Is My Lip Balm Making my Lips More Chapped?

Name a better feeling than applying a soothing coat of lip balm to chapped lips. But is that lip balm making your chapped lips more even chapped? The answer is yes, and also no. It’s all about the combination of ingredients in the product you’re using. Ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid pull moisture out of the skin, while ingredients such as shea butter, beeswax, or coconut oil, act as a barrier and keep the moisture from evaporating.

Besides looking for lip balm with a combination of these ingredients, check out these tips for coping with chapped lips:

• Use sugar and honey to exfoliate chapped lips. Sugar will attract moisture, while the honey will keep in the moisture.
• Drink water. Staying hydrated will keep your lips moist and the rest of your skin soft and smooth.
• Don’t lick your lips. Applying saliva can give instant gratification for chapped lips, but once it dries, your lips will feel even more chapped than before.
• Don’t chew gum with mint or cinnamon. The cooling sensation from these gums will appear to make your lips feel better, but the ingredients are actually drawing moisture from your lips