Is there anything more uncomfortable or annoying than chapped, dry lips? Not only do chapped lips hurt, but they look awful and can make lip color a disaster to apply properly.
Sadly, avoiding dry lips get harder with the changing seasons and the cold weather but we know exactly what you need. Here are a few of our favorite tips to keep your lips plump, soft and hydrate no matter how low the temperature drops.
Stop Licking Your Lips
What is it about the feeling of dry lips that makes you just want to stick your tongue out and lick them for even a moment of relief? Well, it turns out that even if it helps it temporarily feel better, it’s actually making your chapped lips worse.
When you lick your lips, the saliva that is left on them evaporates, making them dry out even more than they would have just from the cold. To make matters worse, another side effect of licking them often is that lips produce fewer oils to help keep them moist, which lead to cracking or peeling lips.
Apply Lip Balm After Eating and Drinking
Many people will apply a lip balm but more often than not, they wait until it’s too late and hope that it will repair chapped lips once they’ve already appeared. The reality is that your lip care, like your skin care, needs to be preventative as well.
Make sure that after every drink or meal, you apply your lip balm even if your lips don’t feel chapped. This helps nourish them but also builds a protective barrier over them to prevent future or further damage. You also want to avoid ingredients like mint in your lip balm as it can cause redness and pain to already chapped lips.
Watch Out For Your Makeup
We are eternally grateful to the makeup gods for blessing us will all day lip color, but it can actually be harming your lips and making them dry and cracked. Long wear lip color isn’t the only culprit either. Matte lipsticks, as well as most lip plumpers, can also deprive your lips of moisture, leaving them cracked and in pain.
To avoid these nasty side effects of makeup on your lips, make sure you’re applying lots of lip balm between makeup applications. If you find that your lips are still feeling flaky and rough, you can also gently exfoliate them with a wet, soft toothbrush before applying your lip balm and then your lip color to give them a soft, supple look.
What are your tips for dealing with dry, chapped lips? Let us know in the comments below!
