How to Naturally Get Rid of Chapped Lips for Good

Every season comes with its fair share of skincare problems and we’ve all tried putting up a good fight against dry, chapped lips. But why does it sometimes feel like no matter how much chapstick you apply or water you drink, your lips stay dry and chapped for way longer than they should?

The key to smooth, soft, and healthy lips lies in three areas: exfoliation, hydration, and the quality of ingredients in your lip balm product. And in classic Bend Soap Co. style, natural is always better!

Is using a natural lip balm really that necessary?

Consider this: some lip balm products can make already chapped lips worse by promoting dryness. Just read the label and take a look at what’s inside; ingredients like propylene glycol, mineral oil, petrolatum, cetyl alcohol, and “fragrances” (the “ingredient” that many big name brand companies list to mask a whole plethora of non-disclosed toxic ingredients) pull moisture out of the skin. If you live in an especially dry environment, these ingredients evaporate moisture from your lips even quicker. The next time you feel like you’ve been regularly applying lip balm to your lips but they continue to feel dry, you’ll know what’s really going on. The ingredients in your chapstick are what’s making your lips dry and brittle!

"Dead skin cells will actually block the nourishing ingredients in lip balm from soaking in and hydrating the new skin underneath."

And effective natural lip moisturizer needs to do what sebum, the oil our skin naturally produces, does for the rest of your skin: keep moisture in and protect the skin from any drying environmental conditions. Because our lips don’t produce sebum or sweat, they tend to dry out quicker than other types of skin which is why keeping this delicate skin hydrated is so important.

Take a look at the ingredients in your lip balm. A quality product is one that’s made with a limited number of total ingredients that will hydrate the skin while sealing in the moisture. For optimal lip health, your lip balm should include a blend of emollient, humectant, and occlusive ingredients.

• Emollient ingredients contain natural fats that soften and condition the skin. Natural emollient ingredients include:
• Shea butter
• Mango butter
• Cocoa butter
• Coconut oil
• Raspberry seed oil
  
  
• Humectant ingredients attract and hold onto water. Natural humectant ingredients include:
• Honey
• Aloe vera
  
  
• Occlusive ingredients offset the emollient and humectant ingredients and form a protective seal to keep moisture from evaporating. Natural occlusive ingredients include:
• Beeswax
• Honey
• Red palm oil
• Coconut oil
• Cocoa butter
• Mango butter
• Shea butter

And while we can’t confirm whether or not we really consume an average of 7 pounds of chapstick in the course of our lives, it’s still important to make sure the ingredients in your lip balm and chapstick are non toxic and safe to consume. Our lip butter is made with simple, natural ingredients (almost all of which are listed above!) which allow it to be used on your entire body. Our customers have shared that they’ve used it to hydrate dry cuticles, soothe chapped noses during cold and flu season, and tame flyaway hairs. If you love using our goat milk soap as a shampoo, then you’ll love knowing that our lip butter is another multi use product!

Now that you know what ingredients to look out for, follow these tips below and keep your lips in tip top shape no matter what season it is.

Exfoliate Your Lips

The first step in achieving lips healthy, hydrated lips is starting with a smooth base.

Dead skin cells will actually block the nourishing ingredients in lip balm from soaking in and hydrating the new skin underneath. This means that if you’re not exfoliating your lips, you’re essentially wasting your lip balms and lip butters (and probably experiencing lips that seem to constantly be dry and chapped!) Exfoliating your lips before you apply lip balm will get your lips looking and feeling better in less time because you’re creating a clear pathway for the ingredients to enter the skin.

Think of exfoliating your lips like how you would approach painting a piece of wood. Before painting (or applying lip butter), you’ll want to remove the large imperfections on the surface with a coarse sandpaper and then switch to a fine sandpaper to buff away the small imperfections. This will leave you with a smooth surface that’s free of imperfections and ready for a stunning top coat (AKA lip butter!)

Here’s our exfoliation method for removing dead skin from your lips:

1. If you’re lips are really dehydrated, you’ll want to remove the large, flaky bits of skin on them first. To do this, grab your toothbrush, rinse it under warm water to soften the bristles, and then buff away any dry skin.
   
   
2. After the large dried skin has been removed, you’ll need to remove any other leftover bits of skin that are still attached to the lips. Take a pinch of our sugar scrub and dab it onto your lips, gently rubbing back and forth and in circular motions.
   
   
3. Dab away any moisture left on your lips with a clean, dry washcloth. Now you’re lips are ready for some nourishment.

Hydrating Your Lips

Now that you’ve gotten rid of the dead skin cells, you’re lips will be soft and plump, maybe even a little tight feeling. This is a sure sign that they’re ready to be treated with a high quality, natural lip moisturizer! 

Grab your favorite lip butter and apply 1-3 good swipes over your entire lips. Because the ingredients in our lip butter contain a blend of emollient, humectant, and occlusive ingredients, don’t be surprised if you find yourself only needing to apply the lip butter once or twice a day. A single tube contains all of the ingredients necessary to get your lips back on track to optimal health without any ingredients that will zap moisture from your skin. No more reapplying multiple times a day without your lips feeling like they’re not getting better! And you’ll actually get more use out of your lip butter since you won’t have to use it as often.

For lips that are extra sensitive, opt for our Unscented Lip Butter — the “scent” that’s free of essential oils!

Back to You

If you follow the steps above and take the extra steps to ensure that the skin on your lips is exfoliated and moisturized, we’re sure that you’ll see a difference in how your lips look and feel. Trying to get rid of chapped lips can feel like a never ending task, but our lip butter will help cut down the healing process and make taking care of your lips feel like an everyday luxury.

Do you have a favorite lip butter scent or unique way that you use your lip butter? Drop a comment below and join the conversation! 

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