Chapped and coarse lips can be very irritating and annoying. During the summer we spend a lot of time outside, which means we are constantly exposed to wind, sun and salt water—all of the elements that leave us scrambling to figure out how to get rid of chapped lips. The skin on the lips is very unique. Most of the skin on your face has around 16 opaque layers of cells, both dead and alive. Your lips, on the other hand, have just three layers of skin and are actually translucent. The lips get their characteristic reddish color from the subsurface layer, the mucous membrane (which also gives lips their pout). The capillaries packed into the mucous membrane layer of your lips push close to the skin on the surface of your lips, revealing the blood within.
Causes of chapped lips
Lip biting contributes to dry, cracked lips. Dry lips aren’t nearly as attractive and they are not healthy too. They can also be painful. When lips become dry (especially for men, who don’t wear lipstick), we tend to repetitively lick them in a futile attempt to restore moisture. Even though licking your lips may, for a few seconds, make them feel better, it is actually making matters worse! Your tongue transfers saliva from your mouth to your lips which actually eats away and destroys the thin layer of skin covering the lips. This can easily become a vicious cycle leading to painful, cracked, sore lips. Whatever it takes, do your best to avoid licking your lips when they begin feeling dry.There are certainly more reasons too for the drying of lips. They are as follows
- Excessive exposure to sunlight can cause dry lips
- smoking and drinking too makes your lips chapped
- presence of skin irritants in toothpaste too make the condition of the lips crucial
- Allergies too lead to dry lips
- Certain medications, such as retinoids and chemotherapy drugs can promote chapped lips
- Vitamin B2 deficiency, which in addition to chapping can cause persistent cracks in skin at the sides of the mouth.
- Niacin or vitamin B6 deficiencies can also cause persistent cracks along the side of the mouth.
- Yeast infections might worsen the condition of chapped lips, which must be treated with prescription oral medication.
- Excessive vitamin A intake is also bad for lips (above 25,000 IU) from oral supplements.
- The anti-acne drug isotretinoin (formerly Accutane) is notorious for causing severely dry lips.
How to Treat Chapped Lips
The best thing you can do to treat and prevent chapped lips is keep your lips covered with a soft lip balm or gloss. You can restore dry lips with consistency and patience. But chapped lips are not going to disappear in a day, and missing even one day of treatment can drive lips back to dryness.When chapping is severe or if you notice flaking along with a dry feeling, using a gentle lip scrub prior to applying lip balm is a great idea. The scrub quickly removes dead, dry, flaky skin and leaves a smooth surface for lip balm application. If you haven’t tried a well formulated lip scrub, prepared to be surprised at the results!
A night, as part of your before-bedtime skincare routine, apply an emollient lip balm or clear thick gloss to your lips. Watch out for lip products that contain skin irritants such as menthol, camphor, peppermint, or citrus or those that are highly fragranced. These ingredients have no benefit for the lips and end up compounding the problem. The classic example that’s sold almost everywhere is Carmex Lip Balm. This contains potent irritants that will have you reaching for more Carmex as your lips become drier, perhaps never realizing that it’s the lip balm itself that’s contributing to the problem. People always rely on the application of lip balm on the dried lips. Lip balm can be used for temporary relief but there are many ways in which you can restore healthy lips.
10 home remedies to get rid of chapped lips
1.Coconut oil for chapped lips
You can take virgin coconut or olive or jojoba oil and mix any essential oil in it like tea tree oil or neem oil. Make a paste of it and apply over your lips. coconut oil works wonders for your skin and lips. Apply this mixture before going to sleep and leave overnight. Carrier oils, such as olive oil, coconut oil, and castor oil, are the best natural moisturizers and lubricants. They contain healthy fatty acids that provide the lips with the oils they need and make them soft and supple. Adding essential oils, such as tea tree oil or grapeseed oil, will speed up the healing process of dry lips. They also prevent infections, especially if the dryness has led to cracks in your lips.
2. Honey and Vaseline application for dry lips
Honey and Vaseline works wonders for chapped lips. They provide adequate moisture required for the nourishment of lips. Honey has amazing antibacterial properties and is one of nature’s best healing agents. It is also a humectant. Vaseline or petroleum jelly is widely used to soften and nourish the skin and prevent it from drying. It seals in the moisture in the skin. By combining these two ingredients, we get a very effective home remedy for chapped lips. You just need to apply raw organic honey on your lips. After a while, apply Vaseline on top of it. Leave it for 10-15 minutes and wipe it up with the help of a damp cotton or cloth. You can repeat this once every day for about a week for lasting results.
