Chapped Lips This Winter? Here’s How to Soothe Those Smackers

‘Tis the season of glitter and twinkly lights, generosity of spirit…and parched, chapped lips. The dry winter air will steal moisture from anywhere it can, and your lips are among its favorite targets. But there are ways to keep your lips hydrated, smooth, and soft in spite of it, so let’s brush up on some tips to soothe your dry, chapped lips this winter.

Skip the Lip Balms You Can Feel

We’ve all heard (or even repeated) the old non-wisdom of “if it’s stinging, that means it’s working.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t. When it comes to lip balm, stinging, tingling, burning, or other sensations mean that the balm is irritating your lips. If any of your lip balms do this, ditch them for a balm that’s soothing and doesn’t cause any change in sensation other than making your lips feel less dry.

Consider a Tinted Lip Balm Instead of Lipstick

We all love a beautiful lip color, but lipsticks are made only for aesthetics rather than for your lips’ health and comfort. Many of them are drying for lips or they might be irritating too. There’s a happy medium between a naked lip and a colorful dry one: tinted lip balm. It gives your lips beautiful color while also keeping them soft and comfortable.

Give Your Lips Some Beauty Sleep

Sleep is restorative for your whole body and during this dry season, you can make it especially restorative for your lips. As an overnight treatment, apply a hydrating ointment or just simple petroleum jelly. Let it work its magic and nourish your lips while you sleep and you’ll wake up to a smoother smile.

Going Outside? Protect Your Lips

The sun is still a force to be reckoned with during the winter, even when it’s not giving you the warmth you’re wishing for. When you go outside this winter, put on some lip balm with an SPF of 30 or higher. That’s actually a good strategy at any time of the year, but especially in these cold months when you have to worry about the dry air chapping your lips on top of sun exposure. Reapply your balm every two hours or whenever your lips feel dry. When it’s especially cold or windy, it can help to cover your lips too with cold weather gear like a scarf, gaiter, or balaclava.

Stock Up on Spare Lip Balms So You Don’t Lick Your Lips

This is something I do all year round as someone who’s prone to dry lips – stock up on enough lip balms that you have one with you at all times. I’m talking about keeping a stick in your handbag, another one next to your bed, another one in your living room or wherever you spend most of your time at home, another one at work, and so on. When you always have something to reach for when your lips feel dry, you aren’t tempted to lick them. When you lick your lips, the saliva evaporates and leaves them drier than they were before, so keep that tongue off of them.

Humidify Your Home

Your lips get dry because the air is dry and it’s pulling moisture from everywhere it can, including your skin and your lips. So one solution to that problem is to make the air less dry, and a home humidifier will help. There are portable humidifiers too so you can take one with you to work and keep it on your desk, or even water bottle-sized humidifiers so you can have one in your car on long drives.

Hydrate Deeply with a Lip Mask

Even if you’re following all the tips above, sometimes your lips just need a little something extra. In the winter, a hydrating lip mask can be an indulgent way to enjoy some self-care while nourishing your lips. Masks can give you more intense hydration than a typical lip balm.

Skip or Take It Easy on Exfoliating

When your lips are dry and you can feel that rough texture, it’s tempting to reach for an exfoliator for a quick smoothing fix. But that quick fix could irritate your lips and dry them out further, worsening the problem you were trying to solve in the first place. When the weather is dry, it’s best to ease up on exfoliating. Either skip it or use a gentler product this season.

Show Your Lips Some Love This Winter

Your lips are as affected by the winter weather as any other part of your body, and they deserve some extra TLC during this dry time of year. With the tips above you can keep your lips comfortable and soothed.