Lips can peel for various reasons. While usually not a serious medical problem, peeling lips can be painful and cause irritation. If you're struggling with flaky lips, there are a variety of over-the-counter and at-home treatments that can help.
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Method 1 of 3: Possible Effective Treatments
Step 1. Use beeswax (beeswax)
This single ingredient product is safe and effective at locking in moisture and preventing lips from drying out. Most lip balm products with added ingredients do not guarantee the same thing.
Step 2. Choose a lip balm carefully
Maybe you think any lip balm is good because it's designed for dry or flaky lips. Unfortunately, products containing menthol, camphor, or mint are very harsh on problematic lips. Avoid products that use these ingredients.
Many dermatologists recommend petroleum jelly (Vaseline), but there are some who disagree and say the product is potentially dangerous
Step 3. Try lip balm
Unlike lip balms which lock in moisture to prevent dry lips, lip balm restores hydration instantly. Some dermatologists recommend moisturizers containing vitamins A, B, and E, or dimethicone. Lip balm is best used right after showering because water, shampoo, and soap can dry out troubled lips.
Step 4. Use natural treatments
Natural lip balms and lip balms are effective, but many of these claims are not supported by evidence. In general, waxes and fats are better able to lock in moisture, such as beeswax, shea butter, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and vegetable oil. However, essential oils and fragrances can irritate your lips instead of moisturizing them, and may even cause a severe reaction.
Step 5. Make your own lip balm
If you are not interested in buying products from the store, you can use ingredients you have in your kitchen. Remember that most of these recipes are not checked by experts. Choose simple ingredients and avoid essential oils, or dissolve them to a strength of 2% or less.
To make a simple lip balm, take a cup of beeswax, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and 1 teaspoon of vitamin E oil, and bring the mixture to a boil on the stove. Then, remove and allow the solution to dry and solidify overnight
Step 6. Gently exfoliate
Gentle exfoliants can improve the condition of the lips, but too much can cause damage. Try rubbing a mixture of olive oil, honey, and sugar on your lips for 10 minutes, and then rinse. This mixture will moisturize and soften your lips, but stop using it if you notice any damage to your skin.
Step 7. Consider flaxseed oil
Some sites claim that flaxseed oil helps heal chapped lips because it restores essential fatty acids. This may or may not work, but be aware that flax can have harmful effects if you have certain medical problems or allergic reactions. If you decide to give it a try, dab some flaxseed oil on your lips.
- Flaxseed oil can also be used as an ingredient in sauces, salsas, and dips. You can also add a drop to foods such as cottage cheese, baked potatoes, and popcorn.
- Careful. Flaxseed oil doesn't last long. So make sure you use it within three months of purchase.
Method 2 of 3: Avoiding Certain Habits
Step 1. Don't bite your lip
Sometimes, the cause of peeling lips is our own doing. Usually, we bite our lips subconsciously when we feel anxious, bored, or stressed. If you have chapped or chapped lips, try to remember whether you bite your lips often. If so, take action to break the habit.
- Try to figure out the situation that caused you to bite your lip. Do you bite your lip when you feel anxious or in certain social situations, such as meeting new people or interacting with coworkers? Do you bite your lip when you're bored, like watching TV or waiting for the bus?
- Once you know what situation is causing you to bite your lip, do something to reduce anxiety and boredom that doesn't have a negative effect on your own body. You can do deep breathing, relax your muscles, or try a competitive response. The competitive response is something that makes it impossible for you to bite your lip. For example, chewing gum to keep your teeth busy with other activities.
Step 2. Limit your exposure to allergies
If your lips are peeling after being exposed to certain foods, cosmetic products, or seasons, it may have something to do with allergies.
- Cosmetics, lip balms, toothpastes, dyes, and fragrances usually contain ingredients that irritate the lips, eyes, and mouth. If you notice your lips peeling after using a certain product, you may need to stop using that product and look for an alternative.
- Even if you don't believe your lips are peeling from cosmetic products, it's a good idea to stop using lipstick and lip balm until your lips heal. These products can carry germs and exfoliated lips are more susceptible to infection.
- Certain seasons, such as spring, can trigger an allergic response due to increased pollen in the air. If you're sensitive to seasonal changes, try spending more time indoors or buying over-the-counter allergy medications.
- Exposure to allergens can also cause you to breathe through your mouth, which makes your lips more susceptible to exposure to excess air and dust. This can cause peeling or chapped lips.
Step 3. Don't lick or peel your lips
When your lips are dry and chapped, you may have an urge to lick and peel them off to reduce symptoms. However, this habit is harmful in the long run, and can prolong the recovery time for chapped lips.
Do not pull on the peeling skin. Although tempting, this action does not relieve the condition. Usually, pulling on the peeling skin of the lips causes pain and bleeding, and that increases the chance of infection and delays the recovery process
Step 4. Get enough fluids and eat healthy foods
Lack of fluids is the most common cause of dry and flaky lips. Adequate body fluids can prevent peeling lips in the long run.
- Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. The average person needs 1.5 liters of water, but that figure can change depending on lifestyle. If you exercise frequently or have physical work, you need more fluids. In general, you should drink enough water so that you rarely feel thirsty. If your urine is colorless or bright yellow, you may have had enough fluids.
- A healthy and balanced diet can maintain healthy lips. Food can provide about 20% of water intake. Watermelon and spinach are two examples of foods that are 90% water or more.
- If the air in your home feels dry or you live in an area prone to pollution and dry air, buy a humidifier. This tool will humidify the air in the house and reduce the chance of peeling lips.
Method 3 of 3: Denying Myths
Step 1. Stay away from citrus fruits
Scrubs and balms that contain lemon juice or are citrus-based can irritate the skin and lips. Oranges also cause sensitivity to the sun and cause rashes or blisters. For the healing of peeling lips, the negative effects of oranges outweigh the benefits.
Step 2. Avoid harsh exfoliants
Lips are more sensitive than skin. Even products designed for lips can still damage problematic lips. It's better to choose a gentle exfoliant over other products like facial scrubs.
Tips
- If you spend all day in the sun, your lips are as prone to burning as your skin. Apply sunscreen to your lips before going to the beach or a long hike on a hot day.
- Lip protection is still important in cold weather. Use lip wax and lip balm during cold weather to protect your lips from the air and prevent them from peeling off later. You may need to protect your lips with a soft scarf when outside in cold and windy weather.
