This Is How to Get Rid of Chapped Lips for Good

Peeling, picking, even pain. Chapped lips may seem like a minor inconvenience, but when persistent, they can become a major annoyance. Especially during cold or dry months, it can feel like your lips lose their moisture in an instant. So it’s fair to wonder: how do you get rid of chapped lips for good?

Layering on the lip balm helps, but it’s often only one piece of the lip-care puzzle. Here, we spoke to a dermatologist to learn what to avoid and what to apply to keep your lips hydrated and healthy all year long.

What causes chapped lips?

Before you introduce additional moisture to your lips, it can be helpful to identify where the dryness is coming from.

According to Dr Peterson Pierre, chapped lips may be the result of:

• Living in a cold or dry environment
• Sunburn or excessive sun exposure
• Skincare products migrating to your lips
• Using irritating lip products
• Constantly licking your lips
• Vitamin deficiencies
• Medications
• Dehydration
• Eczema

How to get rid of chapped lips

The first thing to do when you notice your lips becoming dry or chapped is to remove any potentially irritating products from your routine, Dr Pierre explains. That may include strong actives like retinol or retinoids, harsh exfoliants, or any of the following ingredients that may be causing irritation, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD):

• Camphor
• Eucalyptus
• Flavouring: especially cinnamon, citrus, mint or peppermint flavours
• Fragrance
• Lanolin
• Menthol
• Octinoxate or oxybenzone
• Phenol (or phenyl)
• Propyl gallate
• Salicylic acid

The next step in your lip-care routine should be to “restore hydration levels with hyaluronic acid and seal in the moisture using [moisturisers] that contain ceramides, shea butter or petroleum jelly,” Dr Pierre adds. If you’re shopping for a new lip balm, the AAD also recommends seeking out the following nourishing ingredients:

• Castor seed oil
• Ceramides
• Dimethicone
• Hemp seed oil
• Mineral oil
• Petrolatum
• Shea butter
• UV-filtering ingredients, such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide
• White petroleum jelly

Finally, you’ll want to protect your lips from future sun damage (yes, your lips can get sunburnt too). Dr Pierre recommends using a zinc-based sunscreen on your lips or one of the best lip balms with SPF.

How to prevent chapped lips from returning

To keep irritation and dryness from returning, here are a few things you can do, according to the AAD:

• Regularly apply a non-irritating lip balm throughout the day and before bed
• Drink plenty of water
• Avoid licking, biting or picking at your lips
• Run a humidifier in cold or dry months