Top Causes of Dry, Chapped Lips

Dry, chapped lips not only look terrible, but they also can be painful as well (at least for me!). Today, I’ll be sharing some surprising and not-so surprising causes of dry, chapped lips. 

Top Causes of Dry, Chapped Lips

Below are top cause of dry, chapped lips.

You are frequently licking your lips

It can be so tempting to lick your lips when they’re chapped, however your saliva evaporates and dehydrates your lips even more. It’s a bad habit that I, too have to unlearn. 

The weather

Low humidity, cold air, and the sun can all cause or further irritate dry, chapped lips.

Remember, apply lip products with sun-protective ingredients, such as titanium oxide or zinc oxide when out in the sun.

Irritating lip products

You may be using lip products with ingredients that dry and/or irritate your lips. These ingredients can include fragrances, flavoring, eucalyptus, menthol, and camphor, salicylic acid, propyl gallate, and more. Instead opt for ingredients that help lock in moistures including ceramides, dimethicone, castor seed oil, hemp seed oil, shea butter, mineral oil, white petroleum jelly

Ingredients in your toothpaste

Bet you didn’t think to think about your toothpaste. Some people can have an allergy to some ingredients that are common in toothpastes, including sodium laureate sulfate and  cinnamaldehyde.

Salty, spicy, and citrusy foods

Salty, spicy, and citrusy foods unfortunately wreaks havoc on your lip’s moisturizer barrier. If you suffering with severely chapped lips, you may want to cut back on salty, spicy, and citrusy foods.

Dehydration

One of the most obvious causes is that you are not drinking enough water. Don’t forget to drink enough water daily! 

Most of the time, the above self-care can typically heal dry, chapped lips in about 2 to 3 weeks. If it doesn’t, leave it to the professionals and see a dermatologist, as chapped lips could be caused by something aside from the causes listed above.