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Lips are sensitive. Having no oil glands, they are vulnerable to drying and cracking/chapping, making them sore and unsightly. It is often induced by lack of moisture, which in turn can be induced by the weather – excessive exposure to the sun, low humidity during winter or staying long in an air-conditioned room.
Besides researching winter vacation ideas to get away from the rough weather, try to find ways to stay out of extreme conditions that make chapping worse. Other causes thought to strip the lips of moisture are habitual licking, allergic reaction, smoking, and vitamin deficiency.
Knowing what may cause the drying of your lips is important to keep them healthy. Yet, equally important is to properly remedy the dryness to relieve the soreness and improve their condition. There are commercially available products to help keep your lips supple and healthy. To save money, however, you can conveniently make inexpensive, safe and effective home remedies in your own kitchen.
Sugar Scrub Lip Exfoliating Recipe:
Exfoliating the dry, dead skin in your lips is necessary to reveal the supple skin underneath. This basic skin exfoliater is easy to make using the most popular, inexpensive ingredient available in almost every home – sugar. You can enhance your scrub by adding honey and olive oil to it, if you want to heal the soreness and keep your lips moisturized
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon organic honey
2 tablespoons rough granulated sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil (other great oils would be jojoba, almond, or even coconut oil)
Notes:
Substitution: You may use another kind of liquid sweetener or vegetable glycerine instead of honey. For the olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil, jojoba, Shea butter or Vaseline can all be great substitutes.
Directions:
- Blend the honey and olive oil together in a small bowl first, then add the sugar and mix.
- Apply a small quantity onto the lips. Gently buff the lips for a while (a minute or two), depending on the severity of the dryness.
- It is best to leave the mixture on the lips for another minute or two to deeply moisturize the chapped lips.
- Using a damp soft cloth, wipe off the mixture. Use this every day or for as long as necessary. It can both prevent and heal chapped lips.
- Put the mixture in a sealed container and refrigerate to extend its life. The shelf life varies depending on the kind of oil you will use in making the mixture.
Uses of individual ingredients
The granulated sugar works as an exfoliating agent, removing the dry and dead cells on the lips to reveal healthy cells underneath.
The oil in the recipe works as a softener and moisturizer for the dry lips. The fatty acids nourish the skin and hydrating it.
Honey is both a moisturizer and an antibacterial agent. It is an excellent ingredient for healing cracked lips, particularly when there is infection or soreness.
Homemade Lip Balm Recipe-The Ultimate Home Remedy for Chapped Lips
Chapstick or lip balm is easy to make and can save you money. Since the finished products will be applied to the lips, it is important to use natural ingredients, so they will be safe to use, even for children and people with sensitive skin.
This recipe can be easily customized to suit your preferences. Without any feminine color or scent, it can also be used by men. Try to experiment with other butters, oils and essential oils, or by adjusting the quantity of the beeswax. This home remedy for chapped lips is easy to make and perfect for the cold winter months.
This lip balm recipe will be firm to the touch, but that softens upon contact with your lips – perfect for filling tubes or pots. If you prefer a softer and glossier version, reduce the amount of beeswax by 1/3 and add a tiny bit more of the liquid oil.
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons beeswax (pellets are fine)
2 Tablespoons cocoa butter
3 Tablespoons coconut oil
10 drops of peppermint essential oil, for a refreshing, minty scent.
Notes:
Substitution: Instead of using cocoa butter, you may use mango or shea butter. You may also use another type of oil to take the place of coconut oil, such as olive oil, jojoba, or almond oil. You may also use another essential oil with a scent that you particularly like (try wild orange, lemon, lavender, citrus bliss, or others!)
Directions:
- Put all ingredients, except for the essential oil, in a container that can be heated, such as a double boiler.
- Stir until the beeswax, butter and oil are completely melted and blended.
- Turn off the heat, but keep the container immersed in the hot water bath to preserve the liquid state of the mixture.
- Add your choice of essential oil or oils. Peppermint is my favorite choice.
- Using a dropper, fill the tube molders you will use to make the lip balm.
- Let the chap sticks sit and cool down for several hours until hardening is complete.
- Store in cool area. These can last for over a year if properly stored. They make great gifts during special occasions.
Uses of individual ingredients
Beeswax renders firmness to the lip balm. If you prefer it smoother or oilier, reduce its quantity. If you want your homemade lip balm or chap sticks to last longer on the lips, make them firmer by adding more beeswax.
Both butter and oil work as moisturizers or softeners for the lips. The essential oil gives scent to your homemade lip balm.
Dry, chapped lips are not a serious problem and can be addressed using inexpensive ingredients and making a home remedy for chapped lips. Aside from these ingredients, there are a number of materials around your home that you can use, such as petroleum jelly, Aloe Vera gel, castor oil, cucumber, and rose petals.
Final Thoughts
To prevent your lips from chapping, however, it is important to know the causes to address it. Staying hydrated by drinking enough water, using lip cosmetics with sunscreen, and having a healthy lifestyle can help keep your lips and your overall wellness “in the pink of health.”
