Recently, my lips have been extremely dry and it's been a really painful journey for me. I'd wake up with a crack on my lips and I would not be able to put on the lipstick I want for the day or even eat the food I want because my lips would be bleeding or just really sore. My lips weren't as sensitive before and I don't know if it's just because of the weather but it's beginning to be really bothersome. Of course I'd put lip balm on it and try out methods I find online to cure my dry lips. I exfoliate my lips regularly so I don't understand why it's being really sensitive. Does anyone know what else I could do to hopefully cure or even just lessen the dryness of my lips? I miss wearing my dark shaded lipsticks!
If you’re exfoliating, you’re probably aggravating the problem, especially if your lips are already cracked to the point of bleeding. I have lips that tend to be pretty dry and flaky myself, and plain honey works best for me. I usually smear a little bit on, let it sit for a couple of minutes, then gently blot it away with a paper towel. Repeat as needed. Feels soothing and usually helps buff away some of the flakes without much effort.
I used to suffer with the same problem, no matter what I did my lips were dry. Until I started making my own lip balm without any harsh chemicals. All it contains is beeswax and olive oil, simply melt a few beads of beeswax and add a healthy glug of olive oil. Pour it into small tins and allow it to set. It makes my lips lovely and soft and it so very cheap!
You might want to start "moisturizing" your skin and lips from the inside by taking one to two tablespoons of linseed or pure coconut oil. Organic olive oil works well, too. You will probably notice a gradual change in your lips over a period of ten days or so. Also, try and drink more water. Pure, raw honey dabbed onto your lips will moisturize them while keeping them free of bacteria at the same time.
Yes, you are spot on. exfoliation not only aggravates the problem but also could result in bacterial infection. It is not advisable to peel off chapped lips. Honey definitely helps, as it has anti-bacterial properties, besides being an excellent moisturizer. It can be consumed too for better immunity. What works better though, is clarified butter made from cow or buffalo's milk. It helps form a thick layer over the lips and stops natural moisture from evaporating. Biting the lips and applying saliva make it worse as well.
I would usually exfoliate with honey and brown sugar. Though I use honey, I think the brown sugar does aggravate my lips even more. But I don't exfoliate when my lips are incredibly dry to the point of bleeding because that would hurt a lot. Also, I've read somewhere that licking your lips or wetting your lips with your saliva can actually dry up your lips faster so I guess I should stop doing that. Thanks for the tip! I've never heard of clarified butter being used to condition lips but that sounds promising! I will try that out and hope that would really save my awfully dry lips. And yes as I've said above in another reply that I've read that wetting your lips with your saliva can actually make it worse so I guess it is true. It's a hard habit to break, though. I've always licked my lips whenever it feels dry and flaky so I guess I should learn to not do so. Thanks for the wonderful tips!
Try Burts Bees lip balm, apply liberally at night especially. The bees wax is a great seal to lock in moisture and give your lips a chance to rehydrate from the inside out without losing anything from the outside. If you have allergies, you may be breathing through your mouth more than you realize, especially at this time of year. It's common for allergies to be worse at night, which means you may be doing this in your sleep. Breathing through your mouth can dry out your lips really badly because of the air flow over them. A good lip balm should help that a lot. Also make sure you are fully hydrated. Dehydration can cause dry lips.
I agree with the other posts. Don't exfoliate or brush your lips while brushing your teeth. There's really no other cure aside from using a lipbalm (as far as I know). Try using Chapstick though I personally prefer NIVEA.
I have the same problem all year round, not just when it's cold and windy. I have tried everything under the sun, in vain. Ok, I've not tried taking linseed, pure coconut oil or Organic olive oil. It'd be nice to find capsules so I can take them as supplements instead, but at this point, i'm happy to try anything. I do drink a lot of water already. Thanks for the tip, Dora M; I'll be sure to try it
I had this exact same problem before, and I've always been prone to having cracked lips for some weird reason. What helped me out a lot in combating it was applying lip balm before I went to bed. That way your lips are moisturized through the night and you wake up without a crack in site.
Spectre456, I'm glad this worked for you. BUT I'm always moisturising my lips, including just before bed, but I really don't know what's going on with my lips! NOTHING, and I mean nothing, seems to work! I have a feeling that moisturising "from within" by taking some capsules or even taking linseed, pure coconut oil or Organic olive oil like Dora M suggested may well be my last ditch attempt at saving my dry lips!
Same here, Lushlala! And I've also been having really dry lips all year round. I also read somewhere that moisturizing from within could help so I might try taking capsules for that too. But I'm also curious because my lips weren't this dry a year ago. It only started recently and I'm trying to think of what I did that made my lips this bad. I'll try to do all the suggestions mentioned above and hope for the best. Hope it works out for you too! Good luck!
I use balms and butters for my lips. All natural, Shea, coco, and coconut oil. You might want to investigate the brand of lipstick you are using, to make sure it is not the source of the problem. There are some natural cosmetic brands with vibrant colors. That way, you can be healing your lips with safe, healthy ingredients, and looking beautiful, all at the same time. Calendula is particularly healing and soothing, so look for it in the ingredients.
You're lucky yours only started recently, keytcee! I seem to have had this now for a few years. It's very frustrating. At this point, I'm happy to try just about anything LOL So I think I'll be trying the capsules as well as the olive or linseed oil. Good luck to you too
The cheapest way to alleviate dry lips is to just use petroleum jelly on your lips. Since it's in a large jar, you can apply it all day and night to your lips. That's what I do during the times my lips were cracking during the cold months.
That was my go-to solution, actually. My mom told me that my lip balms might have been drying my lips up even more so I used petroleum jelly but it didn't work. It worked for a day but after days of using it, my lips are still as dry as ever. I'm finding honey to work quite well. I hope it gives me better results!
I'm glad that honey has worked for you. Maybe because I live in a tropical country, so it's not as cold, so it worked just quite well with me? How about virgin coconut oil? I read that it's good for dry skin and lips.
I was suffering from dry, chap lips and starting scrubbing with lemon juice mixed with olive oil & sea salt. I was only doing it every other day and applying vaseline afterward. I guess depending on the person, you have to be cautious of the amount of scrubbing you apply. You do not what to over do it to the point it cause damage. Yes, virgin coconut oil is very good for the skin and can benefit the skin and body many ways.
Ooh, that sounds quite painful though. Won't the sea salt and lemon juice be really painful for the lips? But I guess it does depend on the person. I should really try virgin coconut oil since a lot have been saying this is good. I used to drink a few table spoons of virgin coconut oil for health purposes but it didn't really do anything so I've stopped. I guess I'll try it for my lips now.
True, that is why I suggested starting out maybe a few times a week to test your tolerance. You can also substitute with sugar to see if its more appropriate. Again somethings may not work for everyone, so proceed with caution. It work very well for me, because I have been doing it a long time now. People have to find what work best for them.
