- The best home remedies for chapped lips are petroleum jelly, aloe vera, honey, coconut oil, and sugar scrub.
- Applying petroleum jelly after the lip balm can help lock in moisture on your lips and keep them hydrated.
- Putting honey on your lips can help moisturize them and soothe sores caused by chapped lips.
- This post has been medically checked by Debra Jaliman, MD, a licensed dermatologist with a private practice in New York City.
- Check out Insider’s Insider Reference Library for more advice.
Chapped lips often occur when your lips are dry, sore, or chapped. You can get chapped lips when the weather is cold and dry, or when you are dehydrated. In contrast to the rest of your skin, your lips I don’t have any oil glands and cannot produce natural oils to prevent dehydration. This means that without proper care, your lips can dry out frequently.
If your favorite lip balm doesn’t do the trick of getting rid of chapped lips, consider trying these five simple home remedies instead.
1. Vaseline
Petroleum jelly is an important part of many lip balms as it provides the skin with a protective barrier to trap moisture. This is important as it will prevent your lips from drying out.
But petroleum jelly is one occlusiveThis means that instead of providing moisture on their own, your lips are only protected from moisture loss. The best way to use petroleum jelly for chapped lips is to:
- First, apply lip balm to moisturize your lips.
- Bind the moisture in with a layer of petroleum jelly.
On rare occasions, some people may come across one allergic reaction to petroleum jelly. If you experience swelling or stinging while using it, you may be allergic and should stop using it immediately.
2. Aloe Vera
Does aloe help with sunburn? Yes, here is why it is one of the best home remedies
Aloe Vera is a succulent plant that produces a moisturizing gel. It draws moisture from the air to the surface of the skin. This will help keep your lips moisturized and prevent them from drying out.
Aloe Vera also contains called molecules Polysaccharides, This will help bind moisture to your skin and keep your lips hydrated. It is especially helpful for chapped lips as the polysaccharides stimulate the skin to make new cells, which allows wounds to heal quickly.
You can grow your own aloe vera plant and get the gel from the leaves, or you can buy an aloe vera gel at your local beauty salon. Some people experience allergic reactions to aloe vera. Therefore, it is advisable to do a patch test for possible allergic reactions first.
3rd treasure
Honey is a great remedy for chapped lips because it is a HumectantsThis means that it draws moisture from the air into your lips. Honey is also known for its healing properties and can help soothe wounds and cracks caused by chapped lips.
Additionally, honey has antibacterial properties, which it says will prevent you from developing an infection through those cracks and wounds Konstantin Vasyukevich, MD, a double board certified facial plastic surgeon and skin care expert affiliated with Beth Israel Medical Center and Jacobi Medical Center.
“Honey acts as a mild exfoliator and can help remove dry, dead skin from your lips,” says Vasyukevich.
Here’s how you can use honey to moisturize your lips:
- Use a clean finger or a cotton swab to apply a thin layer to your lips.
- Let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes, then wipe it off.
Honey is sweet so resist the urge to lick it off as it will only worsen your chapped lips. A great way to avoid this is to apply it before bed and leave it on overnight.
4. Coconut oil
Coconut oil is an emollientThat said, it’s great for locking in moisture in your lips and preventing them from drying out.
Coconut oil also has anti-inflammatory properties. This means that it can help relieve the pain and discomfort that sometimes comes with chapped lips. Coconut oil antibacterial properties Also, help keep your lips germ-free so you don’t get infection through the open wounds. You can also combine it with some sugar and use it as a gentle scrub to get rid of the dead skin cells on your lips.
5. Sugar scrub
When dead skin cells build up on your lips, they prevent your lips from getting the moisture they need. Gently exfoliate your skin with one Sugar scrub helps remove dead skin cells caused by cracking.
Preparing a sugar scrub is easy. All you have to do is to do the following:
- Put one tablespoon of sugar and one tablespoon of coconut oil or honey in a bowl.
- Mix thoroughly and use a clean finger to apply the scrub to the lips.
- Use the scrub to rub your lips gently in circular motions for a minute.
- When you’re done, wipe off the excess scrub.
- Apply petroleum jelly or some coconut oil to restore moisture.
Make sure you always get a moisturizing treatment after a sugar scrub. “If you forget to moisturize the following lip scrubs, it can make chapped lips worse,” says Vasyukevich.
How to Prevent Chapped Lips
Your lips will crack when they’re dry. That is why the best way to avoid chapped lips is to keep them well hydrated at all times.
You also want to avoid licking your lips when they’re dry. While using saliva to moisten your lips seems like a logical way to fight dryness, it does cause your lips to dry out even faster. Instead, use a lip moisturizer or any of the homemade remedies above.
“The best way to prevent chapped lips is to adhere to the moisturizing lip treatments you use,” says Vasyukevich. “Make sure you apply moisturizer several times throughout the day, and adapt applications based on climate or weather conditions. If you live in colder, drier temperatures, it’s best to use these treatments regularly.”
Takeaways
Chapped lips can be a bothersome problem. But to get rid of them, there are many natural remedies you can whip up at home using ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. You can also use a combination of these home remedies to get rid of your chapped lips permanently.