Add these to your routine for soft, healthy lips.
It happens to the best of us: No matter how often we apply and reapply a chapstick or lip balm, our lips remain dry, cracked, and sore. Sometimes the cold, dry weather is to blame, other times it’s dehydration or medication we’re taking, and sometimes it just feels like bad luck. If your usual tactics just aren’t cutting it, we’ve found are a few lip care products and methods that may be able to help soothe the sensitive skin of chapped lips.
There are a few ways to help prevent the skin on and around your mouth from drying out. It may seem obvious, but staying hydrated does help the thin layer of skin around your mouth retain moisture. It’s also important to protect the delicate skin from the sun, so just like the rest of your face, put on a little sunscreen or lip ointment containing SPF to keep them from getting burned and flaky. And, of course, you can use a lip moisturizer or lip balm to help replenish the moisture, too.
Despite being used rather interchangeably, a lip balm and lip moisturizer (or ointment) are pretty different. A lip balm tends to be more of a waxy texture, which protects your lips and acts as a barrier that keeps moisture in. A lip moisturizer does the same while actively adding moisture to the skin, and sometimes it’s medicated to aid in the healing process if your lips are cracked. There’s a plethora of both products on the market, but we’ve done the research and picked out our personal favorites.
Best Lip Care Products and Treatments for Chapped Lips
StriVectin Hyaluronic Omega Moisture Lip Mask
If you’re ready to invest in some serious lip moisture (it is skincare, after all), then the StriVectin Hyaluronic Omega Moisture Lip Mask is a great place to start. Inside the lavender jar is a thick, pink lip ointment. It goes on smoothly and is meant to stay on overnight, that way it has time to work its hydrating magic while you sleep.
Aquaphor Lip Repair Ointment
Aquaphor is a tried and true product that most of us have used at least once in our lives, even if it wasn’t for moisturizing our lips. The workhorse of an ointment is also great for treating dry hands, feet, or just about any area that tends to get flaky and sore. This formula is specifically made to help treat chapped lips and protect them from future damage by creating a barrier between your lips and the environment around them (i.e. the drying wind, sun, etc.)
Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm
This luxurious feeling lip balm will keep your pout moisturized even if it’s beginning to flake and dry out. It comes in a tube with a built-in applicator, so your hands won’t be left with a sticky residue after application, and it smells and tastes like vanilla. It’s rather thick when you apply it, but it looks like a light gloss, so you could even use it over your favorite lip colors or opt for the tinted version of the balm for a little something extra.
Ilia Balmy Tint Hydrating Lip Balm
For a dose of color while also hydrating your lips, opt for a tinted balm like this one from Ilia. It’s full of nourishing ingredients like shea butter and rosehip seed oil that help soften and smooth lips while also keeping them from getting chapped.
Glossier Balm Dot Com Trio
If you’re someone who is in constant need of a layer of something on your lips, getting a trio of tubes is a great way to ensure you’re never without a needed moisturizer. Stash a Balm Dot Com in your purse, nightstand, car, jacket pocket, or desk so it’s always handy. It comes in a variety of flavors and colors (like mango, cherry, and even a birthday cake flavor) that are subtle enough to still feel grown up, even if they remind you of LipSmackers.
Malin+Goetz Lip Moisturizer
Chances are your partner will be wanting to steal this unscented and clear lip balm. It comes in a convenient tube with a built-in applicator, so you can stow it in a pocket for easy use and not worry about having to get your hands sticky while applying it. Reviewers say a little goes a long way, with one even claiming “this is so clearly superior [to my drugstore favorites] that I will buy [it] for myself again.”
Laneige Sleeping Lip Mask
This could be called a miracle in a jar. Put this lip mask on before bed and when you wake up, and you’ll have baby soft lips. It includes a combination of minerals that slowly release into your lips while you sleep, and the thick texture locks in moisture and those minerals (a moisture-rich beta-glucan to be exact) to ensure they soak in. The original flavor is a fun berry one, but it also comes in gummy bear, vanilla, sweet candy, and gingersnap.
Alleyoop Tinted Lip Lotion
An all-in-one lip product isn’t only a space-saving product to add to your makeup collection, but it’s nice to not have to wear multiple layers of stuff to achieve your desired look. This tinted balm comes in four colors, ranging from light pink to a brownish nude, but all contain nourishing shea butter and jojoba oil that lock in moisture and hydration. It also includes peppermint oil, which can plump up your lips slightly, making them appear fuller.
Aesop Cedar and Citrus Lip Salve
For those who hate thick, ointment-like lip products, this gel-oil could be a great alternative for treating chapped lips. It goes on smoothly, without feeling goopy or heavy, and has a light citrus and cedar fragrance as you put it on. Castor seed oil works to soften and hydrate lips, while orange and grapefruit oils add a dose of vitamin C.
Fresh Sugar Lip Polish Exfoliator
Sometimes the thing you need to help soothe your flaky and dry lips isn’t a balm at all. Before you start smathering balms and oils on your mouth, try using a sugar scrub to lightly remove any dead skin from your lips. This one buffs away flakes and rough texture, and when you rinse it off, you’re left with smooth, moisturized lips. Add a balm after your scrub to really lock in the hydration.
Patchology FlashPatch Hydrating 5-Minute Lip Gels
You can deliver an intense dose of moisture by using a lip mask, similar to a sheet mask for your face, to not only add, but lock in moisture from any products you use. This one from Patchology covers your lips and the delicate skin around it, allowing niacinamide, green tea extract, and peptides to penetrate deeply and soothe chapped lips.
Nurse Jamie NuLips RX Moisturizing Lip Balm and Exfoliating Brush
A one-two punch in terms of treatments includes exfoliation and hydration. This kit from Nurse Jamie includes a moisturizing jar of lip balm with ingredients like beeswax (to seal in moisture), hyaluronic acid (to strengthen your lips’ moisture barrier), and jojoba oil (to moisturize). The second half of the kit is a silicone lip brush that you can use to gently buff away dead, flaky skin either before or after applying the balm.
