As the winter approaches, everyone gets vexed about chapped lips. Here’s a simple tutorial to get soft lips this season.
by Deepa Mistry
As much as we love winter, chapped lips can be a miserable offshoot of the cold weather. Lips are the most sensitive part of the body and the cold winters, along with indoor heat, can dry skin very easily. We tend to take utmost care of our skin from head to toe by wearing warm cardigans, jackets, gloves, socks and caps but rarely pay attention to our lips, since the problem usually arises only during winters.
Healthy and soft lips are more attractive, so keep them moisturised and nourished with simple and healthy methods. Lips tend to lose more moisture due to dry and cold conditions during winters than usual, as skin on our lips is 10 times thinner than the skin on our face.
Here are some tips to follow:
Use lip balms: Lips balms or chap sticks are a life saver for us women, but we end up eating it as we tend to lick or bite our lips. Even though we survive on lip balms, not all are created equally.
Does your lip balm dry off immediately after applying? It’s time to change your balm. Opt for well-known brands and lip balms of good quality. Look for cream, petroleum-based lip balms with essential oils like almond oil, cocoa butter and shea butter and an added bonus is if it has an SPF built-in for extra protection.
Did you know that women who are habitual lip chewers eat four to nine pounds of lipstick during their life? Dump the lip gloss during winters. Try flavoured balms or tinted lip balms as they have the same amount of shine as lip glosses do. Petroleum jelly or Vaseline is best aid to avoid cracks; you could also massage using petroleum jelly on your hands and legs.
Exfoliate your lips: Yes, you heard that right. Lip scrubs (in pic below) help exfoliate your lips to get rid of the dead skin, leaving them soft and fresh. Rub sugar granules every day on your lips or 
simply apply ghee or honey before you sleep every night.
Hydrate: Drink lots of water. Water helps regain moisture and during winters you must keep body hydrated all the time for a healthier skin.
Don’t lick your lips: We all have this bad habit of licking our lips when they are dry. It is a vicious circle, you lick, it dries up and you lick again. Biting doesn’t help either, as lips dry and sometimes bleed too. Avoid it and use the best remedies for your lips.
Stay indoors: Exposing your lips to the harsh winter weather may cause chapping. Pollution can also harm the lips so wear a scarf when out of doors.
If the condition gets worse, visit a doctor. But for now, just follow these simple beauty tips for well moisturised and beautiful lips.
(Pictures courtesy naturallyb.onsugar.com, www.wikihow.com)