With winter taking its usual sweet time to fizzle out, a common complaint from most of my clients is cracked lips, more specifically, how to prevent them. If you suffer from cracked or chapped lips, you know that it's not only an aesthetic issue; but often quite uncomfortable too. To help you combat this common ailment, I've compiled a list of simple tips you can follow:
Cracked Lips Tip |
Increase your intake of vitamin A rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and all yellow and orange fruits and vegetables. Alternatively purchase a Vitamin A supplement.
Drink a minimum of 2 liters of water a day to keep your lips moist and hydrated - remember coffee doesn't count towards this quota, plus it is actually a diuretic, which will further dehydrate you.
Try to avoid licking your lips - the enzymes in saliva can cause your lips to crack even more.
Mix 1 Tea Spoon of olive oil, 1 Tea Spoon sugar and 1 Tea Spoon petroleum jelly, in a bowl or container. Apply this mixture to the lips, leave to settle for about five minutes and then gently scrub. This will help to remove the flaky bits and dead skin from your lips. Once you have done this deep moisturize the area.
Apply your lip balm last thing at night, to ensure moisture is maintained throughout your sleep.