Ditch these bad habits and practices for smoother and softer lips, whatever the season.
Dry, chapped lips are unpleasant: They’re uncomfortable, painful, and itchy. And according to Healthline.com, lips are more prone to drying out and cracking than other parts of the skin because they don’t contain oil glands.
So you scrub them to get rid of the dry flakes, use your trusty lip balm often, and when you forget to bring your lip balm, lick your lips constantly to keep them wet. But the steps you’ve been taking and the habits you’ve formed in order to deal with chapped lips may actually be making the condition worse.
Below, Dr Maximin Navarro, Fellow of the Philippine Dermatological Society and co-founder of Bella Pelle Philippines, lists down the common mistakes to avoid if you want smoother, softer lips.
1 Licking your lips
When your lips are dry, there’s a tendency for you to wet your lips by licking them, but doing so is actually counterintuitive. Instead of moisturizing your lips, Navarro points out the habit may further irritate already dry, chapped lips. “Saliva contains enzymes and bacteria [that can exacerbate] lip dermatitis and result in infection,” he explains.
2 Picking your lips
Another bad habit we’re prone to developing when we have chapped lips is picking on the dry skin, something Navarro advises we avoid doing, “Picking your lips is bad for chapped, dried lips because it removes the lips’ superficial skin, which serves as a protective layer.”
Picking the skin off of your lips could lead to an open wound and bleeding, making it easier for bacteria to enter and cause infection.
3 Over-exfoliating
Too much of anything is never a good idea, so while exfoliating your lips with a mild scrub is actually good for them, overdoing it can have the opposite effect. “My recommendation is to only use a lip scrub once a month. Over-exfoliation is damaging to the lips; the abrasive effects of the scrub can cause the lips to become dry and scabbed,” says Navarro.
He adds, “There are no beneficial effects in terms of nourishment, hydration, or anti-aging if a lip scrub is done often.” It’s especially ill-advised when your lips are already dry and flaky, says Cleveland Clinic. Rubbing or brushing your lips could create cracks and sores, and actually end up making things worse.
4 Not drinking enough water
Navarro points out that drinking fluids or hydration is critical if you want to keep your lips from drying out or cracking. He recommends drinking at least two to three liters of water per day to stay hydrated.
He notes, “When our body is dehydrated due to lack of fluid intake—especially water intake— it results in dry or chapped lips.”
5 Using lip balms with drying or harsh ingredients
Before buying lip balm, check out the ingredients. According to Cleveland Clinic, lip balms with camphor, eucalyptus, or menthol in their ingredients actually aggravate the condition instead of treating it. Chances are, the dryer they make your lips, the more you use them, locking you in a vicious cycle.
Medial News Today also cautions against using lip balms with fragrances and flavors. Instead, they suggest you look for products with soothing and moisturizing ingredients like lanolin, beeswax, and ceramides.
6 Exposure to harsh weather
You’ve probably noticed that you’re more prone to dry, chapped lips when you’re in a dry, cold environment. So when you’re traveling to a colder country, and especially in the winter, Navarro suggests you provide extra protection for your lips, “Before going out in cold, dry weather, apply a lubricating lip cream or balm that contains a sunscreen and then cover your face, especially the lips, with a scarf.”
Use a lip balm with sunscreen protection as Healthline.com notes that sun exposure can also lead to chapped lips, and increase drying effects.
For a couple of lip products Navarro recommends, that help protect your lips from drying and chapping, keep scrolling down.
Luscious Lips by Infracyte, P1,800
Some ingredients and chemicals in lipsticks actually contribute to dry lips, but that doesn’t mean your lips have to go bare to prevent chapping. You can find lip products that protect and moisturize the lips without skipping out on the glam, like Infracyte’s Luscious Lips. It’s a four-in-one lip product that boasts plumping, volumizing, moisturizing, and anti-aging properties.
This lip treatment slash tinted lip gloss contains ingredients like peptides and dehydrated marina collagen for fuller and youthful-looking lips; vitamins C and E to protect against the damaging effects of free radicals; plant extracts that serve as antioxidants from aloe vera, algae, stevia, and grape seed; organic moisturizing oils, namely castor oil, jojoba oil, apricot kernel oil, grape seed oil, and avocado oil; and hyaluronic acid, which has been proven effective in providing intense moisture and preventing water loss.
For damaged, dry lips, you’ll need a product that focuses on repair as much as it does on hydration. The shea butter in Biologique Recherche Biokiss seals in moisture by preventing it from evaporating and creates a barrier that protects lips against harsh elements.
Other ingredients include lipid-reconditioning agents like white beeswax, sunflower, jojoba, and mimosa plant-based complex; repairing agents like lanolin; moisturizing plant-based polyglycerides and triglycerides; antioxidants like vitamin E and rosemary oil extract; and raspberry seed oil extract, which has regenerating properties.
These active ingredients nourish, reduce cracks, combat aging, and help soothe prickling sensation.
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