Lip Care

How to Get Rid of Cracked Lips

Cracked lips are never comfortable. They are painful, and can even bleed when you least expect it! Cracked lips are also not the most visually appealing, so it is best to find ways to get rid of them for to increase your visual appeal. Cracked lips usually occur most often around the wintertime when the air is dry and there is low humidity or moisture in the air. Due to the lack of moisture in your lips, you need to counteract the drying process by sealing in the moisture so that the healing process can begin.

What can you do to avoid cracked lips? Better yet, how do you get rid of cracked lips? Below are some suggestions to softer and more kissable lips.

1. Stay hydrated.

Drink more water as increasing your water intake can keep your body hydrated and working at its optimal performance.

Your body will push for your lips to moisturize itself naturally – this doesn’t include you licking them! The saliva in your mouth can make things worse as it contains germs that can irritate your lips further.

Consider increasing your fluid intake so that your body can provide the necessary nutrition and moisture to your lips to keep them crack free. Your skin retains moisture really well and your lips are no exception. So treat your body right and stay hydrated!

2. Apply lip balm.

Apply lip balm to your lips when they feel dry or cracked. Choose from the popular choices of lip balms such as EOS (Evolution of Smooth) where they are 100% natural and 95% organic, Burt’s Bees where they are 99% natural, or Baby Lips by Maybelline.

Using lip balm helps seal in the moisture in your lips and avoids the exposure to harsh environments such as the wind or cold, where the elements can play a role in your lips losing moisture. Do note that you must avoid over-applying lip balm as this can affect your lips’ ability to self moisturize, as they can become dependent on other outside factors to help seal in the moisture.

3. Try honey and sugar lip scrub.

Before applying any sort of lip balm, try exfoliating the dead skin off your lips so that you apply the lip balm on a new layer of skin. It will allow the moisture to be effectively trapped on your lips and makes way for a better application of your lip product. You can make your own lip scrub that’s both delicious and effective!

Make your own lip scrub: Mix a small amount of honey with sugar (preferably brown sugar) and apply this heavily on your lips. Let it sit for 15 minutes before wiping it off with a warm and damp washcloth. Remove the lip scrub with small circular motions to take away the dead skin and it will reveal a smoother layer of skin underneath. After you have completed this step, apply your choice of lip balm to seal in the moisture for soft smooth lips.

If you have any of the lip scrub left over, feel free to treat your hands to a mini pedicure treatment: you will find great benefits here as well!

Why use honey? Naturally, honey contains many pleasant properties that the body can benefit from. Honey is antimicrobial, an antioxidant, and is hygroscopic in nature. This means that when honey is exposed to the air, it will absorb and trap in moisture from the surrounding air.

By treating cracked lips, honey is the perfect candidate to use as it could lock in the moisture as well as prevent any sort of scarring from occurring. Honey helps keep the skin on your lips moist, encourages new tissue growth and is also easy to remove when applied to your lips. No mess, no fuss!
If you don’t have the proper ingredients available at home to make your own DIY lip scrub, look into buying lip scrubs already made available for you to purchase.

4. Use petroleum jelly.

Acting similar to honey, petroleum jelly is good for trapping in moisture. Try applying a thicker layer over your lips before going to bed to allow the moisture to stay trapped on your lips over night. You will wake up to smooth and well-hydrated lips; however, be careful of smudging the product all over your pillowcase.

If you want to avoid going to sleep with a thick layer of petroleum jelly slathered on your lips, allow the petroleum jelly to sit on your lips for about 15-20 minutes before removing it with a warm washcloth and applying a thin layer of your lip balm.

5. Improve your diet.

Sometimes the food that you put in your body can lead to a loss in moisture from your body.

Similar to option 1, keeping your body hydrated and healthy will lead to a healthier system. This allows your body to recover from the loss of moisture from your cracked lips faster. Avoid eating spicy food, as this can sting your cracked lips and amplify the pain. As well, when you are eating spicy food, you may break a sweat causing more moisture lost in your body when your goal is to retain as an adequate level of hydration in your body. So try and stick to a healthy well-balanced diet to keep your body performing optimally.

6. Use a washcloth.

If you choose to use lip scrub, petroleum jelly, or even applying a thicker layer of lip balm on your lips, then treat the washcloth as an additional step to exfoliating your lips.

Before wiping off the lip product or scrub, run your washcloth under warm water and place them over your lips in order to further soften them. Once you have waited about 1 or 2 minutes, begin rubbing in circular motions in the middle of your lips and work your way towards the outside corner. Apply a thin layer of lip balm to seal in the moisture from the damp cloth.

7. Brush your lips.

Similar to option 3 and 4, you will use a soft toothbrush in a similar manner to a washcloth. Start from the middle of your lips and gently work your way towards the corners of your lips in small circular motions. Once you have finished gently brushing off the dead skin cells off of your lips, give them a rinse and apply lip balm to smooth over the healing process.

Don’t use a toothbrush that you use regularly to brush your teeth, as you want to avoid cross contamination of germs and make sure that you purchase a toothbrush that is soft. Harsh bristles may hurt when they accidentally get caught on your skin and may end up tugging at your cracked lips. Ouch!

8. Ignore your lips.

Avoid picking, licking, biting, or chewing your cracked lips. This can make the situation worse and cause bleeding if you are not careful. As hard as it is not to mess with your cracked lips, leave them alone. The more you pay attention to your cracked lips, more likely you are to prolong the discomfort you are experiencing. If you ignore your lips and let the lip balm do its job, you should be well on your way to nicely moisturized lips.

The next time you want to pick, chew, bite, or lick your lips…don’t do it! Think again and practice self-control, as this will only lead to making your cracked lips worse. Hydrate and apply lip balm instead, but don’t overdo the lip balm application process. Choose natural ingredients in your lip balm versus harsh chemicals on your lips. Opt for a lip balm that has a honey base ingredient to guarantee the natural process of drawing moisture from the air and sealing in the moisture on your lips. By following these options and exfoliating only when necessary, you will be well on your way to smoother and healthier lips. So go ahead, smile wide, and be pain free from cracked lips!

About the author

Nicole Harding

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