Top Tips for Dry Lips

Photo by Melissa Di Rocco on Unsplash

It’s that time of year when dry lips are a real problem! We’re seeing it all the time with our clients and dealing with it a bit ourselves too! The good news is, you can have luscious, hydrated lips despite the dry Colorado winter weather. In this blog, we’ll share why our lips get so dry in the winter and tips to keep your lips hydrated.

Why do my lips get so dry?

There are a lot of reasons why you experience dry lips. If you have dry lips year-round, one of the primary causes is that you’re dehydrated. Drinking lots of water has so many health benefits, as we’re sure you are aware. But dry lips are definitely a side effect of not drinking enough water. The Mayo Clinic suggests women drink 11.5 cups of water a day (2.7 liters). For men, they increase that recommendation to 15.5 cups of water each day (3.7 liters). That’s a bit more than the 8 cups a day that you’ve probably been told, so increasing your water intake could solve your dry lips issue!

If you have your water intake in check, it could be several other factors causing your dry lips. One major contributor is the dryness of the air here in Colorado. In addition, forced air heating that is common in homes and businesses dries out the air even more.

And, some people suffer from dry lips because their lips have been damaged by the sun. Sun exposure can actually damage your lips for the long term, making it difficult for them to look and feel healthy.

Lastly, many people turn to Chapstick, Carmex, and other lip balms when their lips are chapped. The problem is, many of these products contain wax, even natural brands like Burt’s Bees. Wax is helpful for creating a barrier from the elements on the lips if you’re doing winter sports like skiing or snowboarding. But in the day-to-day, it actually creates a barrier that prevents your lips from their natural process of producing oils. People become dependent on using these products because they don’t allow lips to be healthy on their own.

How can I help heal and prevent dry lips?

Thankfully, there are many things you can do about dry lips. We already mentioned increasing your water intake. On top of that, eating a healthy, balanced diet improves the health of skin, including lips.

Adding a home humidifier to your HVAC system or running individual humidifiers in rooms you spend a lot of time in can help restore hydration to your skin. You may want to look into a no-mist humidifier that doesn’t run the risk of getting moldy and spreading those molecules into your air.

And then, when it comes to products, we know it can be hard to find lip products that don’t have wax in them. However, each of the product lines we carry has a great product or two for lips. Jane Iredale, Rhonda Allison, and PCA all have products to choose from. Just pop into the spa and chat with our team, and we will get you set up with the right product for you. 

Lip Treatments at Skin Deep Spa

Along with all of the other lip remedies we’ve mentioned, you can also add a collagen lip treatment to your next facial. Collagen lip treatments plump and moisturize your lips, leaving them feeling soft and alleviating that long-lasting dryness you’ve been dealing with. Just mention that you’d like to add it to your next facial treatment, and we will take care of you.

If you’ve been experiencing dry lips this fall, you’re certainly not alone. But hopefully, you can implement a few of these helpful tips and get your lips back to feeling great again!