If you're looking for a way to heal chapped lips or dry lips or
just want to have softer beautiful lips, I have a few tips for you.
If
your lips are red, scaly, chapped, cracked, sore, painful or dry or if
you just want to have softer lips I have a few natural solutions,
treatments, remedies, warnings and tips for you.
Lip problems can
have many causes. In the wintertime or cold winter months you may find
you have more lip problems than in the summer months and the wind, the
sun, and the cold and dry air can take their toll on your lips. When
your lips get dry you may lick them more. You can end up with dermatitis
of the lips and all around your mouth. Another cause is breathing with
your mouth open. Or just getting dehydrated can cause them to be dry and
cracked.
Also your lipstick, lip gloss, moisturizers and even
your lip balm can cause irritation. There are many different types of
chemicals in lip balms, and some people actually get addicted to them.
Here are a few tips for your lips:
1.
Remember that whatever you put on your lips you are eating. Whether it
is lipstick, lip gloss, moisturizers, or lip balm you are eating it
throughout the day. There have been many estimates of how many pounds a
day of lipstick women eat but they also consume other cosmetics and lip
balms.
2. You may no doubt have read in the past to use Vaseline.
But Vaseline is petroleum-based and do you really want to eat petroleum?
Petroleum is crude oil. It will give you shiny lips but may also cause
zits or breakouts as well. Two of its relatives - mineral oil and
petrolatum do not penetrate the skin on top of your lips and they will
seal in any bacteria that are present. I would not put petroleum on my
lips.
3. Make sure to drink plenty of pure, filtered water or
spring water throughout the day. Eat lots of fruits because they are
high in moisture content. Water will hydrate you from within and keep
your lips wet on the outside.
4. Avoid using any lip balms with
phenol, lanolin, parabens and anything with a fragrance. No botanicals
either. People can be allergic to many ingredients- even those from
plants. Phenol is often used in lip balm. It feels soothing when you
first put it on but it can be irritating and cause the skin under the
lips to peel.
5. Many people become addicted to lip balms, so it's
best to avoid them. There are even lip balm addiction anonymous groups
set up for chronic, addicted users.
6. The secret to soft lips is
natural, cheap, healing and easy to do. All you need to do to have the
best soft lips with no exposure to irritating chemicals is to make your
own lip balm by using virgin coconut oil. You can easily find coconut
oil in whole food stores. Get the kind of coconut oil that smells like
coconut and has not been bleached, refined or processed. You can put
some in little jars and carry them with you in your car or bring to your
office. Coconut oil becomes liquid at 77 degrees so don't keep it in
your purse. A little will go a long way and you won't have to constantly
reapply it. It is edible so there is no harm if you swallow any or lick
your lips.
7. If you have a serious lip condition that doesn't
respond to coconut oil for any reason make sure you see your skin
specialist or dermatologist.
These are a just a few of the lip
tips and secrets that helped many overcome their lip problems, whether
it is a simple case of chapped lips, dry, red or scaly lips or a more
serious eczema of the lips, dermatitis or skin condition. You should be
able to enjoy smoother, softer, beautiful, healthy lips. Make sure to
apply it around your lips on your skin at night.
By
Helen Hecker