Our lips are one of the most delicate parts of our body and it requires an equally deliberate and subtle care for it. As we know the winter season has arrived, in this particular season our skin is more prone to dryness and so are the lips. It is rather very common that generally we take good care of our skin and take care of its moisture content but usually we forget to prevent our lips from getting adversely affected during winters.
Flaking away of the upper dermis of the lip skin is very common leading to further problems like tingling, bleeding, pain, swelling, etc. the reasons may be numerous like hail, blizzards, sleets, fog and mist, freezing wind and rains, etc. The thin and sweat gland free skin of lips is too delicate to bear it all and starts cracking in the form of chapped lips. There are a lot of side effects that the chapped lips cause including inflammation, pain, allergies, skin blisters, pus, bleeding, rashes, etc. If not taken enough care, chapped lips can lead to worse conditions of unbearable pain and irritation.
Chronic lip licking due to dryness, alcoholism in winters, smoking, etc are some bad habits that lead to worsen the chapping due to more dehydration occurring in the skin as a result of these habits.
Prevention can definitely be a way out of avoiding such conditions which become out of control. After much research and surveys, below are three amazing tricks that can help you avoid chapped lips completely. Follow them religiously for those plump and beautiful lips even in full winters:
1. Hydrate
It’s so much strange that we carry our sippers and water bottles everywhere in summers, just wherever we go. On the contrary, we completely forget during winters that the body needs water be it summers or winters. No matter you need more water in summers and you feel more thirst at that time, but winters do not mean that the body already has all the hydration it wants. The form of water might differ according to the temperatures around, but what we need to understand is that the body and skin needs ample hydration in all seasons to process normally. Herbal tea during winters is an awesome substitute for hydration. Also liquid foods, such as fibrous fruits, veggies and soup are amazing options. Have water whenever you can. Proper hydration is the solution to many major problems including chapping of lips. Pancreatic, bladder and intestinal problems that ultimately lead to chapping of lips can be cured by proper hydration.
2. Protect and treat them right!
Shielding your precious belongings is such a task! Right? So why not protect your lips too. Materialistic things can still be re-made, but not any of those wonderful features that the nature has bestowed on us. Lips are a wonderful possession to restore, pamper and protect dedicatedly. Exposing your lips to harsh weather will harm them gravely. To overcome this, applying a good nature based lip balm is a good option. Lips only become addicted to balms in case of petroleum or other chemical base in the product that you are using. If the product is natural and belongs to a trusted brand, it definitely maintains that protective layer on your lips that protects the lips and also controls your yearn to lick or chew your lips. Protection is a kind of prevention but in case of already chapped lips, treatment is equally important as protection. Using coconut oil with a little sugar as an exfoliation step is a good treatment. Honey and moisture fruit pastes are also good to use as natural applications.
3. Keep your nose clean
Closed and choked nose and wind pipe during winters is another pain in the neck. This is not just a cluster of irritation while talking and performing daily chores, but also bars a sound sleep. We generally open or mouth and sleep in case of cold, cough and choked nose leading to cold air adversely affecting the lips drying them and ultimately flaking them to chapped lips. Try using a Neti pot to clean out your sinuses, it might be irritable initially, but in case of rational use, it can do wonders to improve the nostril congestion. Pranayam’s anulom vilom (alternative nostril breathing and kapaal bhaati are yogic practices that improves breathing, calms your mind and drastically adds to your well being. Good breathing means proper balances of oxygen which will help preventing lips from chapping. Try to breathe more from nose and you will see the difference yourself.
If these 3 tricks don’t help at all, then the reason for your chapped lips may indicate some quick diagnose. Nevertheless always remember that like all good things these tricks will take a little time to truly work for you. With regularity and patience, you will overcome chapped lips for good!
Ruby A Jackson
