Dry Chapped Cracked Lips? Tips, Tricks and Remedies

Everyone wants kissable soft lips for Valentine’s Day. Right? Nobody wants their sweetie to kiss lizard lips!! This time of year it is easy for your lips to get dried out so they peel and crack. Let me tell you a few reasons why, and what you can do to help.

Why are my lips so dry???

Your lips are some of the most sensitive tissue on your body. Your lips not only have the thinnest skin on your body but they don’t have sebum gland like the rest of your skin does. This means they don’t have any natural protection. They are exposed to sun, wind, cold and heat. And that is only the beginning. What did you have for dinner last night? Spicy burritos with jalapeno? High acid foods like pickles? If we rubbed some of the foods we eat on our other skin we would expect it to have a rash. So obviously we need to take care of those lips to keep them soft and supple.

Be sure you take care of them from the inside AND the outside.

Drink Plenty of Water – One of the first signs of dehydration is chapped lips. Most people overlook this simple step in skin care. Our bodies are made up of almost 60% water. It really is the most important nutrient for your lips, skin and for every part of your body.

Humidify the Air - In the winter many times the heat in our homes dries out the air and dries out our lips along with it. If your air is dry, try using a humidifier at night or sit a jar or two of water on your furnace vents.

Don’t Lick Them! – I know, when your lips are dry the first thing you want to do to make them feel better is to run your tongue across them. Unfortunately, as your saliva dries it pulls even more moisture out of your lips.

Don’t Pick at Them – When skin is peeling we automatically want to pick it off. Peeling the dry skin from your lips will only cause them to take longer to heal and can be painful as well.

Cover Them Up – When you go out into the cold wind, throw a scarf over your lower face to help protect them from the wind.

Protect your lips with Oils, Balms and Butters – With so many products out there it is hard to figure out which one to choose. Remember, you usually get what you pay for. If you pick up a 99 cent lip balm it is probably going to be full of a bunch of chemicals and petroleum based products that you really don’t want in your body let alone licking off your lips. So check your ingredients!!

Christina’s Natural Qualities Lip Balm and Lipstick contain high quality organic oils and butters to help protect you lips and keep them moisturized too. And we never, ever use anything that isn’t 100% natural and vegan. Let me tell you about our ingredients and why they are in there.

Jojoba Oil – Jojoba oil is a waxy oil that has been used by the American Indians for centuries. It is actually from the nut of a shrubby tree that grows wild in the southwestern United States. The common name “Jojoba”, pronounced Ho Ho Buh, is actually from the Indian name “HoHowi”. American Indians used it for all types of skin and hair care because of its healing and moisturizing properties. Not only does this waxy oil moisturize your lips, but it also helps lock in the moisture. Jojoba oil contains vitamin E and B complex vitamins as well as essential fatty acids and iodine to give it exceptional healing benefits. Jojoba contains antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Coconut Oil – What a wonderful oil. I could write a whole blog on the benefits of coconut oil, but I will just focus on the lips. It moisturizes and protects. Coconut oil is also an emollient. This means that it fills in all of those cracks and splits to soothe and heal them. Coconut oil also has Antimicrobial properties.

Shea Butter – Another nut oil, Shea butter is one of the best moisturizers out there. Shea butter is also very rich in essential fatty acids. It is also high in vitamins A and E. Shea butter helps build collagen. Collagen is what makes your lips more full. We lose collagen as a part of aging, so this is definitely an added benefit. Many communities consider the shea tree sacred. It is thought to have spiritual protective powers and is used in many ceremonies and rituals. Shea butter is also anti-inflammatory.

Candelilla Wax – Candelilla wax is made from the outer waxy coating of the Candelilla shrub. It grows in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. While this wax hardens the lipstick and balm so that it will maintain its shape, it is also rich in nutrients and easily absorbed into the lips while creating an instant barrier to prevent moisture loss.

Rosemary Oleoresin – Rosemary Oleoresin is also known as rosemary extract. It is a very strong antioxidant. Mostly we use it to keep the oil in the lip products from going bad. Rosemary is a more powerful preservative and non-GMO compared to its counterpart vitamin E, which is mostly extracted from Soy in the United States. Other benefits of rosemary include protecting from bacterial infections, helping heal wounds, decreasing inflammation, helping with pain, stimulating circulation and protecting the immune system.

This is ALL you will find in our lip balm and lipstick except for natural colorants in the lipstick and natural flavors in the balms. No hidden ingredients, nothing nasty. Since you lick your lips while you are wearing it, we wanted to make sure it was not only edible, but healthy too! And just think about all of those bacteria and viruses that you breathe in this time of year. I’ll bet you never thought about your lipstick helping protect you from those. Our lip balm comes in 4 different flavors or unflavored. Our lipstick comes in 22 beautiful, long lasting shades.

Whether you choose our products or some other brand, make sure you protect those lips.

Thank You for allowing me to share. If you have any questions comments or concerns send us a message on facebook or email us at cnqcosmetics@gmail.com.