Soft, red, and plump lips could greatly add to the aesthetic appeal of the face- the only trouble is that not everyone is blessed with such happiness. Be it a hectic lifestyle, environmental stressors, or a lack of self-care, there are many factors that can make your lips chapped. Such lips are often inflamed and sore, and do not help the person create a favorable impression.
Unlike the skin on the rest of our body, lips do not secrete oils. It is because they do not have sebaceous glands, which often makes lips dry, chapped, and irritated without due care. These microscopic glands open into hair follicles and produce oils that keep skin soft and moisturized.
Thus, a lack of exfoliation, moisturization, and hydration can hurt your lips and disrupt your makeup application. We are highlighting the cause and treatment to help you get the best version of your lips. All we have to do is to grant the care and attention our lips deserve. Here is a blog explaining the importance of a lip care routine and the causes of dry, dark, and pigmented lips.
Chapped Lips: Causes
1. Dehydration
The leading reason for chapped lips is a lack of adequate hydration. Our skin and lips also need proper hydration to remain healthy, plump, and smooth. The skin on your lips is the most vulnerable and is one of the first areas that show signs of dehydration. To keep it healthy and hydrated, it is critical to have a 64-ounce daily water intake. It also helps in setting up your makeup well.
2. Sun damage
Laying on a lazy afternoon, soaking up some sunlight with our wide-brimmed hat on, is how we picture our weekends. However, excessive exposure to UV rays is alarming for our lips and remains one of the common causes of chapped lips. They can dry out the lips and weaken their ability to hold water and hydration. In addition, our lips are prone to burning as they have less UV protection in the form of melanin.
3. Vitamin deficiencies
Vitamin deficiencies, particularly zinc and vitamin B, widely affect the appearance of our lips. Both Zinc and Vitamin B help promote healthy skin and support wound healing. This is why their lack may lead to severe dryness of lips. On top of that, these nutrients are not naturally synthesized by our immune system. Thus, we should eat foods rich in these two nutrients to avoid lip care issues.
4. Skin picking & licking
Dry lips give us the urge to lick and pick the little bits of dry, peeling skin. With extremely delicate skin, our lips lose their natural oils and develop severe irritation. In addition, frequent licking of the lips leads to scarring or discoloration of the lips, especially in the colder months. This is why experts advocate keeping lips lubricated with the best lip balm for chapped lips.
Did you know? Just like kohl or Kajal, lipsticks can define the shape of our lips. However, the dry, patchy appearance of the lips can make the application look uneven.
5. Too much caffeine
Sipping coffee may revitalize your mornings but takes a toll on the appearance of your lips. Excessive amounts of caffeine can damage the delicate lining of your lips, and taking too much sugar can make it worse. Apart from drying out the skin on lips, it also plays a huge role in lips discoloration. So, you may need to relook at your caffeine intake if you wish to replenish your lips into their natural form.
6. Lack of exfoliation
A timely exfoliation waves its support toward skin health and keeps lips healthy and rejuvenated. The pile-up of dead skin gives your lips a dull appearance and develops dry patches. Regular exfoliation not only removes the formation of dead skin layers from lips but also keeps them plump and healthy. So, exfoliate your lips regularly to have plump, luscious lips.
Note: For a smoother lipstick application, always exfoliate your lips before applying lip color. While doing that, conceal your lips using a hydrating concealer and apply your favorite lip color.
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7. Excessive smoking
If you are big on your skincare game but aren't ready to give up cigarettes, you are more likely to have dark, chapped lips. This is because excessive smoking can be harsh on the lips, creating rough patches and causing chapped lips. Also, regular tobacco and nicotine consumption can darken your lips, making them prone to dryness. Thus, smoking plays a critical role in the discoloration of lips.
Chapped Lips: Treatment
a. Gently exfoliate
The first drill is to follow a routine-based exfoliation process. Dry lips can be rough and keep peeling. Peeling off the skin that isn't completely dead may be painful and lead to bleeding. The best way to treat dry and chapped lips is to add a gentle exfoliator to the routine. So, gently scrub away the dry skin using your finger.
Tip: You may also mix honey or sugar to exfoliate your lips and complete the process by applying a good moisturizer.
b. Moisturize
Moisturizing is the biggest weapon you can use against chapped lips. Keeping lips hydrated is an ideal way to eliminate dehydrated lips, which may further cause discoloration or bleeding. So start looking for beeswax or petroleum products that hold moisture in deeply moisturized lips. Besides, coconut oil, petroleum jelly, and cocoa butter are a boon for dry, chapped lips.
c. Nourish it with a thick night gel
Not just our skin but our lips, too, yearn for intense hydration and nourishment. Chapped lips are the sheer result of a lack of moisturization and care. The best way to grant care to lips is to soak them in overnight moisture to appear fresh and comfortable the next morning.
So while you never leave your face without a night mask at night, try a lips mask too. Use a dense formula containing natural humectants to lubricate your lips overnight.
Pro tip: Never forget to cleanse your face thoroughly, especially after applying lipstick. Lipsticks may cause darkness on the lips if worn for too long. So, always rinse your lips as well and moisturize them well.
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d. Avoid excessive stress
Too much stress can be lethal to our health. An imbalanced and hectic lifestyle can negatively affect your hormones, and make your lips drier and darker. In addition, being anxious all the time can also make your lips drier. We thus recommend taking some time off your busy lifestyle and making your way to relaxing masks.
e. Try honey and coconut oil treatment
Honey and coconut oil treatment is considered a boon for lips. They are natural moisturizing agents that nourish, hydrate, and make lips plump and softer. Along with following a concrete lip routine, pampering your lip with honey and coconut leaves you with softer lips. To use them, mix both ingredients and keep this mixture on your lips for about 5-7 minutes. In addition, you can also use this mixture as an exfoliator by adding coffee or sugar to it.
f. Water for the rescue
Dehydration is often blamed for scaly skin and irritated lips. Generally, people fail to notice when they are slightly dehydrated, leading to the formation of dry lips. Dehydration occurs when our body loses more fluid than it consumes.
