Chapped lips? Causes and treatments for dry, cracked lips.

Severely chapped lips may have different causes. Among them are dehydration, reactions to certain medications, vitamin deficiencies, excessive sun exposure, cold weather, cold or flu, allergic reaction, etc.

So to prevent chapped lips, you need to look into the factors above to determine if your dry, chapped lips result from something temporary or may have a more chronic deep cause.

If it is something temporary like dehydration, excessively licking your lips, chronic sun exposure, or the result of a cold, you have to drink more water, not expose to the sun so much, and wait for the cold to pass.

On the other hand, if you have suffered from chapped lips for a long time and cannot pinpoint the cause, you would have to look into reactions to medications or vitamin deficiencies, especially the B vitamin family, specifically vitamin B2.

What vitamin deficiency causes dry lips?

All B vitamins and vitamins D and E are involved in maintaining skin cell integrity and helping repair damaged cells. However, vitamin B2 is important for skin cells to prevent chapped lips, flaky skin, and actinic cheilitis (a pre-cancerous condition).

So if you suffer from chronic chapped lips, visit your physician and get your vitamin B2 tested to find out if that might be causing your condition.

Your medication might be drying out your lips.

Some medicines are known for causing chapped lips. This is a condition called drug-induced cheilitis. Often these issues occur with people who take acne medications.

If you suspect the medicine you are taking might be causing chronic chapped lips, consult a board-certified dermatologist to look into your condition.

You’ve been licking your lips a bunch.

Frequently licking your lips may lead to chapped lips as there are enzymes in the saliva that can break down cell membranes.

So, refrain from excessive lip licking and use a good lip ointment to keep your lips hydrated and protected.

girl licking her lip, a cause for chapped lips

How do you get rid of sore lips?

You must treat your dry, chapped lips first if your lips burn. You must protect your lips from cold weather conditions, dry air, and frequent sun exposure, and stay hydrated.

Second, to keep your lips healthy, use a lip balm to protect and treat chapped lips. Preferably choose a lip moisturizer that contains natural ingredients such as coconut oil, castor seed oil, beeswax, honey, shea butter, etc.

Why are my lips so sensitive all of a sudden?

The skin on your lips is different from the rest of your skin. The outer layer of regular skin comprises 15 to 16 layers, whereas the skin on your lips has only 4 to 5.

So, your lips are more exposed, and so are more sensitive. One of the main reasons for cracked skin on your lips is cold or dry weather. So frequently applying lip balm will help keep your lips soft and hydrated.

How do you heal chapped lips fast?

When it comes to the skin on your lips, there are no quick fixes, meaning it takes some time to repair chapped lips.

That said, there are ways you can protect the skin with lip products and natural remedies to provide a protective barrier that moisturizes and provides substances to reduce inflammation and boost skin repair.

Use lip balms with natural ingredients like marigold oil, aloe vera, and vitamin E lip balms to soothe your dry skin and avoid irritation. The trick here is to gently rub the lip balm on the chapped lips frequently because all your daily activities will rub off the lip balm, making your lips unprotected.

Frequency and natural ingredients are key.

marigold oil, a natural ingredient for a lip balm

Why won’t my chapped lips heal?

Chronic chapped lips may indicate serious medical ailments such as actinic cheilitis, a form of early-stage skin cancer requiring urgent treatment.

Visit your physician and have your chapped lips diagnosed.

Do chapped lips mean illness?

Not necessarily. The first thing you have to ask yourself is if the chapped lips are a chronic condition that will not disappear for as much as you use lip balms and protect your lips from dry air and cold weather.

Second, suppose you have chapped lips but do not have inflammation, redness, skin color change, and/or pain. In that case, it might be about staying hydrated, applying lip balms more often, and avoiding alcohol and tobacco.

But in case you present any of the symptoms above, visit your physician immediately.

honey as a natural ingredient for a lip balm

Do chapped lips always mean dehydration?

Probably for most of the population, it might mean just that. In this era of excessive sweet drinks, alcohol, and tobacco, dehydration is frequent.

Always prefer water over anything else so your body is hydrated enough to help prevent chapped lips.

In other cases, chapped lips are just a consequence of the elements, such as cold temperatures or dry weather.

What causes lips to split and bleed?

Cold, dry weather, excessive lip licking, and sunburns can cause lips to dry excessively and bleed. That is an extreme consequence of chapped lips, so you must use lip ointments or a lip balm with natural ingredients to moisturize and protect your lip skin.

If the condition is too severe and there is inflammation, pain, and skin discoloration, visit your doctor or board-certified dermatologist ASAP.

Ingredients that lock in moisture

Find lip balm products that include only natural ingredients such as Castor Oil, Beeswax, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Calendula Flower Oil, Aloe Vera, Vitamin E, and Honey. These healing ingredients help to lock in moisture and aid in skin protection and repair.

Avoid synthetic ingredients such as petroleum jelly and mineral oil as much as possible to treat dry and chapped lips.

Is peppermint oil a good natural ingredient?

Peppermint or mint oil has a pleasant smell but can worsen the symptoms of chapped lips when applied to irritated or dry lip skin. Instead, look for vitamin E, honey, and marigold oil to help reduce pain and inflammation.

peppermint oil may cause allergic reactions

Drying ingredients in lip products

Some lip ointments or lipsticks can cause dry lips. Avoid synthetic ingredients such as petroleum jelly as much as possible, and always read the ingredients list to see if an ingredient may trigger an allergic reaction in you.

An allergy to a natural or synthetic ingredient might be the culprit of chapped lips if you use a lip product to heal dry lips in the first place.

In general, do not use any alcohol-based product, as it will result in chapped lips instead of healing dry skin.

Sun damage

Ultraviolet radiation due to excessive sun exposure can cause significantly damaged skin and may result in chapped lips.

Always safeguard your lips from sun damage using a lip balm with natural ingredients.

Why it’s important to protect your lips from the sun

In the summer and at high altitudes, you can experience chapped lips from extended exposure to UV rays. Remember that the skin on your lips is much thinner than in other places, so it needs to be better protected.

Frequently using a lip balm with natural ingredients will help protect and repair the skin on your lips.

The best lip balm for chapped lips

We recommend our HummingBee Beeswax Lip Balm with Vitamin E and Honey; it is unflavored, unscented, and only contains natural ingredients.

While other lip balms smell and taste horrible and make your lips feel worse, ours has the natural and mild flavor of natural beeswax and honey. This means you will feel smooth and moisturized lips without worrying about dry, chapped lips.

How often should I apply lip balm or ointment to my chapped lips?

A good natural lip balm helps seal your chapped lips’ cracks and locks in moisture so they stay hydrated.

It should be applied throughout the day for the lips to stay moisturized. The lip balm layer gets rubbed off easily when you eat, drink, or talk. So it is better to apply it often. A good rule of thumb is to apply it every two hours.

Also, using a natural lip balm during sleep helps keep lips hydrated so you wake up with soft, moisturized lips.

Chapped lips? Causes and treatments for dry, cracked lips.

What are sore chapped lips a symptom of?