Hydrate | Diet | Exfoliate | Moisturise | Protect | Action

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Drinking 2-3 litres of water a day should be the first and easiest step to getting rid of dry chapped lips. While getting your daily sources of Iron and vitamin b12 (Cobalamin) can help prevent exfoliative cheilitis (peeling of lips).

Get soft and kissable lips by incorporating hydration, a balanced diet, exfoliating, moisturizing, and protecting your lips daily. Say goodbye to dry and peeling lips for good.

Keep Your Lips Hydrated and Supple with Proper Hydration💦

Lips don’t contain oil glands to help keep them hydrated and moist (Piccinin & Zito, 2021). That is why drinking the recommended amount of 2-3 litres a day should be the first and easiest step to prevent dry lips (Fonseca et al., 2020).

UV Water Bottle

Highlights

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Keynote

Drinking 2-3 litres daily is the easiest way to prevent dry lips.

Nourish Your Lips from the Inside Out with a Lip-Friendly Diet😋

Exfoliative cheilitis

Nutrient deficiencies in iron and vitamin B12 along with other habits like biting and picking your lips are thought to cause exfoliative cheilitis which is the continuous peeling of the lips, primarily the lower lip (Fonseca et al., 2020).

Angular cheilitis

A deficiency in riboflavin, folate and iron can lead to angular cheilitis, which is inflammation and cracks in the corners of the mouth (Fonseca et al., 2020).

Saliva can also cause angular cheilitis, so make sure you wash your mouth and lips properly after each meal to avoid the buildup of saliva and microorganisms in the corner of your mouth (Fonseca et al., 2020).

Nutrients for lips and their sources

NutrientsBest Sources
IronSpinach, Pumpkin seeds, Quinoa, Brocolli, Cacao powder, Tuna
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)Egg yolks, Salmon, Tuna, Almonds, Chicken breast, Spinach, Cheese, Milk, Plain Yogurt
Vitamin B9 (Folate)Spinach, Brocolli, Eggs, Beets, Almonds, Walnuts, Bananas
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) Tuna, Salmon, Milk, Cheese, Plain yoghurt, Eggs yolks
Vitamin E Almonds, Pumpkin Seeds, Mango, Kiwi, Blackberries, Black Currents, Raspberries, Spinach, Brocolli

Keynote

To avoid cracks in the corner of your mouth and peeling of your lips don’t bite or pick at your lips, get your daily dose of iron, cobalamin, riboflavin and folate and wash your mouth and lips after every meal.

Gently Exfoliate to Get Rid of Dry and Peeling Skin 🧼

Exfoliating your lips can help remove dead, dry skin flakes. Exfoliate once or twice a week by using a wet toothbrush and gently brush your lips. Don’t exfoliate if your lips are already chapped as this can worsen them.

Keynote

Use your toothbrush gently once or twice a week to exfoliate your lips to remove old dead dry skin.

Keep Your Lips Moisturised with a Good Lip Balm💧

Moisturise your lips by applying a lip balm. Choose one with ingredients that are non-irritant like shea butter and petrolatum.

Moisturise after exfoliating your lips, once in the morning and once before bed and multiple times throughout the day as needed (Fonseca et al., 2020).

Ingredients to Avoid

Avoid fragrances and flavours like beeswax, camphor, cinnamon, colophony, eucalyptus, geraniol, menthol, peppermint oil and vanilla; emollients like castor oil, lanolin; solvents such as propylene glycol; preservatives like propyl gallate and dyes like red and yellow (Fonseca et al., 2020).

Ingredients to look for

The best lip balm would be a simple one which contains organic moisturising ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, petrolatum, aloe vera, jojoba oil and vitamin E.

Natural Lip Balm

Highlights – Best Seller

  • SWEET MINT: Freshly-picked mint from the garden creates our mellow + refreshing Sweet Mint Lip Balm
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  • ALL-DAY MOISTURE: Our lip balms are packed with powerful skincare ingredients like sustainable shea butter + oil that locks-in moisture for lasting protection, nourishing coconut oil for weightless hydration, relieving jojoba oil that replenishes irritated lips, and a protective blend of antioxidants
  • MADE FOR SENSITIVE SKIN: Our Dermatologist-recommended lip balm is formulated for sensitive skin and hypoallergenic
  • SUSTAINABLY-SOURCED INGREDIENTS: eos lip balms have wild grown, sustainably sourced, 100% natural shea butter and oil to leave your lips smooth and nourished
  • OUR PROMISE: All eos lip balms are paraben, phthalate, gluten, and cruelty-free

Keynote

Moisturise after exfoliating, in the morning, throughout the day as needed and once before bed. Use a lip balm without any fragrances, flavours, emollients, solvents, preservatives and dyes. Look for ingredients that are non-irritant, like shea butter and petrolatum.

Protect Your Lips from the Elements and Maintain Their Softness👄

Use a humidifier

At home, if the air is dry you can use a humidifier to help increase the moisture in the air.

