Especially in the cold season many people suffer from this: dry and chapped lips. The skin tightens, becomes rough and fissured. That is unattractive and can, in some cases, become painful—particularly if the corners of the mouth crack and every smile hurts. Aside from low outdoor temperatures and warm indoor heating air, other factors can also cause dry lips. Which those are and how you can address this problem with appropriate care are explained below.
Most common causes of dry lips
Because lips do not have their own sweat or sebaceous glands, they quickly become fissured due to the missing lipid layer. In the worst case they can even split open and bleed. Unfavourable habits also contribute, such as moistening the lips with saliva or touching the lips with the fingers.
Insufficient fluid intake
Insufficient fluid intake can also lead to lip dryness. If you do not drink enough during the day, your lips can dry out. This also occurs frequently in people who sweat heavily, since they lose too much fluid.
Nutritional deficiency
Your dry lips could also be a sign of a deficiency. This may indicate a lack of vitamin B2, iron or zinc. In such a case a more balanced diet could be helpful.
Stress
In stressful situations the body can downregulate less essential functions, such as saliva production. As a result, the oral cavity and the lips are less lubricated and drying can occur.
Overuse of lip care
Although care products like lip balm normally should protect the lips from drying out, excessive use can produce the opposite effect. Your lips may become dependent on the product and dry out as soon as you stop using it.
If you regularly suffer from the viral disease Herpes, this can also be responsible for your dry lips. Herpes is not curable, but symptomatic treatment is straightforward.
Proper care for dry lips
So how do you ensure that your lips feel soft and supple again?
Natural care
Avoid, where possible, lip care products that contain mineral oils such as MOSH (Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons, saturated mineral oil hydrocarbons) or MOAH (Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons, aromatic mineral oil hydrocarbons). Here you can find alternative lip care products.
Balanced diet
If the cause of your dry lips is a deficiency, a more balanced diet could be helpful. You can, for example, increase your vitamin B2 levels by consuming vegetables such as kale or broccoli.
Home remedies
Finally, here are three quick and simple home remedies for soft lips:
- A scrub made from sugar and oil—this easily removes small flakes of skin.
- Apply honey to the lips overnight—the antibacterial properties of honey are helpful for minor inflammations.
- Apply a little olive oil to the lips—due to its re-lipidizing properties olive oil helps fissured lips become soft again.