Care your Lips.

Although chapped lips are usually more common in the winter, lips can dry out on any day of the year. But have you ever wondered what it is about lips that makes them so susceptible to chapping?

Other areas of skin get dry on occasion, of course, but typically not with the same persistence level as lips. It has to do with the fact that lips, unlike regular skin, do not come complete with oil and sweat glands. So while the rest of your skin can keep itself from drying out, trapping in any moisture that comes its way, lips aren't so lucky. They need to draw moisture from surrounding skin, and there isn't always enough to go around.

5: Avoid the Elements

One strategy for beating dry lips is to avoid common environmental triggers. It might not always be possible for you to stay inside on bright, cold or windy days, but it sure can help. Dry air wants any spare moisture you've got, and compared with the rest of your skin, lips are particularly vulnerable to this demand. The sun is another key player in the drama -- without a good supply of melanin, lips are especially susceptible to powerful sunrays and subsequent sunburns.

Abusive weather's a real bully, so if you do choose to go outside, protect yourself. No need to leave your lips out in the cold. For example, you can wrap a scarf around your face to block the wind or wear a wide-brimmed hat to keep off the sun -- whatever it takes to shield your lips from extreme exposure.

4: Stop Licking Your Chops

Licking your lips may seem like an easy way to moisten things up, but it actually does more harm than good. Lips usually lack the protective outer membrane found on most other skin, so adding moisture that easily evaporates seconds later creates a vicious cycle that can dry lips out very quickly.

There's another dark side to lip licking -- saliva, despite its clear, watery appearance, is not akin to pure mountain spring water. Along with teeth, saliva is one of the first mechanisms in the digestive process and it contains enzymes that begin to break up food. Those same enzymes, while so helpful when you want to chow down on a big, juicy burger, unfortunately have a similar effect on the lips: They get a jump-start on digesting them. Biting is no good either, it can damage and weaken tender lips.

3: Don't Be a Mouth Breather

For similar reasons to lip licking, mouth breathing is another no-no. Any moisture that manages to make it to your lips will quickly be whisked away if you constantly blow air across them.

So keep your mouth shut and let your nose take the reins -- that's one of the reasons it's there, after all. If you're still not sold on the idea, consider that your nose filters impurities out of incoming air and turns the air warm and moist, which makes it easier for the lungs to process it. Breathing through your mouth can also lead to things like dry mouth, sleep apnea and bad breath.

2: Wet Your Whistle

We've mentioned moisture a couple of times now, and how easy it is for lips to lose it, so let's go ahead and talk about how lips can get some of that lost moisture back. The best way is for you to stay hydrated. That means drinking lots of water -- generally about eight glasses a day -- to keep you body on par.

Sometimes however, especially on cold wintery days, drinking water isn't enough to stave off dry lips. Heated indoor air can get really dry, too, so it's a good idea to set up a humidifier. Putting moisture back into the air mechanically can help rejuvenate even the driest lips.

1: Balms: Serious Lip Service

Last but not least, what anti-dry lip arsenal would be complete without a lip balm of some sort? Lip balms can bring a smile to even the sorest dry lips; they build a barrier between your lips' mucus membranes and the outside world, helping lock must-have moisture in.

Remember to apply just a thin coat of lip balm -- don't gob it on, because that might tempt you to lick off the excess and we already learned why that was a bad idea. Also, it's important to get a lip balm of at least SPF 15. Lips are very sensitive to the sun, so they need lots of protection from it. Otherwise, chapping can just get worse

Article source : 5 tips for care your lips.