A sweet smile can touch the heart of the world and make it smile :)) But when weather is harsh or body is sick, one of the most common side effects on the list is dry or chapped lips, or an aggravated Cheilitis.
There are several reasons for dry and chapped lips apart from bad weather, wind and exposure. Some of the most common causes of dry or chapped lips are listed below:
1) Licking your lips:-
When you feel your lips dry due to exposure or dry weather, you want to lick them. But this habit makes the lips more prone to dryness. Because as the saliva evaporates, it takes away more moisture with it from the lips, making it more dehydrated. Sooner, a dry, rough and separated layer forms on the lips making them chapped and worse. Biting and chewing the lips also does the same thing. So first and foremost thing to help combat dry or chapped lips is to kick off the habit of licking or biting lips.
2) Dehydration:-
Lips do not possess oil glands like our skin does. They they become easily dry when compared to skin. It is a first sign of body dehydration and the remedy is to drink more water throughout the day. Exposure to wind or extreme humidity or dry air can make the the lips more dehydrated.
3) Not protecting them:-
As your skin needs sun protection, so does your lips. Always choose a lip balm with sun blockers. Keep reapplying it several times a day. Make sure that your lip balm does not contain dyes or alcohol. Lip balm or moisturizer made of Beeswax is better to protect the lips from getting chapped. Some lip balms makes the lips more dry and may also darken the lips because of the acids, phenol or other chemicals present in it. Holly Phillips suggests that certain types of lip balm can be addictive or contain ingredients that actually cause drying. While protecting lips from drying, be as natural as you can.
3) Toothpaste:-
Many toothpaste products contain sodium lauryl sulphate which is a culprit in making the lips dryer and chapped. If you are struggling with dry lips, check your toothpaste label and try switching to another product. Also take good care of lips naturally, using olive oil, milk cream or petroleum jelly instead of harmful lip balms which contain drying alcohols.
4) Citrus and Cinnamates:-
When you already have chapped lips, the acids in the citrus fruits, the cinnamates in candies, toothpastes and gum can further irritate and aggravate the problem. Tomato sauce is another irritant of dry lips.
5) Too much vitamin-A:-
Chapped or dry lips may be a symptom of too much vitamin-A in your body. Make sure that you limit intake of vitamin-A to 25000 IU per day through diet or supplements.
6) Deficiency of vitamins:-
Deficiency of any of the vitamins-B12 , B6, riboflavin, vitamin-D, vitamin-E or zinc is another factor for making the lips dry, cracked or chapped.
7) Sickness:-
Sickness makes the body dehydrated and makes the lips very dry and peeling. Some autoimmune diseases can make your lips more sensitive to sun. Some diseases like thyroid, psoriasis, perleche or angular cheilitis makes the lips cracked and peeling. Take good care of lips by continuously moisturizing when you have an internal body condition associated with chapped lips.
How to heal dry or chapped lips at home? :-
1) Coconut oil is a great remedy for treating chapped lips naturally. Smear a tiny amount of coconut oil on your lips several times daily.
2) Aloe Vera works as an effective healing agent for our skin, including lips. Put a small amount of Aloe Vera gel on your lips daily to cure chapped lips.
3) Soak a few rose petals in little water for few minutes. Crush them and add a drop of glycerin. Apply it on your lips every night before going to bed. It will help you to prevent darkening of lips due to dryness and restores the lost moister of your lips.
4) Applying a drop of castor oil on your dry lips can heal the cracks and make them smooth. Castor oil can also improve the color of lips on regular use.
5) Honey is a great moisturizer. Rub some honey to your chapped lips to heal them fast and to moisturize them.
6) Milk cream is one of the best home remedy to treat chapped lips. Apply fresh milk cream to lips daily before bed and leave overnight.It makes the lips soft and supple. At morning, gently rub with a soft bristled brush to exfoliate the dried layer on the lips which is already soaked in milk cream. Repeating it daily keeps the lips healthy and soft.
# And finally, always use homemade chemical-free lip balm using beeswax and essential oils, to protect the lips.