The first step to getting rid of flaky, dead skin is to exfoliate. Just as you exfoliate your face, it can be just as important to do the same for your lips!
My go-to product is the Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub. Not only does it smell and taste like mint chocolate chip ice cream (yes, it's edible, so no worries if some gets into your mouth!), it works perfectly. Simply rub some sugary scrub against your lips with your finger, and then take a tissue and pat off the excess (or, you know, licking it works too). This is a great step to remove dry and damaged skin, so that you can hydrate the new skin underneath.
After that, it's all about moisturising. I like to separate lip balms and treatments into three categories - intense, hydrating, and everyday. My picks for the intense category are rich formulas that contain active ingredients to moisturise, repair, and protect. I usually use these at night before bed, as they can be a bit thick to wear under lipgloss during the day. But if you don't plan on using lip colour, you can use these all the time.
First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Lip Therapy works wonders for chapped lips. This is my miracle cream that I use when nothing else works. This says it repairs, and it really does. It has a thick, balmy texture that takes a little while to absorb into your lips, but it's not extremely heavy. Best of all, it's petroleum free (a potentially harmful ingredient that's found in many repairing lip balms). I love, love, love this stuff. It's a total winter staple.
Another member of the intense category is the Chocomania Lip Butter by The Body Shop. I love The Body Shop as a whole, especially the fact that they're cruelty-free and use natural, fair-trade ingredients. So you can feel great about using this rich lip butter. It smells like chocolate, so what could be better? This product melts into your lips and hydrates them for hours. I'm obsessed.
Next, we move into the hydrating category! This serves a bridge between the thicker, rich formulas, and the lighter, everyday balms. I couldn't make a list of my favourite lip treatments without mentioning this delicious one from Lise Watier, Sweet Lips. I have the pistachio flavour, and it smells amazing. On top of that, it hydrates like a thicker balm, but feels much lighter and absorbs more quickly. This can be used at night if you're looking for something a little less heavy, or throughout the day in combination with other lipbalms.
For the everyday balm category, I had to choose both Maybelline Baby Lips in Peppermint and The Body Shop's Born Lippy Toffee Lip Balm. Either one of these is great to store in your purse and take with you throughout the day, applying whenever you feel the need. These are incredibly hydrating while still remaining very thin in texture and light on the lips. They can easily be used underneath any lip colour you might want to wear.
Finally, I had to talk about EOS lip balms! If you're looking for something that has a barely-there, light-as-air feel, these are your best friends. You can hardly notice them on your lips, but they help hydrate and protect, and are wonderful as a touch-up balm for everyday use. I keep mine with me at nearly all times, because you don't need a mirror to apply them, and they can be used in combination with any other lip product you want. They come in a variety of sweet-smelling flavours, so the one you purchase depends on your personal taste. But be warned: once you have one, you're going to want them all!
I hope that this post helped some of you who are suffering from dry, chapped lips. Just keep moisturising, especially at night, and you should be able to notice a difference within a couple of days. Hang in there!
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