How to Treat Dry and Chapped Lips – NIVEA

Cracked, dry & chapped lips can be painful and unpleasant. Discover a range of easy tips to combat dry and chapped lips to keep your lips hydrated and smooth.

How to Treat Dry & Chapped Lips

Chapped lips can be painful, and nobody wants them hanging around! But, they can be brought back to their soft, smooth selves with a bit of patience and a few handy tools.

7 TOP TIPS TO HEAL DRY LIPS

When your lips reach next-level dry and become cracked or chapped, simple fixes like a swish of lip balm or a big glass of water, aren’t likely to be enough. Cracked lips aren’t likely to be repaired in a single day but, with a bit of discipline, patience and persistence, you can replenish the health of your lips. Next time you are looking for a chapped lips cure, follow the simple tips from our guide below.

1. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS

Dehydration often shows up on your lips first, so if they’re dry and chapped, it could be a sign that you’re not getting enough water. Drinking around eight glasses a day can help keep dehydration at bay, as can increasing your intake of water-dense fruit and veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, oranges and berries. Bonus – they’re all packed with skin-loving vitamins and minerals!

2. APPLY A MOISTURE LOCKING LIP BALM REGULARLY

Because your lips don’t have any pores (and therefore can’t produce hydrating oil and sweat), using lip balm regularly is your best bet for providing the moisture they need. Lip balms work by locking in moisture and preventing it from evaporating into the air. Look out for some of our favourite nourishing ingredients like Provitamin B5, Glycerin and Vitamin E, all of which do wonders when it comes to keeping your lips soft and smooth. And, for outdoors - a lip balm with added SPF like the NIVEA Lip Hydro Care SPF15 is an absolute must!

Look for a gentle lip balm that contains natural moisturising ingredients like:

Beeswax
Shea butter
Coconut butter
Olive oil

Applying a lip balm will also provide your chapped lips with much needed relief. Treat your dry and chapped lips to moisturising lip balms like:

NIVEA’s Strawberry Shine Lip Balm is enriched with shea butter and 24hr melt-in moisture, to provide your lips with intense long-lasting moisturisation
NIVEA Ultra Care & Protect Lip Balm with SPF50 effectively protects your lips against harmful UVA and UVB rays with SPF50 while keeping your lips hydrated with 24hr melt-in moisture

Moisturising lip balms help lock in hydration and protect your lips from drying out.

3. APPLY NOURISHING OILS TO YOUR LIPS

There are probably plenty of dry lip remedies already sitting in your kitchen cupboard! Natural oils are great for relieving chapped and dry lips, as they provide moisture and protect your lips from further damage.

Gently rub a small amount of soothing oil on your lips to provide great relief for cracked and chapped lips.

Look for natural nut oils and seed butters, including:

Coconut oil
Olive oil
Almond oil
Jojoba oil
Shea butter
Rosehip oil

Lip balms like NIVEA’s Lip Care Original contains natural derived oils and shea butter, making it perfect for everyday use!

4. CONSIDER A HUMIDIFIER

Dry air can be one of the biggest underlying causes of chapped and cracked lips. If you work or live in a building with particularly dry air – such as an air-conditioned office – a humidifier can help moisten the air, and in turn, your lips. A humidifier will help prevent moisture loss and any evaporation from your lips. This soothes irritated skin and helps heal cracked lips.

5. Exfoliate

Stick with us here; just like exfoliating your face will get rid of dead skin cells and dirt build-up, doing the same to your lips can remove the dry, flaky skin sitting on the surface to reveal fresh, smooth skin underneath. You can easily blend your own lip scrub at home using a mix of coconut or olive oil and sugar.

Gently rub your lips with the homemade mixture and wipe clean with a face washer or a splash of warm water to remove the top layer of cracked skin and uncover the fresh skin below.

6. APPLY A DRY LIP TREATMENT OVERNIGHT

An overnight treatment is a great way to soothe dry, chapped lips (and it requires next to no effort). Over time, applying a moisturising lip balm before you go to sleep can mean waking up with smoother, softer lips come morning.

Replenish your lips’ moisture while you sleep with NIVEA’s Repair and Protect SPF15 Lip Balm. Formulated with Hydra IQ shea butter, bisabolol and wheat germ oil this dry lips treatment rehydrates your lips, leaving them healthy, soft and nourished.

NATURAL REMEDIES FOR DRY LIPS

Treating dry lips can also be done using a few common ingredients from home. For a quick natural fix, experiment with one of these three simple and natural dry lips remedies:

1. Coconut oil

Spread pure coconut oil over your lips for instant hydration.

Coconut oil helps to boost the overall health of your skin including the skin on your lips. It contains medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), making it easier for your skin to absorb.

Coconut oil also helps your body absorb more vitamin E, which works to prevent the production of cell-damaging free radicals.

2. Aloe vera

Apply the gel from a fresh aloe vera leaf to your lips to soothe sore or tender lips.

Aloe vera has natural anti-inflammatory properties that help to soothe your skin and relieve stinging sensations. The plant contains 95% water with a variety of vitamins, enzymes and minerals. These components help reduce redness by stimulating blood circulation and aiding any lip irritations.

3. Rose water and honey

Mix honey and rose water and apply to your lips for about 15 minutes before washing off. Honey and rose water help prevent cracking and provide deep moisturisation.

Rose water contains vitamin E which is great for nourishing your dry lips. Paired with honey, the vitamins and sugars cleanse the skin to help treat chapped lips fast.