winter problems: chapped lips

My gorgeous friend Amber text me the other day to talk about her lips.
Namely, the fact that the winter is not kind to them.  It's a problem we all have when the weather gets cold - between the dry air and the wind, the delicate skin on our kissers gets chapped and peel-y.
I try my best every winter to keep the chapping at bay, with varying degrees of success.  This winter I've done pretty well coming up with a routine that keeps 'em nice and moisturized.

1. Exfoliate.  This is one of the most important steps in getting rid of chapped lips.  Exfoliating gets the dead skin off so that it can't block the healthy skin underneath.  Plus, it makes your lips all rosy :) You can buy pre-made lip exfoliates, but a cheaper homemade alternative is sugar and vaseline.  I get a dollop of vaseline on my finger, dip it in sugar, and go to town with the scrubbing.  You can also add some coconut oil to the mix for even more moisture.

2. Night balm.  My lips are always dry when I wake up.  I recently started using a night balm from bath and body works and I'm loving it - starting out with more moisturized lips keeps them from getting as dry during the day.  I use it during the day sometimes, but its a little thick for daily wear.  Any really thick lip balm will do the trick.

3. Protection.  The easiest way to keep your lips moisturized is to keep balm on them during the day.  Unfortunately, its also the easiest to forget - once I put on balm in the morning, I often forget to reapply it throughout the day.  A good rule of thumb is to try and reapply at least every 2 or 2 and a half hours, and right after you eat or drink something.

Yummy lip balms are all well and good, but in this kind of weather your primary concern should be the protection power of your balm, not its flavor.  My favorite heavy hitters are rosebud salve and carmex - neither one are particularly high on the yum scale, but both will get the job done!

The first step to keeping your lips healthy is realizing that it actually does take some effort - it doesn't happen on it's own.  Exfoliating and using the right products can go a long way towards healing and preventing chapped lips!