Everyone wants perfect lips whether they are for summer or winter. No one likes when they get cracked due to dryness in the winter season. People over the years have tried a lot of natural as well as synthetic ways to make sure they have the most supple skin and the smoothest lips but do they always work? That is the question and we will be answering it in ways that will surely help you find the softest lips you have dreamed of. Winter can be a harsh season to beat, and just like the snow outside, clearing your lips of dryness can be hard to do.
In this blog post, we will dive deep into what makes your lips dry and what you can do to clear that dryness easily without having to worry at all. Staying healthy and living an active lifestyle are important to lead a good life. Not only does it help you physically but mentally as well. With that said, let’s answer a few frequently asked questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do winter lips last?
Badly chapped lips may take longer to heal but the average time of healing is 2 to 3 weeks for complete recovery. Using lip balm regularly during the recovery process can help with the pain.
What happens to your lips in the winter?
Lips get chapped and dry in winter due to the cold weather outside and the centrally air-conditioned heat inside the house. The change in atmospheric conditions both inside and outside the house can collectively have this effect on the lips. Keratin, a protein, that forms the top layer of your skin loses its flexibility and hence dry skin occurs.
What should you not do with chapped lips?
You should definitely stay away from chemicals of all sorts. Even strong acids used in certain foods can affect the lips and they can start to hurt badly.
Now that we have answered a few frequently asked questions, let’s talk about what causes dry, cracked lips.
Reasons For Dry & Cracked Lips
Thin/Mature Skin
The skin on the lips, as you can tell, is different from the skin on our body. It is very thin and essentially a layer of mucus that is protecting the flesh underneath. As you can tell, it is also not as strong as the skin on our body especially because it lacks melanin pigment. Since it is very thin, it does not produce any sebum, a natural oil that keeps our skin plump, and hence it does not have that glow the rest of our skin does. Such thin skin is very easy to damage or scar especially if the weather conditions are bad.
Sensitive Skin
Different people have different skin types. We all know that. Those who have sensitive skin types may notice that their lips are super sensitive to fragrant lip balms and ones that have chemicals in them. These are the same skin types that get the most chapped lips during the winter season as well.
Winter
Lips are succulent which means they require moisture to stay hydrated and soft. The suppleness comes from the moisture in the air which is low in winter as humidity falls with the temperature. This can be a challenging time for your lips as they start to lose flexibility in their keratin layer and start to show signs of peak dryness.
Here is a short list of all the reasons why your lips get chapped:
- Thin/Mature Skin
- Sensitive Skin
- Winter Season
We have gone over some of the factors that cause your lips to get dry and chapped during the winter season. Now, we can focus on what you can do to prevent this from happening.
Natural Ways To Soothe Dry Lip Skin
Exfoliate
Exfoliation of the skin is a process where you buff the skin to remove the dead cells that cause dryness. This process, while easy on normal skin to do, can be tricky and challenging to pull off on the lips since the skin there is sensitive and soft. In order to not damage your lips during the process, make sure you use a new, soft toothbrush or a clean and dry flannel and start rubbing your lips softly in a circular motion. This will slowly bring the dead skin cells to the surface. Once you are done doing this routine, you can wash your lips with lukewarm water and let them dry on their own.
Drink Water
Drinking lots of water is already very healthy for the body and therefore the skin. Moreover, the lips come in direct contact with the water which can help them stay hydrated from the outside as well. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day can not only help your body function properly but also keep your lips from looking and feeling dry all day.
Sleep
Your skin repairs itself while you sleep. The same goes for the lips as well. When you sleep more, your skin will start to get rid of the dry and dead cells and start replacing them with new ones. So, going to the bed an hour early in winter will give your lips enough time to heal and recover before you wake up and get ready for the day.
Supplement
In addition to using lip balms that have vitamin E in them, you can start eating foods with vitamin C in them as these are great for the lips and help them in staying soft, supple, and smooth during winter.
Soothe
There is a honey called Manuka honey that has incredible natural healing powers. You can apply this to your lips and they can start to heal themselves faster and more frequently. This can be good as the growth of new cells in place of the deal and old ones is promoted.
Protection
Keeping your lips covered whether it is with a scarf or with SPF with a rating of at least 15 or up is important. This protection can save your lips against the sun and its harmful properties it has. Keeping your mouth covered during winter allows your lips to interact less with the cold and dry air outside.
Quit Bad Habits
Smoking is known to cause a lot of dryness in the lips. It is also known to cause cancer in the mouth. Licking the lips a lot can also cause dryness as the wetness on the lips to start to evaporate quickly, leaving behind dry skin. If you let go of these two bad habits, you can expect great lips during the winter season.
Here is another compact list of all the things you can do to avoid cracked lips in winter:
- Exfoliate
- Drink Water
- Sleep
- Use Supplements
- Soothe
- Protection
- Quit Bad Habits
As you can see, there are many ways your skin, especially your lips, can get chapped and dry during the winter. And just as many ways you can help prevent that. Taking care of your lips is very important and if you made it to the end of this blog, we believe you are more than ready to start doing that. You can find good lip balms for yourself along with nice custom lip balm display boxes online as well. With that said, good luck with your lips, and see you later!