Don’t mouth breathe

Breathe through your nose at all times and not from your mouth, even when you sleep as this can lead to dry lips and a dry mouth.

Spicy food

Really hot/spicy food can cause a burning sensation on your lips and make them swell. A common culprit for this is spicy noodles.

Avoid licking and biting

Don’t lick your lips, saliva evaporates quickly and will make your lips even drier as it saps moisture from them, they also contain digestive enzymes which damage the delicate skin on the lips (Fonseca et al., 2020).

The skin lips on the skin only contain 3-5 outer layers compared to the 16 layers on the rest of the skin (Piccinin & Zito, 2021). This leads to a breakdown of the protective barrier and makes your lips more prone to cracking, bleeding, peeling, dryness and vulnerability to irritants (Fonseca et al., 2020). Apply a moisturiser instead.

Don’t bite and pick apart or peel flaking skin as this can further damage your lips and worsen the healing process (Fonseca et al., 2020).

Cold weather

Dry cold weather, can quickly dry out your lips and may even trigger cold sores. Wear a scarf that covers your mouth to prevent cold dry air from hitting your mouth. This can also protect your lips from pollution and second-hand smoke which over time can give your lips a faded look (Multani, 2013).

Hot weather

Lips have very small amounts of melanocytes, cells that produce melanin, compared to the rest of the skin and thus less protected than skin from the sun’s UV rays (Piccinin & Zito, 2021).

If you know you are about to spend a lot of time in the sun apply an SPF of 30+ lip balm or wear a hat that shades your face (Fonseca et al., 2020).

Sun Hat

Highlights

  • Internal wire for customisable brim shape.
  • Drawstring at the back for adjustable sizing.
  • Reversible design allows the choice between two stylish colours.
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  • Accredited with a UPF 50+ rating, it has the highest sun protective rating available in the world and blocks UVA and UVB rays for maximum sun protection.
  • Will keep your face, ears and neck protected.

Contact

Your lips are sensitive and so you should be careful with what comes in contact with your lips. Contact cheilitis is dryness of lips caused by an inflammatory response to allergens (Fonseca et al., 2020).

Allergens

These allergens can be from detergents, preservatives; fragrances from tropical products, flavorants from food, propolis found in many lip balms, nickel and cobalt from jewellery and instrument mouthpieces, and methanol from oral hygiene products (Fonseca et al., 2020).

Recreational activities

Doing recreational activities such as playing wind instruments and snorkelling and diving can cause mechanical irritation of the lips and may lead to irritant contact dermatitis, so extra care should be taken (Fonseca et al., 2020).

Acne medication

Other substances that can cause injury and irritation to your lips include chemicals in acne medication such as topical retinoids, salicylic acid, and benzoyl peroxide (Fonseca et al., 2020).

Keynote

Every time you go outside carry a lip balm of SPF 30+ on you. Wear protective clothing like a scarf to limit pollution and dry cold/hot air getting to your lips. If the air in your home is dry use a humidifier. Avoid very spicy food. Let your lips heal naturally don’t pick or peel them. Don’t lick your lips use your lip balm instead. Breathe through your nose at all times even while you sleep. Take extra care when playing wind instruments and snorkelling/diving. When applying Face wash be careful to not touch your lips.

Action to take ✍️

  • Drink 2-3 litres daily.
  • Don’t bite or pick at your lips.
  • Get your daily dose of iron, cobalamin, riboflavin and folate.
  • Wash your mouth and lips after every meal.
  • Use your toothbrush gently once or twice a week to exfoliate your lips.
  • Moisturise after exfoliating, in the morning, throughout the day as needed and once before bed.
  • Use a lip balm without any fragrances, flavours, emollients, solvents, preservatives and dyes. Look for ingredients that are not irritants like shea butter and petrolatum.
  • Every time you go outside carry a lip balm of SPF 30+ on you.
  • Wear protective clothing like a scarf to limit pollution and dry cold/hot air getting to your lips.
  • If the air in your home is dry use a humidifier.
  • Avoid very spicy food.
  • Let your lips heal naturally don’t pick or peel them.
  • Don’t lick your lips use your lip balm instead.
  • Breathe through your nose at all times even while you sleep.
  • Take extra care when playing wind instruments and snorkelling/diving.
  • When applying Face wash be careful to not touch your lips.

References 🤓

Fonseca, A., Jacob, S. E., & Sindle, A. (2020). Art of prevention: Practical interventions in lip-licking dermatitis. International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, 6(5), 377–380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijwd.2020.06.001

Multani S. (2013). Interrelationship of smoking, lip and gingival melanin pigmentation, and periodontal status. Addiction & health5(1-2), 57–65. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905564/

Piccinin MA, Zito PM. Anatomy, Head and Neck, Lips. [Updated 2021 Jun 18]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507900/

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