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Dry Skin Care in Harsh Winter Weather Can Prevent Dry, Chapped Lips

09/07/2007

Now that we’re on the brink of cold weather, it’s time to start thinking about chapped, flakey, dry lips. Here we are: out in the dry air and harsh, cold winter winds, licking our lips to keep them moist and, instead, they’re peeling, cracking and even sometimes bleeding. To make matters worse, the holidays are here: the time we want to look our best, and the time our schedules are so busy we barely have time for the basics, let alone dry skin care. A good dry skin care product can often be used on the lips, but you should also know how you can avoid the problem.

How can you have soft, supple lips even during the harsh winter?

• Stop licking. You might think you’re adding needed moisture but, really, you’re making it worse. As the water evaporates, the natural moisture goes with it.
• Drink water. The cold, dry, harsh weather wicks it from the body as fast as a hot summer day.
• Step up your vitamins and minerals. The B vitamins are especially important, as is iron. Both can cause dry skin, especially around the mouth.
• If you’re using lips balms from the drug store, be aware that most of them contain chemicals that cause dry skin, and dry lips. Find a lip balm at the health food store that contains simple ingredients like beeswax, olive oil, honey and maybe a little almond oil for a nice scent. You can also use a shielding lotion – thousands of doctors now recommend a good shielding lotion for dry skin because it locks in natural moisture, keeps out chemicals and protects the skin in harsh, winter weather. It works on every part of the body, including your lips.
• Shop for a lipstick that doesn’t have a long list of chemical ingredients. Again, those chemicals will exacerbate the problem.

Unlike the rest of our body, the skin on our lips does not have natural protective oils. So, lips need special treatment. If you follow the recommendations above, and replace that natural oil layer with a good dry skin care product like a shielding lotion, lips with cracked, chapped and dry lips, will quickly be a thing of the past. And it will be one less thing you have to worry about in your busy holiday season.

Technorati Tags: dry skin, dry skin care, shielding lotion

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