Why do lips get chapped, and should we be doing more than simply applying ChapStick?
Yes! Daily use of poorly compounded lip products can ruin a beautiful smile and create a revolving door of trial and error to treat this condition. Applying ChapStick is treating the symptoms, not addressing the underlying cause. Proper care and proper ingredient selection can reverse chronic conditions and create soft, beautiful lips. Whatever brand you buy, look for a simple list of ingredients that can include the following:
What ingredients should we look for in quality ChapSticks/lip balms?
- Olive Oil – Omega 3 fatty acid to nourish and soothe
- Comfrey – nature’s most healing botanical stimulates the production of healthy skin cells, heals damaged tissue, and reduces inflammation
- Calendula – helps soothe sunburned/windburned lips
- Coconut Oil – Provides intense moisture – excellent for addressing candida often associated with red, inflamed skin conditions
- Aloe Vera – Powerful Wound Healer
- Evening Primrose Oil – Essential source of vital fatty acids that treat deficiencies that can cause this condition
- Bees Wax – Excellent, non-toxic skin protective balm
What ingredients should you avoid?
- Alcohols (very drying – found in lip stains and colorants)
- Fluoride in Toothpastes – Dryness, itch, pain, and blistering can be experienced with the daily use of this ingredient. Look for Xylitol based dental products instead for healing benefits
- Petroleum – Provides no healing benefits – temporary skin coating that aggravates the condition
- Mineral Oil – coats skin and prevents skin from breathing, leads to skin dehydration and compounds the problem
- Camphor, phenol, menthol, and salicylic acid – all feel comforting initially but quickly dry and require frequent re-application and aggravate dryness
Why do some people seem to deal with chronic dry lips each season while others do not?
Overall health and nutrition, daily beauty rituals, climate, and lifestyle all play a part in developing chronic chapped lip conditions. Chapped lips start with scaling skin and can progress to cracks, redness, and bleeding, and can be compounded by the application of poorly compounded oral care and cosmetic ingredients. Lips tend to get chapped in the winter because the air is dehydrating and cold, and the lips are constantly in contact with saliva — especially if you lick them. Water dries the skin and removes the layer of skin oil that’s a skin protectant. Certain nutritional deficiencies can cause the skin to dry out and crack. Vitamins A, C, and E, as well as B vitamins, are known to nourish the skin deeply. Certain medications and supplements may also increase the risk of developing chapped lips, including retinoids, lithium, chemotherapy drugs, and vitamin A. Healthy, healing ingredients in oral care and lip products are vital to avoid or reverse chapped lip conditions.
Sunshine Botanicals Rapid Repair Balm has become a cult favorite over the years and has earned its rightful place in any medicine cabinet. It’s a remedy for practically any skin ailment, from extreme cases of burns, bruises, rashes, eczema, perioral dermatitis, and psoriasis.
This multi-functional balm reduces the appearance of redness, swelling, and irritation while offering a therapeutic dose of whole plant goodness to jump-start and support the skin’s healing process. In addition to being a medicine chest must-have, this balm is also a favorite anti-inflammatory facial moisturizer for those with chapped and reactive skin. And is so effective fans of this fantastic formula simply call it “The Bomb.”
I hope this information helps you find your solution, and I can’t wait to show you more! Follow us on FB, YouTube, and Our Blog, and sign up for our newsletter. Sending much love and blessings!!
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