We all love winters right? Don't we all wait for the season so that we could dress ourselves in those trending leather jackets, coats and boots? Winter season is one of my favourite seasons as I love the freshness and the chill in the cold winter air. But what disappoints me during this season, is the dry face and messed up hair. I guess, all of us; be it men or women, feel the same. The cold harsh air, although makes us feel good; it has an opposite effect on our skin, scalp and face. The air extracts all the moisture from our body, making our skin and scalp dry. Well, I'm all set for the winters with a wide range of hair and face packs to survive the harsh winters, but is that all? Am I not forgetting something? Yes, I am. Our lips! Our lips have the thinnest skin which makes it the most affected body part during the winters. Oh those chapped and dry lips, brings in a lot of embarrassing memories don't they?
We take immense care of our face and hair during every season, especially during winters. We keep trying out a number of face packs and hair packs to look like a diva during the winters, but is anything special done for the lips? No, most of us survive the winters on a stick of our favourite flavoured lip balm. Let me tell you, that's not enough! There are a number of things where we go wrong while taking care of our lips, and surviving on that one chapstick is definitely not enough!
There are a number of reasons why our lips get chapped during winters, some of which are our fault, while some are mistakes we aren't aware of. Read on for a list of the most basic causes of chapped lips.
It so happens that the medicines we take have a side effect on our lips. People taking medicines for blood pressure or diabetes would often feel their lips all dry or chapped. Even those taking anti-aging capsules would feel the side effect on their lips.
Citrus fruits tend to irritate the lips. Recall when your lips were chapped and you ate a tomato or an orange; you must have felt a tinge on your lips. Eating excess of citrus fruits can lead to chapped lips.
It so happens that we tend to lick our lips the moment it gets dry. So we lick, and again our lips get dry, we lick again; this creates a cycle. Our saliva gets evaporated, and with the saliva, some moisture also gets evaporated. So licking continuously will make your lips even drier.
Well, drinking plenty of water every day is a must to lead a healthy life. Lips have the thinnest skin so lack of water in the body is first felt with dry lips. Our lips do not have any oil glands, so the all-time source of moisture is not there. Hence, drinking water is must to avoid chappy and cracked lips!
And you thought tanning was the only disadvantage of being out in the sun! The harmful rays of the sun that hit our lips, leaves it marks behind by making it prone to cracking and chapping. Rather stay home right?
Honey contains a lot anti-bacterial compounds that are great for the skin and hair. Also honey is the best for weight loss. So how can we skip using it on our lips? Applying honey on the lips helps in softening the skin, and also treating the chapped lips. Honey adds moisture and softens our lips.
Just dab some honey on your lips several times a day and let it do its work. You will feel your lips are softer after a single honey spa! To get an added benefit of honey, apply petroleum jelly after you apply the honey. The petroleum jelly tends to act as a protective layer and let the lips absorbs the nutrients of honey better. Let it stay for 10-15 minutes and remove it with a soft cloth.
Milk cream is one of the most common remedy to treat dry lips. I personally apply milk cream when my lips get extremely dry. Coming to lemon, lemon juice contains a lot of compounds that are good for the skin and hair. Lemon juice will remove all the dead cells from the lips and also soften the lips.
All you need to do is take some milk cream and squeeze some lemon juice in it. Keep it in the refrigerator for 2 hours and apply it on your lips during the day if you do not plan to go out, or else apply it before going to bed.
Rose petals are great for the lips. It contains skin lightening and softening compounds that will help in treating chapped lips and also lighten the colour of the lips.
For this remedy, you need some rose petals and milk. Soak the rose petals in raw milk for a few hours. Use a spoon to mash the rose petals in the milk to get a smooth paste. Apply it on your liips and let it stay for a few minutes. Remove it with a soft cloth. This will hydrate your lips and also give you pink rosy lips!
Coconut oil is the also one of the most common ways to treat your dry and chapped lips. Coconut oil is a great source of vitamins and nutrients for scalp, and in the similar way, it works well for the lips as well.
You need only a few drops of coconut oil on your finger. Just rub it gently across your lips and let it stay. You don't need to remove it as the coconut oil will get absorbed.
Olive oil is another oil that works well for hydrating the skin, hair and lips is olive oil. Applying olive oil on your lips will leave it soft and supple as the compounds in it treat dry and chapped lips.
Cucumber is a saviour for us during summers to keep our face cool and hydrated. It also works for our lips as well. So cucumber for skin during summers and for lips during winters!
Grate a small portion of cucumber and apply it gently on your lips. Let it stay for a while and remove it with your fingers. You can also apply cucumber juice instead of the grates. Another easy way is to rub a slice of cucumber on your lips for a few minutes.
Lip exfoliation is a great way to get soft pink lips. Exfoliation helps in getting that perfect texture of the lip, and also avoids discoloration. All the dead cells are gently removed through exfoliation. The lips turn out to be soft and pink. Following are easy homemade lip scrubs you can definitely try out!
Note- Make sure you apply a lip balm or petroleum jelly after exfoliating your lips. It's just like moisturising your face after scrubbing.
With the above causes of chappy lips, along with the home remedies, are we all set? No, we still need to take care of a few things to avoid embarrassing lips throughout the season. Read on for some basic tips on lip care.
I don't know about you, but I am definitely all set for this winter season! Hair care, check; skin care, check; lip care, check! With the above tips and remedies to treat chapped lips, I am definitely ready for the winter season! What are you waiting for? Just randomly select any of the above remedies and get started! Survive the coming cold months with soft pink lips, and no chapped or cracked lips!
Hi, I'm Sakhi, and I love to meet new people and learn new things from them. I strongly feel that make-up can make you look pretty on the outside, but eating healthy keeps you pretty on the inside!