what causes dry lips?

It’s winter, and we are having cold polar blasts throughout the country.  Many of us might have irritated or dry chapped lips.  So what causes them, and do Lip Balms help?

Having dry lips is not a new affliction, people have been trying to soothe them for centuries. Lip Balm using beeswax, Olive Oil and other natural ingredients have been reported as early as Cleopatra’s time around 40 BC.  There’s even reports of human earwax being recommended as a remedy for dry cracked lips.  I promise you, there is no ear wax in our Lip Balms!

Our Lips are constantly exposed to the elements – sunlight, wind, air and cold weather. They have to put up with our lifestyle, food, cosmetics, biting, picking, rubbing against clothes, kissing and much more. They are pretty hardworking and need to be tough! Lips don’t have hair follicles, sweat, saliva or oil glands so they’re prone to dryness as they have a lower ability to hold water than the rest of our skin.

There are many causes of dry lips – Skin conditions or infections such as coldsores or herpes, allergies, medications which impact the salivary glands, tongue injuries, dental issues, poor oral health - these can be brought on by eating disorders for example. Nasal congestion, such as a common cold, cold weather or wind which removes moisture, persistent licking which can create a wet-dry cycle that excessively dries out your lips. This dryness can also lead to pain, itching or stinging.

If your lips are dry due to adverse weather conditions, then certain balms can help protect the lips. Drinking adequate amounts of water can also help, because this prevents dry skin in general.  Try and choose Lip Balms with natural ingredients that moisturise your lips.

There are ingredients in Lip Balms that can make things worse so avoid Lip Balms containing the following ingredients....

• Fragrances
• Flavours such as mint, citrus, vanilla or cinnamon
• Shiny glosses
• Colours which can cause irritation. Colours from natural sources are okay - check with the manufacturer if you are unsure.
• Menthol, phenol, or salicylic acid which can actually make your lips drier.
• Additional, unnecessary ingredients such as camphor, lanolin, octinoxate, oxybenzone or propyl gallate

Be sure to stop biting, picking or excessively licking your lips.

Staying hydrated and applying a bland lip balm should be a routine incorporated into your everyday lifestyle for healthy, protected and moisturised lips.