Best Treatments for Chronic Dry Lips

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Lips are quite different from the rest of our skin. They don’t have sebaceous glands or hair follicles. This means that our lips can get moisture only from three sources: the water and foods we consume, saliva, and hydrating lip care products we apply topically.

Chronic dry lips can also be a sign of vitamin deficiency, dehydration or a side-effect from certain medications. The ingredients in your makeup or toothpaste can cause irritation or an allergic reaction, too. Dry lips have always been an issue for me and other than staying hydrated and using a humidifier during colder months, I rely on balms and lip masks to keep them happy. I always like to rotate between a few products, and this is a bunch of my current favorites that work best at treating chronic dry lips.

Just like your face, your lips also need protection from the sun, especially during summer. A lot of lip makeup products with glossy/shiny formulas can actually attract sunlight and UV radiation. We do tend to ignore our lips when protecting the rest of our skin, and this is especially important if you’re suffering from chronic dry lips that are extra sensitive. Because of their lack of melanin, your lips are more susceptible to sunburn. I’ve been using Paula’s Choice Lipscreen for years and it works great at keeping my lips safe. It has SPF 50 and it not only provides protection but also softens and smooths dry and rough lips. Unlike a lot of SPF lip balms, it doesn’t pull or tug on the skin or feel uncomfortable. The formula is smooth, creamy with no unpleasant flavor or fragrance- which is always the case with PC products. I also really like using Coola’s Mineral Liplux Lipstick SPF 30 in Nude Beach.

Rihanna has been killing it with her beauty line and I have yet another product to add to my “must have” list: Pro Kiss’r Luscious Lip Balm. It’s really not like I needed another lip balm, but I can never resist trying out new ones. The Fenty Pro Kiss’r Luscious Lip Balm is absolutely amazing. The packaging is not just pretty, but also very convenient; it has a very soft and plush doe-foot applicator. The formula of this lip balm has a unique texture that feels very buttery and velvety. With a slight hint of color, it’s great for those minimal or no-makeup days. One of the main reasons why I really fell in love with this balm, is that it’s one of the most long-lasting lip care products I’ve used. Once applied, it lasts for hours and I don’t find myself having to layer it every hour or so. It really helps with dryness without being sticky or messy and works great under lipstick. Love the delicate vanilla scent, too.

Even though I’ve been suffering from chronic dry lips for pretty much my entire life, I wasn’t ready for what happened to them while I was on Accutane. The blistering, breaking skin, chapping, it was a mess. Someone told me to try Bite’s Agave Lip Mask and it worked much better than the stuff that my dermatologist prescribed. In fact, it worked the best out of everything I’ve tried at that time. This is definitely one of those products that every beauty lover is familiar with, but we all still can’t stop talking about it. It has a very thick, sticky, rich and intense formula, so it is best to use it at night as it can get a little messy. It’s formulated with resveratrol, jojoba oil, lanolin, agave nectar, shea butter, beeswax, and other oils and extracts. It also comes in a lip balm form which I really liked, but the new formula is nothing like the older one, so I just stick to the mask.

Lanaige Lip Glowy Balm (in Peach)- their sleeping mask already has a status of a cult classic and works amazingly as an overnight treatment. I really love how lightweight it feels but since it comes in a little jar, it’s not the best to use during the day. The Lip Glowy Balm has a slightly thinner formula but works just as well at helping with flakiness and dryness. It’s slightly tinted, with a very subtle (but kind of addicting) scent and a glowy finish. It gives you a lip-gloss like finish, without any stickiness

Breeze Balm in Candy Kiss* is one of my newly discovered products. It’s a lanolin-based multipurpose balm that can be used on not only on lips, but also dry cuticles, sore nose, and other areas where the skin is dry and irritated. It has a rich, thick formula that melts in beautifully when applied to the skin. It’s not sticky or clumpy and the applicator is one of my favorites in a lip balm- it’s wide and feels very comfortable on the skin.

Chanel Rouge Coco Baume is one of those products that never leaves my handbag. It has a light, hydrating, glossy (not goopy or sticky) formula that reminds me of Lano’s 101 Ointment. It’s very much worth the splurge and doesn’t leave any waxy/greasy residue on lips.

Estée Lauder Pure Color Envy Lip Repair Potion– this is a very lightweight, glossy overnight treatment. It helps soften, repair and revive, enhancing the natural tint of your lips. It’s not greasy or clumpy and works great when also layered with other products such as a lip balm or a salve.

Another new addition: Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm.* The formula is very thin and sheer, but quite powerful. It immediately helps soothe dry and irritated lips, while giving them the most beautiful and delicate, sheen. Love that you don’t need a whole lot of product to bring your lips back to feeling comfortable healthy and plump. I also like using this under my eyes or as a natural highlighter on top or underneath my foundation. The size of the tube is definitely unique, as it is quite short and “chubby” and it can be a little awkward to apply. I find that the best way to use it is by applying it to both top and bottom lips at once. It’s formulated with virgin marula oil (also one of my favorite products from DE) as well as mongongo, avocado, and cranberry seed oils, among others.

If dry lips is a very persistent problem for you, it’s important to remember that some lip balms can actually cause the condition of chronic dry lips to worsen. This is most likely a sign of a reaction to an allergen or irritant (like fragrance) that the balm is formulated with. Beeswax, Lanolin and Vitamin E are some of the most common lip-balm ingredients and if you notice that despite constantly reapplying your lip balm your lips get even drier and more irritated, chances are you might be allergic to one or more ingredients it contains. Just something to keep in mind.