Natural Lip Care

 Seasonal Changes and Personal Care

When the weather gets chilly, our skin tends to dry. To maintain your equilibrium, personal care routines need to be maintained and a few changes made. If you are like me, you find that in the the winter months your lips appear to crave more moisture. 

Vitamins and Lips

Lips have VERY SENSITIVE skin and depend on vitamins to keep them from drying and cracking. 

• Include VITAMIN B-2 in your diet to maintain skin and lip health. Vitamin B-2 is found in dairy products, eggs, green leafy vegetables, beans, nuts and lean meats. A deficiency manifests itself through mouth or lip sores.
   
• Include VITAMIN B-3 (niacin) in your diet to ward off dry, cracked lips, dermatitis and red, swollen tongue and mouth. Vitamin B-3 can be found in foods such as tuna, halibut, beef, pork, poultry, cereal grains, been, green leafy vegetables, and milk.
   
• Include VITAMIN B-6 in your diet to ward off skin disorders, dermatitis and cracks at the corners of the mouth. Food sources of B-6 include meats, whole grains, legumes and green leafy vegetables.
   
• Include VITAMIN A in your diet, but not TOO MUCH. An excess of Vitamin A is inked to dry skin and lips. Most people get enough Vitamin A from a diet that includes: dark-green leafy vegetables and yellow-orange fruits and vegetables, beef, calf and poultry liver, eggs and dairy products. Excess Vitamin Z often comes from supplements that provide your body with more than it needs.
   

Chapped Lips

 

Chapped lips often result from a combination of factors, from nutrient deficiencies, medications, and lifestyle habits, and tend to be exacerbated by chilly, dry temperatures. 

You can take steps to avoid chapped lips by:

• Refraining from licking your lips ( it actually dries them out more)
• Staying hydrated  
• Using a humidifier if the inside of your home is dry
• Applying moisturizer before you leave the house and before bed. Natural options include: olive oil, coconut oil, canola oil, vitamin E, almond oil or cocoa butter 
• Refraining from manufactured products that include dehydrating agents like menthol and artificial colors. 

Take steps to repair chapped lips through exfoliation. You can repair chapped lips by exfoliating prior to adding moisture. 

• Exfoliating can be as simple as allowing your toothbrush to gently remove dead skin cells or as complicated as creating a paste to remove the cells. 
• An exfoliating paste can be created with a combination of 1/2 a teaspoon of coconut oil and 1/2 a teaspoon of brown or white sugar. Combine the two in a bowl and rub on your lips in a small circular motion. Rinse with warm water and moisturize immediately.

Disclaimer: “Portions of this post were provided by New Hope Network. I am a member of the New Hope Influencer Co-op, a network of health and wellness bloggers committed to spreading more health to more people.”