Cliff is an online marketer and freelance writer. He is passionate about health, sports, and travel.

Your lips are among the most attractive parts of your body. Moist and healthy lips give you a refreshing look. Biting your lips expresses playfulness. Without a doubt, your lips represent your character.

However, your lips are also very delicate. They only have three layers of skin to serve as protection. You may have noticed that the lips bleed easily once they're damaged. One of the most common problems with them is chapped lips. Dry, cracked lips are unattractive and painful. Here are some tips to get yours healthy:

5 Tips for Preventing Chapped Lips

1. Avoid Licking
2. Keep Yourself Hydrated
3. Use Lip Balm
4. Watch Your Cosmetics
5. Protect Your Lips From Medication

5 Tips to Get Healthy Lips Fast

1. Avoid Licking

Licking your lips seems to be the easiest remedy for chapped lips. However, this actually aggravates the dryness. It may seem like it moisturizes the lips for a short time, but once the saliva evaporates, it takes with it the natural moisture the lips need. The saliva also contains two digestive enzymes: amylase and maltase. These enzymes are designed to aid in breaking down food. This also works on your lips, making them more likely to get dry and cracked.

2. Keep Yourself Hydrated

One of the causes of chapped lips is dehydration. When your body is dehydrated, your cells dry out. Drinking plenty of water rehydrates your cells and helps keep your lips moist and healthy.

3. Use Lip Balm

Applying a good lip balm on your lips helps keep in the moisture. Use lip balm throughout the day. A little warning, though: Many lip balms come in different flavors. While this doesn’t seem to raise any concern, the delicious flavors of lip balms can actually tempt the user to lick her/his lips more. As mentioned above, licking your lips is not a good habit.

What you want to find in a lip balm are certain ingredients that help promote healthy lips. Petroleum and beeswax are common ingredients that prevent moisture loss. Use lip balms with at least SPF 15 to help protect your lips from the harmful UV rays. Experts also suggest using petroleum jelly to heal chapped lips.

4. Watch Your Cosmetics

Your lipstick and lip gloss may be doing more harm to you than you’re aware of. Alcohol, which is a common ingredient found in cosmetics, takes away natural moisture from your lips. The good news is that many manufacturers have developed lipsticks which contain natural oils, such as lanolin and aloe. These cosmetics also offer sun protection.

5. Protect Your Lips From Medication

There are many skin problems that require you to use topical medications. If you are trying to get rid of acne, you might be using anti-acne creams. If you want to prevent premature wrinkles, an anti-aging cream is probably part of your daily skin regimen. However, these medications can be harmful to your lips. It is recommended that you apply petroleum jelly before using any medication to shield your lips from harmful chemicals. Practicing extra caution such as this is the simplest way to get rid of chapped lips fast.

What Causes Chapped Lips?

The most common cause of chapped lips is lack of moisture. You may have noticed that you get them more often during the winter. This is because the cold, dry air causes your lips to lose moisture. Other things that contribute to having chapped lips include cosmetics and certain medications. Also, removing the skin from your lips can lead to chapping. So, no matter how tempting it is, just wait until the skin falls off by itself while you try the tips listed above.

Around the Web

• Discovery Health - 6 Home Remedies for Chapped Lips
  
• Chapped Lips: Symptoms, Causes & Risk Factors
  
• Chapped Lips Remedies: Lip Balm Tips for Severely Dry Lips
  

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2012 Cliff Mendrez

Comments

Amila on December 12, 2014:

I haven't used L'Occitane's lip balm before. I have the hand cream thugoh. I'm currently using so many different types of lip balms, it's too crazy to name here. I'm trying out different ones to see which is best for me. :)

Khushi on December 11, 2014:

I am on the East Coast, transplanted from California, and the wiernts here are making me itchy crazy with dry skin. We've been here 12 years now and I thought I could not take another day. My dermatologist recommended Cetaphil, so I had been using it religiously, but I must admit it was not the miracle cure I was expecting. Then one fortuitous day I was buying my trusty Tea Tree Oil shampoo at Trader Joe's and I saw bottles of Vitamin E Oil and Jojoba Oil right next to the shampoo! How could I not have noticed these before? I desperately put both into my shopping cart. I would have bought more oils had there been more to choose from. I crossed my fingers super tight and willed these things to do some magic trick for me. The second I got home I slathered Jojoba Oil all over my head. Yes I did. It made me look like I had not bathed in a week, but the scalp relief was instantaneous. My hair was extra silky after I washed it later. The Vitamin E Oil I put on my legs and arms it did not seem to be as fabulous but still much better than any lotion or cream I had tried.I hope my finds help someone else out there with ultra dry skin. I still can't take another day in Washington DC, but at least it is not because of itchy skin!

liv on December 13, 2012:

ive heard that honey works well on chapped lips to.

Cliff Mendrez (author) from Philippines on June 01, 2012:

I was on the same boat as you, Shiliza. I found it hard to stop licking my lips because it has been a bad habit of mine for years. Just get your mind into it and eventually you will find that you have abandoned it completely. Petroleum jelly works really great for me. I'm hoping that you will find the perfect product for you. Cheers to healthy lips!

Shiliza on June 01, 2012:

These are really helpful. Thank you. I like my lips almost every minute and I'm trying to stop but its really hard. Before I would just put Vaseline and lip gloss on but I think that's why my lips end up being chapped during the rest of the day in school, but now I'm using the Vaseline with Aquafina hydrating lip oil. Hopefully this will help with my chapped lips and the discoloration (not sure if I spelled that word right).

Cliff Mendrez (author) from Philippines on February 27, 2012:

Lip-licking had been a habit of mine for as long as I can remember. I never knew how bad it was until I did my own research about getting rid of chapped lips. Thanks for reading, Keri!

Keri Summers from West of England on February 27, 2012:

Good tips. I knew lip-licking was bad, but you've explained clearly why. Up, useful, interesting.

Cliff Mendrez (author) from Philippines on January 19, 2012:

Hey aigoo. I had the same experience. I got tired of having dry lips so I did a research about getting rid of chapped lips. When I was a kid, my mom always reminded me to lick my lips. I wish my mom knew that was a bad habit. Oh well.. lol.

aigoo from UK on January 19, 2012:

Awesome Tips. I almost always have dry lips and I tried to lick them more often to make them have more moisture and it never worked but now I know why.

Cliff Mendrez (author) from Philippines on January 18, 2012:

Hi sammy! Lip gloss and similar cosmetics can really cause problems. I'm glad you found this hub helpful. Thank you again for reading and commenting.

Hi jean! Thank you for sharing your reviews on some lip balms out there. That would be of help to other readers.

Jean Bakula from New Jersey on January 18, 2012:

I have always needed lip balm. Lately I like Herbal Answer by Blistex. It's got a subtle lime scent, so works for both women and men. Chapstick always seems like wax to me. And you can't go wrong with Neutrogena. Olay is good for older women, but so far I don't think they have a lip gloss, or if so I'm not aware of it yet. Nice job.

sammysmyth1 on January 18, 2012:

really great tips on the lip gloss, i think that could be causing me problems, really helpful hub.