can avoid bothersome lip dryness and some other symptoms by following some simple tips and achieving healthy lips.
Before following the tips you must avoid certain habits that lead your lips to dry out. For example, if you tend to breathe through the mouth then air passes across your lips, drying your saliva and it causes dried lips. Instead, if you breathe through your nose you can notice a significant improvement. It helps to keep moisture on your lips.
Again we often try out many products for lips. Among them, some contain certain chemicals which are not good for lips. This includes certain medications also. For example –
- Vitamin A
- Eucalyptus
- Menthol
- Camphor
- Flavorings — especially irritating flavorings like cinnamon, citrus, mint, and peppermint
- Salicylic acid
- Propyl gallate
You should check your makeup, lotion, lip balms, and any other products you put on or near your lips for these ingredients.
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Some steps you should maintain for healthy lips
1. Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is the most natural way to take care of your dry lips. This soft part of your body gets dried out most easily as they don’t have any oil glands. Licking lips is one of the bad habits many people do, so if you are one of them please stop doing so. Licking lips takes away moisture from your mouth. Instead, drink lots of water to protect lips from drying. And if you find your dry lips a serious issue, set up a humidifier in the home to increase the moisture in the air.
2. Keep Your Lips Moisturized
Most of us use lip balm or other lip moisturizing products. These healers start from the surface of the skin and work their way inward to heal your lips. But it is always better to use one which is recommended by dermatologists. Because they recommend products that include at least one of the following ingredients:
- Castor seed oil
- Hemp seed oil
- Mineral oil
- Petrolatum
- Shea butter
- White petroleum jelly
It is always good to apply lip balm too often. Unless and until it irritates your lips, you should apply lip balm multiple times a day and before bed every night. If you have a more damaged lip you should use a thicker product. If you’re trying to prevent dry lips, use a standard chapstick. If you have cracked and flaky skin, try a thick ointment like white petroleum jelly. Ointments are better at caring for your lips because they seal in hydration more effectively than waxy or oily products.
3. Protect Your Lips From the Weather
When you spend a lot of time out in the sun, your lips become chapped from too much sun exposure. To prevent sun-chapped lips, you can use a lip balm with protective ingredients like titanium oxide or zinc oxide. Something with an SPF of 30 or higher will help protect your lips from the sun.
If you don’t live in a sunny climate, you still need to take care of your lips. Windy or cold weather can be just as damaging to sensitive lips as the sun is. To be safe, reapply your chapstick every few hours to keep your lips protected from the elements.
4. How to Care for Lip Fillers
If you have lip fillers, your lip care might look a little different than caring for natural lips because you have to keep up with the inside of your lips, too. To care for the surface of your lips, you should follow the same tips for great tips listed above.
Right after getting lip fillers, you should try to avoid:
- Exercising or other serious physical activity
- Spending time in the sun or any form of tanning
- Touching the area (unless you’ve been told to massage the area)
As long as you don’t notice anything unusual after getting fillers, you can continue caring for your lips as usual.
Follow these tips for healthy lips and your chapped lips should heal before too long. If two or three weeks pass and you haven’t noticed an improvement in your dry lips, consider contacting a dermatologist.