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8 Reasons Your Lips are Dry & How to Hydrate them Naturally

dry-lips-and-remedies

Dry lips are a common complaint. However, between the cracking and peeling, dry lips may become more than simply uncomfortable—they can even become painful.

Though there are more obvious causes of dry lips, such as dehydration or sun exposure, there are a number of additional conditions that can cause lips to feel chapped.

Lips may lose moisture due to vitamin B and zinc deficits, as well as dermatological problems such as eczema and contact dermatitis. Certain lip balms, in fact, can drain moisture from your skin and cause it to dry out.

Fortunately, there are several methods for preventing and resolving this skincare issue. Having said that, we must recognize that there are a lot of problems that can be treated with a nice clean lip balm.

Table of Contents

Main Reasons for Dry Lips

1. Dehydration: Dehydration is possibly the most prevalent cause of dry lips. Proper hydration is essential for healthy, bright skin, as well as plump, healthy lips. However, unlike other sections of your face, the skin of your lips is so thin that it is one of the first to exhibit signs of dryness. To avoid this, keep your daily water consumption around 64 ounces, plus or minus a few ounces depending on activity, height, and gender.

2. Sun damage: Nothing beats soaking up some vitamin D from the sun, but we all know that too much sun exposure may be harmful to our skin. This includes your lips’ skin. “The sun may dry up the lips and impair their capacity to keep water and hydration,” says Michelle Henry, M.D., founder of Skin & Aesthetics Surgery of Manhattan. Alicia Zalka, M.D., board-certified dermatologist and founder of Surface Deep, says, “The cells suffer DNA damage and begin to lose natural barrier function.”
Don’t forget to protect your lips with SPF on a daily basis.

3. Vitamin deficiencies: Lip peeling or redness can be caused by vitamin and mineral deficits, notably zinc and B vitamins. Both zinc and B vitamins have been demonstrated to promote good skin and wound healing, and because they are vital vitamins to a healthy system, a lack of these vitamins can result in dry lips. Vitamin B 12 deficiency, in particular, can cause dry, cracked lips that are difficult to repair.

Because neither zinc nor B vitamins are normally created by the body, you must obtain them from other sources, such as diet. Your primary care physician or a dermatologist can diagnose and treat this condition.

4. Eczema: It may come as a surprise, but lips may suffer from many of the same skin diseases that you’ve read about on the body or face. Lip eczema is one of these disorders. Lip eczema results in more than simply chapped lips. It instead mimics normal eczema symptoms including red spots, broken skin, peeling, and overall dryness. This can result in painful lip fractures.

Though moisturizing your lips is the finest therapy, not all hydrating treatments are made equal. A thick ointment, ideally, will provide hydration while simultaneously protecting the skin’s barrier to prevent future water loss. Because eczema is a skin disorder, we recommend speaking with your doctor to find a lip balm that really suits you.

5. Contact dermatitis: Aside from dehydration, the most common cause of dry lips is an irritation caused by items such as toothpaste, which can lead to contact dermatitis. This response, also known as allergic contact cheilitis (or ACC), can develop when an allergen or irritant comes into contact with the lips. Aside from toothpaste, common irritants include scents, metals, and certain foods such as cinnamon.
You can address the dryness with lip balm, but avoid any potential triggers to avoid flare-ups. If you have contact dermatitis, discontinue usage of all topicals until you can identify the irritant.

6. Skin picking & licking: Lip skin is simply too sensitive to withstand the abuse. Furthermore, it might have long-term consequences like scarring or discoloration. Lip licking can cause a loss of natural oils, especially during the winter months.
Keep the lips moisturized using lotions that keep the natural oils of the lips.

7. Protective face masks: If your lips feel parched after applying a face mask all day, you could be onto something. COVID-19 has made protective face masks mandatory for group and public trips. However, while these masks may protect your immune system, they may also be the cause of your dry lips.

Masks tend to hold moisture on the lips; but, when you step outside in the cold, the lips are ‘zapped’ by wind and low temperatures, and the lips might lose moisture through evaporation.
Cotton or paper face masks can absorb moisture from the lips and dry them out. As a result, it’s critical that we use lip balm as a protective layer to prevent friction.

8.  Using poor-quality lip balms:  Although it may appear paradoxical, many lip balms can actually make lips feel drier and more chapped after prolonged use. They may include irritants such as cinnamon oil, which can cause contact dermatitis. They might be made entirely of humectants, which, if the air is low in humidity, can draw moisture from your skin and evaporate it.

The lip balm may also include mineral oil, which is the most likely culprit. Because mineral oil has a very big molecular size, it is difficult to impossible to permeate the skin, which means moisture cannot worm its way down into the epidermis.

How to hydrate chapped lips naturally?

Previously you got to know 8 reasons why dry lips happen and since this is a problem, there must also be a solution. So, to help you take care of your lips in the most natural way possible, here is a list of natural materials or you can call them remedies that will help you to recover the state of your lips. They’ll also help you to maintain healthy lips if you follow them routinely. The tips to heal your lips are as follows:

1. Petroleum Jelly: Petroleum jelly is a common component in lip balms because it helps to provide the skin with a protective barrier that keeps moisture in. This is necessary because it keeps your lips from drying out. However, because petroleum jelly is occlusive, it will only protect your lips from moisture loss rather than giving moisture. The best technique to use petroleum jelly for chapped lips is to: – Apply lip balm first to keep your lips moisturized. A coating of petroleum jelly will keep the moisture in.

2. Aloe Vera: Aloe Vera is a succulent plant that gives forth a moisturizing gel. It works by drawing moisture from the air onto the skin’s surface. This keeps your lips moisturized and keeps them from drying out. Aloe vera is full of this chemical which is known as a polysaccharide that is essential when it comes to binding in the moisture in your skin, which in turn will keep your lips nourished. It is especially beneficial for cracked lips because the polysaccharides assist the skin to develop new cells, which aids in the healing of sores.

3. Honey: Honey is an excellent treatment for chapped lips because it is a humectant, which means it draws moisture from the air into your lips. Honey is also recognized for its healing capabilities, which may aid in the relief of chapped lips’ blisters and fissures. Furthermore, honey contains antimicrobial qualities that protect you from illness. Honey acts as a gentle exfoliant and can aid in the removal of dry, dead skin from the lips. Honey may be used to nourish your lips in the following ways: –

Apply a tiny coating to your lips with a clean finger or a cotton swab. Allow it to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before wiping it away.

4. Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is an emollient, which means it helps to keep moisture in your lips and keeps them from drying out. Coconut oil contains anti-inflammatory effects as well. This implies that it can help alleviate the pain and suffering associated with cracked lips. The antibacterial qualities of coconut oil also assist to keep your lips germ-free, avoiding infection from open sores. You may also mix it with sugar and use it as a light exfoliator to remove dead skin cells from your lips.

5. Sugar: When dead skin cells accumulate on your lips, they hinder them from receiving the moisture they require. Exfoliating your skin with a sugar scrub will help you to remove the dead skin cells which are produced due to chaffing. It’s simple to make a sugar scrub. All you have to do is follow the steps below: – In a mixing dish, combine one tablespoon of sugar and one tablespoon of coconut oil or honey.

  1. Mix thoroughly before applying the scrub to your lips with a clean finger.
  2. For a minute, gently massage your lips in a circular manner with the scrub.
  3. When you’re finished, wipe away any extra scrub.
  4. To replenish moisture, use petroleum jelly or coconut oil.
  5. Always use a moisturizing lotion after a sugar scrub.
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