Why does chapstick dry my lips

Don't like fish? You can take fish oil pills instead and get the same result. Sugar's a humectant, meaning it'll attract moisture. You can add honey for a homemade remedy with anti-inflammatory properties and a store-bought feel. This is especially useful at night. A humidifier can make the air a little healthier. On that note, if you're going to apply lip balm , don't just go for it in the daytime; apply it before bed, too.

Speaking of natural oils, "I often recommend that my clients try coconut oil ," said Wu. The peripheral area of the lips deserves some love, too! Sure, it's tempting, because your saliva will immediately moisten your lips. But as soon as it dries, according to Wu, "things get even worse. It'll dry them out even more. And, as Fishman reminded us, "Your saliva was meant to digest food. That's why it's so drying to the lips. The first is staying hydrated.

Other advice includes using a humidifier and using sugar to exfoliate the lips. As well as avoiding lip balms, they also recommend staying away from lipstick and gum.

As this dry winter weather approaches, I hope this will be a helpful guide. Do you have any personal stories that support or refute my findings? Let me know in the comments below.

I always carry chapstick around with me because my lips get very dry in the winter. I like your post, however, I would like to see a study observational or experimental that can prove to me that chapstick can be harmful to your lips in the long run. This was an interesting blog that I was surprised to read. I did some further reading online and found out this phenomenon is called a paradoxical reaction.

Other examples of this include antidepressants possibly causing suicidal tendencies and antibiotics making someone sicker.

Good blog. That's because, in part, when the thin film of moisture from the lip balm evaporates, it dehydrates your lips even more. Many of us have to deal with scaly lips, especially in the cold and dry winter, so doctors and beauty pros recommend we treat our lips, as well as the rest of our skin.

Crystal Aguh, an assistant professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins University. Likewise, people rarely cover their faces and lips during the wintertime, and so those tend to dry out , too, Aguh told Live Science.

Just like the rest of our skin, the lips are made up of three layers of cells: the outermost layer of mostly dead cells, known as the stratum corneum, the epidermis and the dermis, which sits below it. The main difference is that these layers — especially the stratum corneum, which forms a protective barrier over the others — is much thinner in the lips and, therefore, more vulnerable to damage. Additionally, lips don't have any hair follicles or oil glands of their own.