Ever had parched and chapped lips even when it’s not harmattan season? This alone is embarrassing especially when someone asks you, as a way of suggesting help, to go apply some lip balm. The worst is when the lips keep breaking even when you have some lipstick on. To save you from walking about with chapped lips, in this article are what you should do when your lips are peeling.
The condition where your lips get cracked and begin to peel is called cheilitis. Basically, the skin on the lips is more delicate than other parts of your body. And as they get exposed to cold and the sun, they stand the chance of getting cracked, flaked, dry and peeled. This is because your lips don’t have oil glands and so they can’t produce moisture unlike other parts of your body. You therefore have to keep your lips hydrated and moisturised by following our hacks on what to do when your lips are peeling.
Causes of Cracked Lips
- Spicy Foods
- Cold
- Over-exposure to the sun
- Certain medications
- Yeast infection
- Vitamin deficiency
- Allergy
What to Do When Your Lips are Peeling
1. Don’t Lick Your Lips
The first thing anyone who has chapped lips does is to lick their lips. But this is wrong and isn’t what you should do when your lips are peeling. Resist the urge to lick your lips when they are chapped. This is because as saliva evaporates, your lips only become drier, making it worse than before.
2. Drink Water
Your lips are peeling, breaking and cracking because they are dry. So drink plenty of water to nourish your lips. Make it a habit to drink water throughout the day.
3. Apply Natural Remedies
Using some fruits, plants and natural oil also make up what you should do when your lips are peeling.
For instance, cucumber is one fruit that has much water content. It also contains vitamins and minerals that can improve the appearance of your lips. You can as well apply honey and coconut oil on your lips. They are great emollients for soothing, softening and moisturising the skin.
4. Apply a Non-irritaing Lip Balm
Not all lip balms treat cracked lips. Some of them contain ingredients that dry out your lips. Hence, when your lips are chapped, you should avoid lip balms that contain camphor, phenol, eucalyptus, lanolin, fragrance, flavouring, menthol, etc. These properties can irritate your lips, making them chapped and dry. Instead, use lip balms that contain hemp seed oil, castor seed oil, mineral oil, petroleum jelly, shea butter, etc. These are suitable for treating chapped lips.
5. Exfoliate Gently
When your lips are peeling, be careful not to take off the dead skin with your hands. This could lead to bleeding and injury. Instead, exfoliate with a sugar scrub. Simply use one of your fingers to apply the scrub on your lips and rub it gently. Afterwards, moisturise your lips with a soothing balm void of any irritants.
If you have chapped lips, you have to protect your lips from stuff that make them dry such as cold and smoke. Smoking isn’t what you should do when your lips are peeling and as such, you need to avoid it. You can as well cover your lips when in cold climates and don’t forget to moisturise with natural oils regularly.
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