As a result, it pulls water from certain areas of the body to maintain balance, causing dryness in the skin, including that of the lips. So, stay hydrated to avoid dry lips.
An Ideal Lip Care Routine
Like your skin and hair, your lips also demand care and attention. From exfoliation to hydrating masks, there is a whole set of routines your lips long for. This is where a high-performing lip balm scores.
To restore your lips' health, here is a series of steps your need to follow:
- Step: 01: Exfoliate it well
The solution to your dry and dull-looking lips is regular and timely exfoliation. An exfoliation session helps slough off the dead skin cell build-up, thus, revealing a brighter texture. You only need little honey, coffee, and coconut oil for a homemade lip scrub. Mix these ingredients and gently scrub off the dead skin layers on your lips.
- Step 2: Nourish thoroughly
After scrubbing your lips, it's time for that extra nourishment your lips require to appear glossier and healthier. Our lips are the soft target for UV rays that may make them prone to fine lines, hyperpigmentation, and dry patches. We suggest applying a well-formulated lip serum after exfoliation to soften your lips and feed them enough hydration.
- Step 3: Moisturize and shine
The most critical step for not only your skin but also your lips is moisturizing. Our lips do not secrete oil, which makes them prone to dryness. Limiting its hydration dose can make your lips dry and prone to bleeding and irritation. So, make sure to have a hydration lip balm with essential emollients, humectants, and occlusives to moisturize your lips well.
- Step 4: Masking for soft, hydrated lips
You should also maintain an AM routine and a concrete PM routine. Applying a hydrating mask for overnight repair and nourishment is what your lips need to retain their lost moisture. It softens lips and greatly strengthens the moisture barrier and repairing process. So, invest in a good lip mask that you can apply overnight.
Try Mamaearth’s CoCo Tinted 100% Natural Lip Balm with CoCo and Vitamin E
Dipped in nourishment, this CoCo Tinted 100% Natural Lip Balm is specially designed to nourish dry and chapped lips. It is time to get that 12-hour moisture lock to keep your delicate lips hydrated and supple all day. This MadeSafe certified lip moisturizer ensures your lips receive maximum potency of ingredients like Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, etc.
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It also lends a gorgeous brown tint to your lips, keeping them soft, plump, and hydrated all day. A perfect combination of color and care, this lip balm glides on your lips like magic, healing the damaged and irritated texture in no time. So, don your favorite dress, apply a little bit of this lip balm to your lips, and a stroke of the compact!
This lip balm's no-toxin formula ensures your lips get adequate nourishment without bearing any side effects. So, say goodbye to those painful and inflamed lips with our magical CoCo Tinted 100% Natural Lip Balm!
Recommendation: Give a try to Mamaearth Moisture Matte Long Stay Melon Red Lipstick with the natural goodness of Avocado Oil and Vitamin E.
Here's what makes it an ideal lip balm for your lips!
- Cocoa butter
It improves skin elasticity and revitalizes cracked skin by providing proper hydration. In addition, it is rich in antioxidants that repair and soothe dry and irritated lips.
- Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a great source of hydration that also helps reduce hyperpigmentation and spots on the lips. It is also helpful in promoting cell turnover and regeneration.
- Coconut Oil
It is a proven remedy to cure chapped lips and defies inflammation and soreness on lips. In addition, it is rich in antibacterial and antifungal properties that also act as a hydrating agent.
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- Shea butter
Shea butter is a natural moisturizing agent that delivers optimum hydration to soothe irritated skin surfaces. In addition, it heals extreme dryness in no time and safeguards lips from sun damage.
In a Nutshell
Our lips are linked to our facial appeal, making them bold and gorgeous if provided with care. In addition, it plays a great role in the smooth makeup application and lifts the entire look. So, there is no room for dullness to take away the natural glow of your facial aesthetic. At Mamaearth, we understand how dark and dry lips can hurt our appearance and health. Thus, we introduced a toxin-, cruelty-free, and MadeSafe-certified lip balm. Not just lip balms, we have diverse ranges to find efficient color care products.
Aiming to provide a peaceful solution to all your makeup needs, all our products are dermatologically tested and suit all skin types. With the Goodness of Nature, these lip balms are rich in moisture to offer plump, softer lips. It’s time you opt for our toxin-free foundations, lip moisturizers, and other skincare products to be your best every day.
FAQs
What to do for chapped lips?
Following some easy remedies help relieve chapped and irritated lips. The best practice you can do to avoid dry lips is to keep yourself hydrated. In addition, taking a balanced diet, regularly exfoliating, and picking a nourishing lip balm are critical steps to cure chapped lips. Moreover, chapped lips result from the constant licking of lips and excessive exposure to UV rays and harsh chemicals such as perfumes, dyes, etc. So, avoid such practices to avoid the formation of dry patches. Instead, you may use natural ingredients like honey, coconut oil, aloe vera, etc.
What are chapped lips?
Chapped or cracked lips are a condition of lips characterized by cracking, fissuring, and peeling of the skin. It usually occurs due to extreme dryness on the lips and constantly licking the lips. It often leads to inflammation, soreness, and the formation of dry patches that may irritate your lips at large. In addition, it can cause large painful cracks when lips are stretched.
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