Make sure you don't use a face wash with salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide on your lips, because it can disrupt pH balance and cause your lips to chap.
Both bar soaps and SLS are too harsh for the lips. Avoid getting the lather on your mouth. You may reconsider using them on your face, although some bar soaps are more gentle than others.
Remove dry, dead skin flakes by gently brushing your lips with a wet, soft toothbrush or washcloth. I do this about once a week, usually on a weekend morning when I'm not planning on going outside right away since it makes my lips a little sensitive. Hydrate.
Gently brushing your lips with a toothbrush may help you get rid of dry skin and give your lips a smoother appearance. However, over-exfoliating can irritate the delicate skin over your lip. It's a good idea to brush your lips no more than once a week to avoid irritation.
In extreme cases, continuing to neglect your chapped lips by not moisturizing and exfoliating can lead to slight lip discoloration, such as pale lips and a dark border around your mouth.
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) recommends using white petroleum jelly throughout the day and before bed to moisturize and sooth dry, cracked lips. Petroleum jelly seals in water longer than oils and waxes. It's also inexpensive and easy to find online and in drugstores.
Normal, healthy lip color varies, depending on skin color and other factors, but should fall in the reddish-pink-to-brown range.
It is largely believed that using toothpaste instead of other exfoliants may benefit your lips, since it is gentler. Brushing your lips increases the blood flow and removes the flakiness, making the skin appear smoother and healthier.
You should try to use lip balm in moderation. In fact, some dermatologists believe that overuse could cause your lips to stop producing natural oils. They also caution that you could feel dependent on the balm for moisture. Despite these warnings, it's still safe for you to use lip balm every day.
Even ordinary bar soaps and liquid hand soaps may cause harmful effects including vomiting, diarrhea, irritation of the lining of the mouth and digestive tract, and in rare instances, pulmonary aspiration.
If you've spotted some ChapStick® on the inside of your washer or dryer, it should be fairly easy to remove this residue. Simply scrub at the spots with hot water and a little laundry detergent. Some vinegar might help you remove waxy residue, as well.
Benefits of coconut oil for lips
The primary benefit of coconut oil is its moisturizing effects. This makes it ideal for chapped lips. Your lips are particularly sensitive to moisture loss because the skin is thin, and they're exposed to the elements more so than other parts of your skin.
Lip licker's dermatitis is a type of skin inflammation around the lips due to damage by saliva from repetitive lip licking and is classified as a subtype of irritant contact cheilitis. The resulting scaling, redness, chapping, and crusting makes a well-defined ring around the lips.
Some lip balms contain ingredients that can irritate or dry out your skin. Menthol, salicylic acid, cinnamic aldehyde and balms with flavoring can all cause lips to become dry. If you have sensitive skin or allergies, you may be at even greater risk of getting chapped lips when using these products.
The lips are also exposed to the elements, including the sun and cold, dry air, making them prone to dryness, cracking, flaking, and peeling. The lips lack oil glands and so cannot produce their own moisture, but natural moisturizers can help.
Causes of dark lips
excessive exposure to the sun. lack of hydration. cigarette smoking. allergic reactions to toothpaste, lipstick, etc.
Does licking my lips often make it pink? No. Saliva contains many enzymes. Licking your lips more often would make your lips dry, so try not to lick your lips and apply a good moisturizer instead.
Apply sunblock: Yes, lips can get tanned too!
In fact, the sun can damage the skin on the lips, making them appear darker and rougher. Look for a lip balm with SPF30, and apply it at least 5-6 times a day to make sure it does not wear off.
Specific triggers play a significant role like excessive sun exposure, hormonal changes and nutrition. Another skin condition, i.e. acanthosis nigricans can also cause thickening and darkening of the upper lip area. Eczemas and conditions like atopic dermatitis can cause pigmentation in the area above the upper lip.