Dry Chapped Lips Home Remedies

Chapped lips are a very common skin problem, especially in cold, dry winters. When the lips become extremely dry, they can be very painful, and uncomfortable as they disturb many daily activities, like eating, talking and smiling. Common signs of chapped lips include redness, dryness, sensitive, cracking, splitting, peeling, and pain. It is very essential to keep the lips soft and moist.

Causes of Chapped Lips

• Dehydration
• Dry weather
• Lip Biting
• Overexposure to extreme temperatures
• Ill-fitting dentures
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2) deficiencies
• Allergies
• Infections
• Winter colds
• Other medical problems

Home Remedies for Dry Lips

Following are some essential home remedies for dry, chapped lips:

• Rub aloe vera juice, cucumber juice, neem extract on your dry lips. You can also try applying clarified butter or milk cream at night.
• Crush rose petals in glycerin or in milk. Make a paste and apply this on your lips. This helps to retain the pink color of the lips and also the lost moisture.
• Put some honey on your lips let it dry for a few seconds. Then apply some Vaseline or petroleum jelly on top of the lips and leave for 10-15 minutes. Finally, use some warm water to remove the honey and Vaseline. Do this for a week once in a day and you will get rid of chapped lips.
• Apply a small amount of coconut oil to the lips many times in a day, particularly when the weather is cold and dry.

Diet for Cracked Lips

One of the main cause of dry lips is lack of water in the body. That is why it is necessary to keep the body hydrate. Drink lots of water to keep the body moist which in turn can keep the skin soft and supple. Increase your water intake during winter to keep your lips look fresh.

Have proper diets enriched with vitamins. Vitamin A is very important for skin repair. Eat carrots, tomatoes and green leafy vegetables. You can also make your own vitamin rich juice. Take one glass of tomato juice, add 1 tbsp. of carrot, spinach juice, water cress and 2 tbsp. wheat germ oil, and 1 tbsp. of nutritional yeast in it. Drink this juice once during the day.

Also eat whole grains, legumes and nutritional yeast. Ensure your body is not deficient in vitamins, iron or essential fatty acids, deficiency of which can cause scaling and cracking of lips. Take a multivitamin/mineral supplement if required after consultation with your physician.

What not to do?

• DO NOT lick your lips.
• DO NOT bite your lips.
• DO NOT use lipsticks that can dry out your lips.
• DO NOT peel the dead dry skin from the lips.
• Avoid using toothpastes and mouthwash having flavoring agents as they might cause an allergy for creating dry lips. Check with your doctor if that could be your problem.

Other Methods

• For females, apply creamy lipsticks which can act like balms.
• Use a soft toothbrush to softly clean your lips to remove the dead cells deposits that will cause more drying.
• A saline bath is also helpful.