Why do our lips seem to show the ravages of winter more than other places on our face? First of all, the skin on our lips is thinner. They also have less oil glands and no melanin, which means they dry out quicker and cannot protect themselves from the sun.

Your lips can suffer in any season, but the winter is especially harsh. The combination of the cold, windy conditions outside and the dry indoor air can cause chapping and splitting. Good lip health can be difficult to maintain. Here are a few tips:

Do:
• Use a lip balm with sunscreen to protect your lips. That bottom lip gets a lot of sun exposure, which is why skin cancers are more common in that area. Sunscreens that include the ingredients zinc oxide and titanium dioxide give the best protection and are natural and nontoxic.
• Look for balms that contain beeswax or natural oils, such as coconut, sunflower, almond or jojoba.
• Apply your lip balm to overlap the edges of your lips.
• Look for lip balms that contain vitamin A, C or E and AHAs.
• Try increases the moisture in your household with a humidifier.
• Drink lots of water. Like eight glasses a day.
• Eat a healthy diet. Citrus and salty foods can irritate your lips. Healthy, nutrient-dense fats are necessary for hydrated, plump lips. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to ensure that your body has lip-healthy nutrients such as iron, zinc and B and C vitamins.
• Remove all makeup before bed. Your skin needs to breathe.
• Hydrate your lips with a restorative moisturizer, mask or even petroleum jelly before bed. Use a moisturizer in the morning before applying a balm. SkinCeuticals makes an excellent lip treatment, Antioxidant Lip Repair.
• Massage your lips for five minutes per day with nourishing oils. This will soften lips and increase blood circulation. You can add a little peppermint oil to add a cooling sensation.
• Exfoliate your lips to remove dead skin cells once or twice a week. You can use a mild commercial scrub, use a wet, soft toothbrush or washcloth or make your own scrub with rock sugar combined with almond oil and honey.

Don’t:
• Don’t touch your lips. You will transfer germs and dirt to irritated areas.
• Don’t lick your lips. The saliva will evaporate and dry out your lips further. Also saliva contains enzymes that will cause further skin breakdown.
• Don’t bite/pick at the rough parts. This will only increase the irritation and could lead to splitting and infection.
• Don’t use a lip balm with irritating ingredients, such as menthol or camphor.
• Don’t apply too much lipstick, especially if your lipstick contain irritating chemicals.
• Don’t breathe/sleep with your mouth open.
• Don’t smoke. Smoking causes skin degradation, poor healing and those pucker lines radiating from the lips.

So take good care of your lips! Happy lips speak volumes!