3. Usage of Olive oil for your chapped lips
Organic extra virgin olive oil is your best choice, due to its higher concentrations of healing antioxidants. To condition and protect your lips from becoming chapped, use olive oil instead of lip balm or petroleum jelly. Apply a thin coating whenever your lips feel dry. For good measure, put a little on at night when you go to bed.You can also combine olive oil with sugar to make a simple lip scrub. Make a paste out of sugar and olive oil, and rub it on your lips. The sugar will exfoliate the lips, getting rid of any dry, dead skin cells on the surface, while the residual olive oil will add hydration without clogging your pores, leaving your lips feeling smoother.
4. Rose petals good for dry lips
Rose petals are easily available in the market and most people have the plant in their homes. If you are suffering from the pain of chapped lips, rose petal extract will be very effective. You must add some of the rose petal extracts with milk and apply it on your lips. In order to get best results, you need to apply the mixture twice and thrice in a day. You can also add glycerin instead of milk.
5. Brown sugar and honey for chapped lips
This mixture works amazing for your dry lips. Regular application of this mixture is very effective during winters. Exfoliating your lips is very essential as it removes the dead cells and softens your lips. Brown sugar is generally used to exfoliate the lips. Honey is a moisturizing agent. Using honey over chapped lips will show you instant recovery from cracks. The best part is that it is gentle and you can use it directly on the skin. to prepare the mixture, you need to take a teaspoon of brown sugar and add a few drops of honey to it. Mix it well to make a smooth paste and apply it to your lips. After a few minutes, rub it gently so that the dead skin comes off. After sometime, wash your lips with lukewarm water and apply some honey to keep them moist. For better results, you can put a few drops of olive oil in the exfoliating mixture.
6. Application of Cucumber for dehydrated lips
Cucumber is an excellent hydrating agent for the skin. All the flakiness and dryness flee in a few days with this remedy. You just need a slice of cucumber and gently rub it on the affected areas. Leave it for 10 minutes and wash. You can also mash 2-3 cucumbers and make a paste. Use the paste daily two to three times for a week.
7. Aloevera good for parched lips
Aloe contains natural ingredients that soothe the chapped skin and gently remove the dead layer of skin cells. It helps to strengthen the thin protective layer of skin on the lips and also provides a cooling effect. Cut the aloe leaf sideways and scoop out the gel into a container (with an airtight lid). Apply the gel on your lips and leave it on overnight. Store the remaining gel in the airtight container. Keep this in the fridge if you live in a hot and temperate climate.Apply aloevera gel on the lips regularly before going to bed.
8. The coconut oil and peppermint oil DIY scrub for dehydrated lips
The ingredients you need to make this mixture are coconut oil, peppermint oil, honey and sugar granules. The oil of coconut and the oil of peppermint moisturize and hydrate the skin of the lips, protecting it from further dryness and bacterial infections. Honey on the other hand keeps the lips soft and supple, hydrated as well. You need to take coconut oil to which add a drop of peppermint oil, honey and sugar granules. Give the ingredients a good mix with your fingers in a large bowl, until frothy. Allow it to rest in a jar and keep it in the freezer. Apply the balm on your lips four to five times a day.
9.Lemon Juice as a Remedy for Cracked Lips
Lemon juice is a perfect home remedy to prevent your skin from aging. It also helps effectively in the nourishment of cracked lips. It makes them smoother and softer. Add 3-4 drops of lemon juice into 1 tsp of milk cream. Refrigerate it for an hour. Take it out and apply this mixture on your lips every night before sleeping. Repeating this process every day will give you visible results.
10. Vitamin E effective for dry lips
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and a natural conditioner, even possessing some protective properties like those of a mild sunscreen. It’s known for speeding up the wound healing process. To treat chapped, irritated lips, taking vitamin E capsules, puncturing them and applying the oil directly to your lips.
One of the main reasons behind dry and chapped lips can be dehydration (lack of water). It is very necessary to drink a sufficient amount of water to keep yourself hydrated. Drinking water is not only important for chapped lips, but is also important for other functions of the body. Because a healthy body is consist of more than 60% of water. As you wake up in morning, drink two glasses of water. Before going to bed, drink a glass of water to keep yourself hydrated while you are asleep. Water also helps to detoxify your body and gives you a healthy and glowing skin.