Winter is on its way and with it comes the bane of many of us who care about our skin – dry winter lips. Between the cold wind outdoors and the super-dry heat indoors, our lips and other exposed body parts suffer temperature extremes that can rob them of what little moisture they hold.
Lips have some of the thinnest skin on the body, and unlike most other areas of our face, they don’t have the same oil-producing glands. Once they lose moisture, dry winter lips are susceptible to developing tiny cracks and tears, resulting in painful, chapped lips. Eating, drinking, even brushing your teeth may become uncomfortable.
Want to avoid dry winter lips? Here are a 7 tips that will help you have the smoothest, softest lips around:
- Don’t lick! While it may be tempting to make them feel less dry, once your saliva evaporates, your lips will actually feel drier than before. Saliva also contains certain enzymes that are great for helping in the digestion of food but not so great for your sensitive lips.
- Exfoliate gently with a wet toothbrush or a soft, dampened washcloth.
- Stay away from drying products that contain “cooling” ingredients like menthol, eucalyptus or camphor as these can further irritate the area.
- Moisturize with a lip balm. You can opt for an emollient formulation like La Roche Posay’s Nutritic Lips.
- Lipsticks may help provide a layer of protection against the winter elements but try to avoid long-lasting ones which are often more drying.
- Protect your lips from exposure to UV rays, which not only dry lips, but can be dangerous as well. Although we tend to think of sun protection mainly in the summer, the truth is that UVA rays are just as prevalent in the winter. Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Lip Stick provides high protection in a soothing, moisturizing balm.
- Hydrate by drinking lots of water. Not only will your lips thank you but the rest of your body will as well.
Dry winter lips aren’t inevitable after all.
