Home Remedies to Treat Chapped Lips – Natural Lip Care This Winter
Causes For Chapped Lips:
There are different reasons for chapped lips, but here are a few that are extremely common:
- Weather change – heat or cold
- Aging plays a very important role in causing dry lips
- Biting your lips will result in bleeding and cracked lips
- Licking your lips is the worst habit!
- Touching lips with fingers will transfer the bacteria on your hands to your lips and cause infections ( also aggravate chapped lips)
- Dehydration
- Usage of excessive chemicals (Lipsticks)
- Any form of alcohol can provoke skin irritation
- Any product with chemical preservatives
- Leaving the lipstick on, while going to sleep
- Using lip balms with alcohol, retinol and menthol
Women who like to chew on their lips wearing lipstick, will consume about 4 to 9 pounds of lipstick in their life time! All these may seem common but they affect your health, severely. They make the skin on the lips dry, rough and sensitive.
Protecting Your Lips:
For a long lasting moisture on the lips, you need to treat them from outside as well as from the inside. It is extremely important to consume plenty of water everyday. This will keep your lips moisturized from within, as it nourishes and protects the skin. If your diet has low levels of vitamin B, you are more prone to chapped lips. Including red meat, fortified cereals, skim milk, Swiss cheese, eggs and silken tofu to your diet will bring about a great change in your lips. The most important points to protect your lips are:
1. Quit smoking! It will completely spoil your lips and it may become too late to regain the color and texture of your lips.
2. Always keep your lips moisturized by applying a natural lip balm.
3. Apply lip balm before going to bed.4, Licking your lips is a bad habit. Yes, it may look like it is keeping your skin moisturized for a moment, but it worsens the situation! The wind will dry your lips in a minute and you have to keep licking them. This process is unending and will become a major condition, by spreading away from the lips. So it is better to keep them moisturized with a lip balm.
For the winter season, you need to choose lip balms with extra moisturizing agents. The lip balms you choose should have a long lasting effect. They will keep your lips moisturized for a longer period of time. It is an added advantage if the lip balm contains SPF in it. The lip balms which contain the following are the best for your lips.
- Shea Butter: Shea butter acts as a natural sun block and it has allantoin, which is a healing agent. This is the best ingredient to have in a lip balm. It gives a soothing effect to the lips.
- Aloe Vera: As we all know, Aloe Vera consists of anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial agents which protect the skin from any kind of infections. Aloe Vera is also very soothing and moisturizing, when applied on the lips.
- Glycerin: Glycerin is a natural skin softer and it holds agents that bind moisture and skin together.
- Jojoba Oil: It is one of the best nourishing oils for the skin. It softens and lubricates the skin, when it is applied.
- Vitamin E: It is a powerful antioxidant and moisturizing agent. It protects the lips from the sun.
- Coconut oil: Coconut oil relieves dry and itchy skin. It also softens and moisturizes the lips.
- Beeswax: It is a non allergic skin softener, that moisturizes and nourishes the skin. It consists of anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial agents that guard and protect the skin.
- Vitamin A and D: These are pro-active vitamin complexes that are skin friendly. They contain fatty acids that are easily absorbed into the skin. They help to soothe and heal the skin effectively.
Source: Thefitindian.com