Dimethicone (a silicone derivative that forms a barrier), hemp seed oil, castor seed oil and mineral oil are other great ingredients for healing chapped lips, according to the AAD. For natural hydrating ingredients that you might already have in your pantry, Stevenson likes honey, seed oils and coconut oil.
Keeping lips moisturized is an essential part of a skincare routine. Proper hydration and lip products with moisturizing ingredients are key.
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.
A regular lip care routine can help keep your lips soft and smooth. Look for a lip balm with ingredients like shea butter or petrolatum. Apply anytime your lips feel dry. Exfoliate very dry lips once or twice per week, using sugar or salt mixed with nourishing oil, then follow up with a balm.
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.
B vitamins
Chapped lips are a common symptom of deficiencies, especially in folate (vitamin B9), riboflavin (vitamin B2), and vitamins B6 and B12 ( 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ).
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.
Chapped lips are the result of dry, cracked skin on your lips due to cold or dry weather, sun exposure, frequently licking your lips or dehydration. You can treat chapped lips at home with the use of lip balm or ointment to ease any discomfort.
Prescription medications may be necessary for chapped lips due to an underlying illness or infection. These could include topical antibiotics, antiseptics, or anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids. Vitamin supplements can remedy chapped lips resulting from a vitamin deficiency.
As a non-glandular mucous membrane, your lips do not have the ability to generate their own moisture. They do not contain the same concentration of oil-producing sebaceous glands as the rest of the body and are therefore less lubricated and more susceptible to dryness and peeling.
After cleansing and moisturizing her face, Lee said that she typically applies a small amount of the ointment to her lips and eyes to keep dry skin at bay. It effectively acts like an eye cream and lip balm in one!
If you have chapped lips or dry skin around lips, use Aquaphor Healing Ointment® as your dry lips treatment to relieve dryness and soothe dry cracked lips. It also adds a little extra shine.
Saliva, spicy food, the sun and certain products can be irritating to your lips, while some medications and health conditions can cause your lips to be drier than usual. For instance, medications that cause dry mouth can also lead to drier lips.
When estrogen and progesterone decrease in women experiencing menopause or the time around menopause, they may experience perimenopausal or menopausal dry mouth. This is when the salivary glands may decrease in their production, and a woman's mouth could have a dry, cotton-filled sensation to it.
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.
Vaseline contains 100 percent petroleum jelly, while Aquaphor includes other ingredients like mineral oil, ceresin, lanolin alcohol, panthenol, glycerin, and bisabolol. Both can be used on lips and skin, as wound healers, and as makeup removers or cuticle softeners.
Keeping it on overnight will seal in the moisture and soften and smoothen your lips.
For an overnight lip treatment, mix a small amount of olive oil and honey together. Honey has been proven to have antibacterial and wound-healing properties, and the olive oil will help to moisturize. Apply the mixture to your lips before you go to bed, and your lips will be soft and smooth in the morning.
Constantly applying these to your lips could cause long-lasting damage to your skin or otherwise dry out your lips instead of making them more moisturized.
Carmex is a moisturizing and soothing lip balm for dry and chapped lips. It contains several emollients that form an occlusive barrier on the lips that soothe and softens dry lips. These emollients form a protective barrier that traps moisture in the skin to keep the lips hydrated.
Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
This lip balm is a cult-favorite. No other lip balm cares for your lips as much as this one does!