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Chapped lips hurt. They bleed. They make you look like you’ve been wandering the desert for three days. And unlike dry skin on your hands or elbows, you can’t just ignore them because they’re right there on your face.
The good news? You can fix this. Most chapped lip situations clear up in 2-3 days with the right approach. Here’s what actually works.
1. How to Get Rid Of Chapped Lips Using Lip Balm
Lip balm isn’t optional. Your lips don’t have oil glands like the rest of your skin, which means they can’t moisturize themselves. If you don’t add moisture, they dry out. It’s that simple.
Apply lip balm whenever your lips start to feel dry. Don’t wait until they crack. And yeah, some lip balms are garbage. Skip anything with mint, menthol, phenol, or camphor. These give you a cooling sensation while actually drying out your lips, which is the opposite of what you need. Same goes for flavored or scented balms (you’ll end up licking your lips more, which makes things worse).
Look for balms with these ingredients instead:
- Beeswax
- Castor seed oil
- Ceramides
- Dimethicone
- Hemp seed oil
- Lanolin
- Mineral oil
- Petrolatum
- Petroleum jelly
- Shea butter
If you’re outdoors a lot, get one with SPF. Sunburned lips are even worse than dry ones.
2. Exfoliate Every Night
That layer of dead skin on your chapped lips? It blocks your lip balm from doing anything useful. You need to scrub it off.
Use a lip scrub before bed every night. Gently. Your lip skin is thinner than the skin on your face or body, so don’t go at it like you’re sanding furniture.
You can buy ready-made scrubs, but it’s easier to make your own. Mix sugar or baking soda with honey or aloe vera. Scrub for 30 seconds, rinse, then apply lip balm. By morning your lips will feel completely different.
Skip the store-bought chemical exfoliants. They’re overpriced and harsh.
3. Incorporate Natural Remedies Into Your Routine
If you want to ditch the Chapstick, these actually work:
Aloe vera – The gel inside the leaves is packed with anti-inflammatories and vitamins. It soothes chapped lips fast.
Coconut oil – Acts as an emollient, which is a fancy way of saying it softens and moisturizes. Plus it tastes good, so you won’t hate having it on your lips.
Cucumber – Yeah, it works on lips too. It’s hydrating and loaded with vitamins.
Green tea – Use the damp leaves from a tea bag as a gentle scrub. The antioxidants help heal damaged skin.
Honey – Antibacterial and moisturizing. Put a thin layer on your lips and leave it for 20 minutes every other day.
4. Stay Hydrated
Dehydration shows up on your lips first. When your body needs water, it pulls moisture from certain areas (lips included) to keep your vital organs running. Your lips dry out as a result.
Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink water. By then you’re already dehydrated. Sip throughout the day. The average adult needs 3.7 liters (15.5 glasses) for men or 2.7 liters (11.5 glasses) for women daily, but this varies based on how active you are.
5. Use a Humidifier
Dry air strips moisture from your lips, especially in winter. A humidifier adds moisture back into the air in your home or office. It makes a noticeable difference if you live in a dry climate or crank the heating in winter.
6. Get Rid of the Cigs
Tobacco smoke irritates the sensitive skin on your lips and dries them out. If you’re a smoker with chronic chapped lips, this is probably why. Most people see improvement within days of quitting.
7. Try Over-the-Counter Treatments for Persistent Cases
If your chapped lips won’t heal after a week of consistent care, you might have angular cheilitis (a bacterial or fungal infection in the cracks of your lips). Over-the-counter antifungal creams or antibiotic ointments can help. Look for products with ingredients like clotrimazole or bacitracin.
Keep moisturizing while you treat the infection, or it’ll just come back.
FAQs
Is Vaseline good for chapped lips?
Vaseline is cheap and available everywhere, but it’s not great for chapped lips. It’s occlusive, which means it seals in moisture if you apply it before your lips get dry. But once they’re already chapped? It doesn’t add moisture back. It just sits on top.
Use humectants instead (shea butter, honey, aloe vera). These actually pull moisture from the air and transfer it to your lips.
Why are my lips always chapped?
Usually it’s one of these:
- You’re licking your lips (saliva evaporates and dries them out)
- You’re not drinking enough water
- You’re using scented or flavored lip balm
- Your lip balm doesn’t have SPF and you’re getting sun damage
- The air conditioning in your home or office is too dry
- You’re allergic to something in your lip products (fragrances, dyes, etc.)
- You smoke
How can I heal my chapped lips overnight?
At night: Exfoliate gently with a homemade scrub. Apply honey and leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse. Slather on a thick layer of shea butter and leave it overnight.
During the day: Drink water constantly. Reapply a good lip balm every hour.
This combo should have your lips feeling better by morning.