Winter is Coming, So Give Your Lips Some Extra Care(2020): Here’s How You Should Take Care of Your Lips During Winters.

Our lip skin is comparatively much thinner than the skin on other body parts, making it easier for them to crack and become dry. The cold and dry winters and a fair bit of humidity in the air can cause chapped lips. Lips have absolutely no protection of their own. Since lips don’t have oil glands, they’re prone to changes in the atmosphere always, be it the sun, wind or the cold. Yet another cause of dry lips is habitual licking. The saliva from the tongue can strip the moisture from your lips additionally causing even more dryness. Dehydration also leads to chapped lips. Lips also tend to crack after sleeping in dry air.

To care for your lips, you should always be mindful of the adage, ‘prevention’s better than cure!’ Even though it takes time to get optimum results, it is possible to restore your lips’ health. When you go out in winters, you bundle up and ensure every part of your body’s insulated from the dry, cold winter, but not your lips. Further, the skin of your lips isn’t the same as the skin on your face or body. The lip skin is very delicate and requires additional TLC. Here are some tips to keep these delicate darlings smooth and healthy all winter long.

Since lips don’t have a protective layer of their own, each time you lick or touch them, they get affected and hence it is essential that you don’t do that. It may feel good momentarily and also feel hydrating, but once the saliva evaporates, it leaves your lip drier than before. The enzymes in your saliva can be very harsh for your delicate lips. Also, avoid breathing with your mouth open and don’t kiss anyone with an infection on their lips.

A good healthy diet is not only essential for your body and skin but also for your lips. The intake of vitamins and other nutrients reflects directly on your lip's condition. In addition, for healthy lips, staying hydrated is equally important. Water affects your body’s moisture levels all year long and less water leads to less saliva production, which can affect your lips as well. It is best to drink at least 2 glasses of water before each meal.

Since our skin cells have a natural moisturizing factor which maintains the skin’s elasticity and prevents chapping & cracking of lips, when there’s little humidity in the air or plenty of dry heat at home, the skin’s moisture evaporates quicker and leads to dry & chapped lips. Experts suggest that it is good to sleep with a humidifier at night to add moisture to the air and help your skin retain its suppleness through the winter months. A humidifier is apt in providing the moisture with your lips would need.

It is good to use products that include hydrating and healing ingredients like shea butter, beeswax, petroleum jelly, moringa oil and dimethicone. Use a lip balm that’s ointment based to lock in the moisture and heal any cracks or splits in the skin. Identify and use a healing ointment that contains essential oils or glycerin. It is best to apply a heavy or hydrating lip cream before you go to sleep at night. You can also use raw milk or clarified butter.

Avoid peeling or biting off the dry skin on your lips. However, scrubbing is important to ensure the lips stay healthy and soft. Removing the dead skin cells ensures the lips don’t attract any infection. You can make an easy lip scrub at home by mixing some brown sugar and coconut oil and gently massaging it onto your lips to remove the dead skin. You’d also use a soft washcloth or soft toothbrush to exfoliate and follow up with a thick and fragrant free lip balm or lip cream.

Sometimes, despite all preventive or remedial measures, your lips still need attention. Chapped or split lips aren’t always due to dryness, they may be caused by some infection or other irritants. That’s the time you should visit a professional to rule out any cold sores or fever blisters and use recommended medicated lip products. To ensure that it isn’t too late.

Before you step out, do apply a lipstick with a creamy formula, despite the fact that matte lipsticks and lip powders are in vogue right now. Since your lips don’t have a natural protective layer, wearing lipstick will help act as the protective layer and defend your lips from the sun’s harmful rays, dry air, environmental pollutants and other external conditions. Also avoid lip balms that contain camphor, menthol or eucalyptus. Even though these ingredients feel soothing at the onset, they can actually dry out your lips and make them worse.

It is important that you treat peeling and cracks on your lips immediately as they can get worse without care and get infected or lead to a cold sore. The Herpes Simplex virus usually attacks when your immunity is at its lowest and this happens mostly during winters. When your lips peel, crack or become dry, it certainly makes the situation worse giving way to an environment where the virus can invade your lips. Make lip protection a regular and important part of your skin care routine at bedtime, in the morning and when you venture out. Always keep a few lip balms or ointment sticks handy, by your bedside and in your personal belongings, so they are never far away from essential lip care.

Have a healthy stock of green tea, papaya, natural oils like coconut, grape seed, almond or jojoba oil to get rid of chapped lips in winter. You can blend a few drops of coconut oil with any other natural oil and apply it generously on your lips. When chapping is extreme, try raw honey and Vaseline by applying a thick layer of both, leave it for about 15 minutes and wipe it off gently with a damp washcloth. You can also use a handful of rose petals soaked in milk or glycerin for a couple of hours and apply it on your lips 2-3 times a day and before bedtime.