Lip balm makes lips dry: Myth or fact

Be it summer time or winter, lip balm can be utilized any time of the 12 months, particularly by individuals who complain about having dry lips. It’s a topical product that moisturises and protects you from dry and chappy lips. It typically accommodates waxes, and oils to lock in moisture and put off dryness. That’s why they’re very useful in locations with chilly or dry climates, the place pure oils from the lips get simply stripped. More often than not, this lip care product works nicely. However not everybody will agree, as there are individuals who really feel lip balms make lips dry. Is there some reality in that declare?

What are the advantages of lip balm?

This product is often a part of a each day skincare routine, particularly for people who find themselves liable to dry and cracked lips. “Not like different components of the physique, lips are vulnerable to drying out, as they lack oil glands. Making use of a lip balm may help create a protecting layer and retain moisture,” says aesthetic doctor and cosmetologist Dr Karuna Malhotra.

• Their fundamental profit is hydration, which helps forestall uncomfortable chappy lips.
• Some lip balms include solar safety issue, providing solar safety that shields lips from dangerous ultraviolet rays and reduces the chance of sunburn.
• Medicated lip balms might include substances like menthol and camphor, which may present a soothing impact on software.
• Some formulations embody antioxidants like vitamin E or botanical extracts, which may shield towards free radical injury.

Does utilizing a lips balm make lips dry?

Chances are you’ll wish to lower your expenses and go for low-quality lip balms however it isn’t a sensible factor, as it may dry them out as an alternative of moisturising them, as per analysis revealed within the Worldwide Journal of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Evaluation in July 2024.

Additionally, some lip balms could make lips drier as a result of substances that irritate or dehydrate the pores and skin. In line with the American Academy Of Dermatology Affiliation, keep away from these substances in case you have chapped lips:

• Camphor
• Eucalyptus
• Flavouring like mint, cinnamon, and citrus flavours, as they are often extra irritating to chapped lips.
• Perfume
• Menthol
• Salicylic acid

“Substances like menthol, camphor, and phenol, typically added for a cooling sensation, can initially soothe however might strip away pure oils from the lips over time, resulting in extra dryness,” says Dr Malhotra. Alcohol-based substances, generally used for his or her quick-drying properties, can even dehydrate the lips. Salicylic acid, which is added to exfoliate lifeless pores and skin, may be too harsh, particularly for delicate lips, resulting in irritation and dryness. Additionally, artificial fragrances and flavours might irritate some individuals, inflicting lips to develop into infected or peel. Selecting balms with out these substances may help forestall a drying impact on the lips.

Lips balm makes lips dry: Cease being depending on it

Other than substances of lip balms that make lips dry, be sure to not be too depending on this lip care product. “Overusing it may result in lip balm dependency, and make the lips really feel dry with out it. This could happen as a result of some lip balms create a protecting barrier that locks in moisture with out including new hydration, so frequent reapplication can result in a cycle the place lips by no means retain their pure moisture,” explains the professional.

Reapplying the product each couple of hours or when genuinely wanted is often sufficient to forestall dry lips. “For these in locations with very dry climates or with extraordinarily dry lips, making use of 3 to 4 instances a day ought to suffice. Making use of it earlier than mattress can even assist preserve lips hydrated in a single day,” says the professional.

You may additionally like

Lips balm makes lips dry: Select the proper substances

Substances in lip balms that may assist heal chapped lips, as per the American Academy Of Dermatology Affiliation –

• Castor seed oil
• Hemp seed oil
• Mineral oil
• Shea butter

Lip balms made with pure, hydrating substances are much less prone to dry out your lips. Search for substances like shea butter, cocoa butter, and pure oils corresponding to coconut oil, castor seed oil, hemp seed oil, jojoba oil, and olive oil, which deeply moisturise with out stripping the lips’ pure oils. “Hyaluronic acid and glycerin are wonderful humectants that draw moisture into the lips, retaining them hydrated,” says the professional. Beeswax and candelilla wax can create a barrier to lock in moisture with out irritating your pores and skin. Vitamin E and aloe vera are light and soothing substances that assist heal and shield the lips.

Lips balm makes lips dry: Alternate options to maintain lips hydrated and delicate

“If not a lip balm, there are different issues to assist preserve hydrated and delicate lips,” says the professional.

• Drink sufficient water all through the day to maintain your physique and pores and skin, together with lips, nicely hydrated.
• Exfoliate lips gently as soon as every week with a sugar scrub or a delicate toothbrush to take away lifeless pores and skin cells.
• Use a humidifier, particularly in dry indoor locations, to forestall lips from changing into parched.
• Keep away from licking your lips, as saliva evaporates shortly, and might depart lips drier than earlier than. Defend your lips with a shawl in chilly climate and use a lip product with SPF, particularly whereas stepping out within the solar to additional safeguard them.
• Incorporate a balanced food regimen wealthy in nutritional vitamins and minerals to help pores and skin and lip well being.

Often utilizing a lip balm can create a smoother texture on the lips, making them really feel softer. However be careful for sure substances like menthol and camphor, as lip balms make lips dry.