Top tips to beat winter lips

Zain Johnson (standing in for CapeTalk and 702's Africa Melane) speaks to wellness coach Liezel van der Westhuizen. 

Listen below:

Winter can often lead to chapped and dry lips due to cold air, low humidity, indoor heating, and a lack of oil glands in your lips, which means lips are unable to moisturise themselves like some other parts of the skin.

To prevent dry and chapped lips, focus on moisturising lips regularly, staying hydrated, and avoiding habits like licking your lips, which can worsen dryness.

Another top tip is to add SPF to your lips because the sun is still out during winter. Your lips are also exposed to light and the environment all the time, which might make them drier.

Avoid exfoliating your skin if you have cracked or bleeding lips, and take care to moisturise them after exfoliating with a nourishing lip balm that's non-irritating and gentle.

If your lips burn, sting, or feel uncomfortable when you apply a product, it means you’re irritating them, so you might want to try using something else.

Some dermatologists advise avoiding products with these ingredients while your lips are chapped:

* Camphor
* Eucalyptus
* Flavouring: Cinnamon, citrus, mint, and peppermint flavours can be especially irritating to dry, chapped lips
* Fragrance
* Lanolin
* Menthol
* Octinoxate or oxybenzone
* Phenol (or phenyl)
* Propyl gallate
* Salicylic acid

Ingredients that can help heal chapped lips:

* Castor seed oil
* Ceramides
* Dimethicone
* Hemp seed oil
* Mineral oil
* Petrolatum
* Shea butter
* Sun-protective ingredients, such as titanium oxide or zinc oxide
* White petroleum jelly
* Vitamin E-based lip balms

It also helps to use products that are fragrance-free and/or hypoallergenic.

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.