Dry Lip Season Is Here! So Does Lip Balm Actually Work to Soothe Chapped Lips?

Dry, chapped lips are largely unavoidable come wintertime. And if you think about it, we put our lips through a lot. Of course, there’s exposure to the elements like wind, sunlight and icy weather and then, there’s all of the other things like eating and kissing as well as the use of cosmetics.

According to The Conversation, lips don’t have hair follicles and they don’t produce sweat, saliva or oil, which means they are prone to dryness as they lack the ability to retain water like the rest of the face does. While lips need to be soft, they also need to be resilient enough to handle everything we put them through.

The cause of dry lips, especially come winter, can be largely put down to environmental factors. But, there are a number of other causes of dry lips including skin conditions like herpes or cold sores, allergies, medications, dehydration, nasal congestion and persistent licking.

When it comes to treating dry lips, you first have to identify what is causing the dryness. If it’s due to the cold weather and wind, grab yourself a thick balm or ointment to protect your lips from the elements. Lip balms do work, especially when soothing and hydrating weather-chapped lips.

If it’s due to constant licking of the lips, this is something you need to work on reducing as much as possible, as no product is going to be able to properly soothe the lips if you’re licking them regularly. Drinking two to three litres of water per day is also helpful in providing hydration to your lips.

“If this isn’t enough, bland, non-irritating, unflavoured lip balms can help, as they act as a film covering the lip surface, keeping moisture in,” says The Conversation. “In many cases, these use petroleum jelly as a base (although it’s not required), along with refined mineral oils to remove any hazardous compounds, and other ingredients that can assist in retaining and maintaining a barrier function.”

When it comes to choosing a lip product, try to avoid products that contain ingredients like fragrances, flavours, colours and anything that is shiny, as these can “intensify damage from the sun’s rays”. Instead, reach for a bland lip balm that is filled with nourishing ingredients. These are a few of our favourites: