5 Winter Habits That Make Your Lips Dry And How To Avoid Them

The cold, dry winter air, coupled with low indoor humidity from heating systems, creates the perfect environment for chapped lips. However, the biggest culprits are often the small, unconscious habits we adopt when our lips start to feel tight. To truly heal your lips, you need to break these moisture-stripping routines.

5 Winter Habits That Make Your Lips Dry And How To Avoid Them

1. Habit: Licking Your Lips Constantly

Saliva provides a momentary feeling of relief, but it contains digestive enzymes that break down the delicate skin barrier. As the saliva evaporates, it actually strips your lips of their natural moisture, leaving them drier than before.

How to Avoid: Whenever you feel the urge to lick, apply a thick, bland lip balm immediately instead.

2. Habit: Breathing Heavily Through Your Mouth

If you frequently breathe through your mouth, the constant flow of dry, cold air across your lips rapidly causes moisture to evaporate.

How to Avoid: Practice conscious nose-breathing.

3. Habit: Using Irritating Lip Balms

Many popular lip balms contain ingredients like menthol, camphor, phenol, or mint flavours because they provide a cooling or tingling sensation. This sensation is often mistaken for the product working, but it actually irritates the already compromised skin barrier and is highly drying.

How to Avoid: Avoid any balms that sting or burn.

Don't Miss: Top 7 Lip Balms To Repair Chapped Lips In Winter

4. Habit: Picking or Biting Flaky Skin

While tempting, picking or peeling off dry skin creates open wounds and micro-tears, slowing down the healing process and inviting infection. This traps you in a cycle of bleeding and scabbing.

How to Avoid: When you feel flakes, apply a thick layer of a healing ointment (like petroleum jelly) instead of picking.

5. Habit: Neglecting Hydration 

In winter, we don't feel as thirsty as we do in summer. This often leads to unintentional dehydration. Since your body prioritises water for vital organs, your lips and skin are the first areas from which water is pulled, leading to dryness and chapping.

How to Avoid: Set alarms or use a hydration app to remind you to drink water throughout the day.

Image credits: Freepik

Don't Miss: How To Exfoliate Chapped Lips Safely In Winter

For more such stories, stay tuned to HerZindagi.