Use a moisturizer to keep your lips from drying out further. Products containing beeswax or petroleum work to hold moisture in. Slather on more at night before you go to sleep. Ointments like coconut oil, cocoa butter, petroleum jelly, and even thick body lotions are good options.
Apply a non-irritating lip balm (or lip moisturizer) several times a day and before bed. If your lips are very dry and cracked, try a thick ointment, such as white petroleum jelly. Ointment seals in water longer than waxes or oils. Slather on a non-irritating lip balm with SPF 30 or higher before going outdoors.
See a dermatologist if your problem persists. Chapping that doesn't heal, despite regular use of lip balm, can be a sign of infection or a more serious problem, like cancer or a precancerous condition called actinic cheilitis.
How Long Do Chapped Lips Take To Heal? Depending on their condition, chapped lips can take anything from one day to 2-3 weeks to heal completely. If the chapping, peeling or bleeding of lips does not stop even after trying all the treatments, you must consult your doctor.
Moisturize your lips overnight
Especially post-exfoliation, slather on a thick lip balm or petroleum jelly to absorb into your lips overnight. Add this simple extra step into your nighttime skincare routine to ensure your lips are super smooth in the morning.
Licking your lips when they're chapped will not make them better. In fact, according to the Dermatology Clinic at UAMS, licking your lips can actually make things worse. Chapped lips are caused by a number of factors. For most people, the weather is the main cause of chapped lips.
And the NHS warns that chelitis, the medical term for chapped lips, is triggered when your lips lose moisture, but certain products like toothpaste, sun creams and mouthwashes can trigger soreness and irritation.
Chapped lips are typically caused by environmental exposures that lead to irritation, including saliva and licking your lips, spicy foods, and cold, dry weather, says Dr. Zeichner. The common cold and sun damage can also cause chapped lips, he adds, as well as medication like cholesterol-lowering agents.
The secret to dealing with dry, sore, chapped lips is to find a way to lock in moisture and protect the lips from the cold, dry air. Vaseline® Healing Jelly is an excellent choice as it forms a protective layer on the lips and penetrates deep down to rehydrate the skin and speed up the its natural renewal process.
Vaseline is known as an occlusive, which means it can hold in moisture . If you use Vaseline on your lips before they're dry and chapped, you may be able to stave off dryness. However, petroleum jelly isn't all that effective at restoring moisture once it's been lost.
Cold and Flu Symptoms: Cold Sores and Chapped Lips
One of the most frustrating side effects of colds and flu is dry, cracked, irritated lips -- not to mention cold sores. All can occur if you've got even a low-grade fever, or in the case of chapped, cracked lips, from mouth breathing when you have a stuffy nose.
Chapped lips are a common condition that only occurs for most people. But some people may develop a more severe form of chapped lips called cheilitis. Cheilitis can be caused by an infection, characterized by cracked skin at the corners of the lips.
Drinking plenty of water can help keep your skin and lips hydrated. While dehydration isn't the only cause of dry lips, it can be a factor. Keep a water bottle with you throughout the day to remember to hydrate.
Milk's moisturising properties help make your lips soft. Apply milk and turmeric as a paste on the lips and leave it for about five minutes before washing it off with water. Honey has antiseptic and antibacterial properties that hydrate damaged cells. Use honey and sugar scrub to soothe chapped lips.
Aloe vera. Aloe vera has a number of uses and is best known as a home remedy for sunburns. Its anti-inflammatory properties and soothing effect make it a great choice for treating chapped lips, too. You can buy organic aloe vera in a gel form, or you can use fresh aloe vera from the leaf of an aloe plant.
Being under stress for a long period of time, with accompanying symptoms such as low mood and tiredness, can result in cracked lips. As well as this, a poor diet which is low in iron and B vitamins may lead to lips becoming dry and sore.
Choose ointments or balms
While they can temporarily soothe dry lips, they tend to have chemicals (like the aforementioned menthol) and flavors that can further irritate the skin, and in severe cases, trigger eczema and allergic contact dermatitis, Marchbein said.
Use it as a lip balm
Keep your lips winter-safe by applying a coat of Vaseline on them overnight. Keeping it on overnight will seal in the moisture and soften and smoothen your lips.
So, should you use chapstick or Vaseline? Both! Chapstick moisturizes dry lips, and Vaseline helps in sealing the moisture in and keeping the skin barrier intact. While you can get away with using just chapstick, there is no point in using Vaseline without applying chapstick first.
When you apply Vaseline to your lips, the petroleum jelly acts as a protective barrier and prevents moisture from escaping. It's not going to add moisture. If you lick your lips before applying Vaseline and nothing else, you might make chapped lips worse because lips don't retain water very well.