How to Treat and Prevent Chapped Lips

Relieve dry, flaky lips and ensure they're silky soft all year round with these five tips.

The cold winter months can make you want to curl up under a blanket and stay warm indoors – but sometimes hiding from the elements isn’t an option! One reason why it’s nice to stay cozy inside is to protect our body from extreme weather conditions. Strong winds or cold, dry air can cause dry or even severely chapped lips. When lips lose moisture, they dry out and become very tight, eventually cracking and becoming sore.

If you’re wondering how to help heal dry, chapped lips, there is good news – it is possible to relieve the pain and flakiness of chapped lips and help protect them from the causes of dryness. Just establish a healthy lip care routine that includes moisturization and protection. Here are five great tips that will help keep your lips soft and feeling healthy no matter what the weather:

How to Deal with Chapped Lips

1. Hydrate and help to heal
   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. As the jelly tackles the problem deep down at the source, the outer layers of skin begin to benefit, becoming smoother. With chapped lips, it’s also a good idea to avoid spicy food or citrus drinks, as these could irritate your skin – instead drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
2. Don’t bite your lips
   We know it’s tempting, but try not to bite away at the flaky skin on your lips. Although it might feel good at first, if you pull too hard your lips will start to bleed, exposing the skin to germs and bacteria. This can lead to severe chapped lips and a longer healing period. It’s important to find ways to help the skin, not make it worse.
3. Licking dry lips can make them worse
   Licking dry lips and coating them with a layer of saliva may seem like a quick relief, but it’s not helping your lips or keeping them moist. Many people think licking their lips is a good way to moisturize them, but as the saliva evaporates, your lips will just be dryer than they were before. Stop licking, and instead find a good lip balm.
4. Avoid touching your lips
   Again, it’s very tempting to pick those little flakes of skin off your lips with your fingers, but remember that constantly touching your face with your fingers is a sure-fire way to transfer germs and bacteria. Unless you want to be dealing with chapped lips and, potentially, an infection at the same time, keep your fingers away – only use them to apply a lip balm or petroleum jelly to your lips.
5. Protect from the elements
   It pays to be proactive when it comes to lip care, so don’t wait until your lips become sore before taking action. You can limit exposure to the elements by wearing a scarf around your mouth in the winter, or applying a high factor sunscreen in the summer. By applying a layer of Vaseline® Jelly before heading outside, you’ll be creating a protective barrier and locking in that moisture straight away.
   
   For lips that are smooth and healthy all year long, make sure you care for them, treat them well, and always have a pot of Vaseline® Jelly handy!
   

Expert Advice
The advice in this article does not constitute medical advice, it is solely available for information purposes.