Chapped lips in winter? Here’s how to counter it

By Trisha Chawla

The cold weather in winter can be the single offender for chapped, dry lips. There's good news: a great recovery routine is all you need to keep them baby soft. When it comes to bringing your lips back to their newborn-esque state, moisture is the name of the game. Maintaining your body’s daily water intake, adjusting your routine as per the weather and relying on a solid lip care routine will all help you care for your lips. Here’s the perfect regimen for you:

Exfoliate regularly
Think of this step as the prep to your lip care routine. Before you begin to boost hydration, it’s important to slough off the dead skin cells on your lips to allow your skin to absorb your products efficiently. Exfoliating with a lip scrub, about once a week, will help you get rid of chapping and reveal a smoother pout.

If you find that a lip scrub is too harsh on the delicate skin of your lips, you can massage them gently after a warm shower too. The steam and water will help soften your lips and loosen the dead skin cells on the surface. At-home blends of brown sugar, a mild exfoliant, with honey, that has rich hydration properties, are great options to achieve baby soft lips too.

Use an overnight lip mask
Now that your lips are smooth and free of chapping, it’s time to hydrate. An overnight lip mask is the most efficient way to do this. While you can slather on a lip mask anytime in the day, applying it at night will yield the best possible results. This is because your body is in a restorative mode while you sleep. During this period, it increases cell turnover and repairs itself. A heavy hydration treatment will only enhance the affects you see in the AM.

Your daily routine
Once you wipe away the lip mask, choose a lip balm with moisturising ingredients like shea butter or coconut oil that will continue to impart moisture for the rest of the day. You can opt for heavier lip balms in the winter when the air is more drying and lighter ones in the summer.

You must take out time for your lip care routine atleast once a week to see the best results. It might be a good idea to avoid drying products and stick to creamier lipsticks on the day you follow this routine to avoid undoing all the hard work.