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Post in Lip Lovers
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Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

Hey fellow BIC-ers, I need some help. I LOVE lip products โ€” lipstick, gloss, liner, you name it Iโ€™m all about it. But I have one big issue that prevents me from adorning my face with beautiful lip colors as much as I want. I almost ALWAYS have dry, cracked, or chapped lips and I donโ€™t know how to fix it.

 

Iโ€™ve tried drinking more water, lip scrubs, reapplying lip balm over the course of the day... Rarely does anything work. I still end up waking up in the morning with my lips cracked and swollen, even though they might be completely fine the night before. I thought a humidifier might help but the apartment air isnโ€™t really dry to begin with? Like, me and my bf canโ€™t leave bread out of the fridge because even being sealed on the counter itโ€™ll mold within days. 

 

More info that might be relevant: my bf smokes hookahs every day. Could that be worsening my cracked lips for some reason?? Iโ€™ve noticed that sometimes when he smokes it becomes extremely hard for me to breathe through my nose; my nose isnโ€™t runny or anything, just a dry congestion. To clarify I do NOT smoke, Iโ€™m just around often when my bf does. But I donโ€™t know if the smoke in the air would be hurting my skin that much.

 

Please help!! This is driving me nuts. Not only is it unsightly but itโ€™s PAINFUL. These cracks are deep in the lip and take forever to heal, because they split when I eat or laugh. ๐Ÿ˜ž

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

Popping in with an update: Thank you all for your suggestions! Many of them were items I put in my loves or my cart to try very soon. As of right now Iโ€™ve been sticking with using the LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask Intense Hydration with Vitamin C Original at night and my BITE BEAUTY - Agave Lip Mask during the day (when I can remember it). Seeing improvements so far! The really bad split in my lower lip has healed up. Hereโ€™s a picture of it from a few days ago; this wasnโ€™t it at its worst, but it was still painful. You can see the vertical split on the right side of my lower lip, along with some patches where dry skin peeled off towards the middle.

 

31B13A80-DFB9-4722-9E46-998FE6747AE7.jpeg

 

And hereโ€™s a photo I just took tonight! Sorry for the glossiness, I know it kind of obscures the ability to see a difference from the before pic but I forgot to take one before putting the Laneige on.

 

497178A9-3216-45F9-9004-CA746DAC391C.jpeg

 

That deep vertical split is almost completely gone now. Itโ€™s still a bit swollen but itโ€™s getting there! And my lips are so much softer after using the Laneige every night. Even by midday when I havenโ€™t reapplied that or the BITE and my lips are completely free of any product they still feel good, no dry flakiness like usual.

 

Iโ€™m still going to try some of you guysโ€™ other suggestions too in case I find other products I love even more. (:

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

Glad to hear your lips are healing @HunterKathleen !

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

Great choices!! These are what I use for when my lips need extra care ๐Ÿ™‚

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

I'm so happy you found something that is working for you!  That Laneige will last forever.  @HunterKathleen 

RE: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

I feel like anything with fragrance is terrible because fragrance = alcohol = drying. Be careful with the Bite Agave mask; scroll through this thread & youโ€™ll find a convo on it- TONS of ladies have horrible reactions to it as it contains lanolin. The very best thing Iโ€™ve found for my perpetually dry lips (albeit not as bad as yours) is Aquaphor. $7 at any drugstore & a tube lasts forever. However you may also want to consult a doctor as it sounds like youโ€™re severely dehydrated which is one way our bodies signal that something isnโ€™t functioning properly! Good luck!

Re: RE: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

@jruss17 Just wanted to say that fragrance is not alcohol and isn't always drying. Fragrance as an ingredient in beauty products can consist of multiple non-alcohol ingredients that manufacturers aren't required to list out. Fragrance can be irritating but not solely drying.

 

(Sorry, my math brain is picking at the 'fragrance = alcohol = drying')

RE: Re: RE: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

I find that the majority of the time, unless a product is classified as โ€œCleanโ€, the fragrance is derived from alcohol based ingredients.

Re: RE: Re: RE: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

@jruss17 The 'clean' label can be vague and doesn't list alcohol (plants naturally produce it). Here's a snippet from https://www.sephora.com/beauty/clean-beauty-products

 

"All brands with this seal qualify as Sephora Clean and are free of these ingredients: sulfates SLS and SLES, parabens, formaldehydes, formaldehyde-releasing agents, phthalates, mineral oil, retinyl palmitate, oxybenzone, coal tar, hydroquinone, triclosan, and triclocarban.

All skincare, makeup and hair brands with the Clean seal have less than one percent synthetic fragrances."

 

The FDA also doesn't require manufacturers to list out the fragrances (or exposing 'trade secrets')

 

Aromatic alcohol-based ingredients can be extracted from plants! For example, benzyl alcohol is naturally found in fruits and teas.

Re: RE: Re: RE: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

@jruss17 

"Fragrance" as added to skin (or lip) care is usually some blend of essential/plant oils. They are generally sensitizing and cause damage over time, so you are wise to avoid them, but as an ingredient in skincare, fragrance doesn't necessarily equate alcohol.

 

(In perfumes, yes, alcohol is likely the base, but in skincare, not necessarily.)

 

Alcohol is still present in many "clean" skincare formulations, so please do not think that "clean" means alcohol-free.

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

@HunterKathleen Honestly my favorite lip balm is the EOS Stick Balm in Sweet Mint and Vanilla Bean. Itโ€™s the only one Iโ€™ve ever used that doesnโ€™t make my lip feel more dry after itโ€™s been awhile since I applied it. Those two are just my favorite flavors! They have a few others as well. I donโ€™t like the round one though. Itโ€™s gotta be the stick. 

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

I've had the same problem my entire life @HunterKathleen! I was so self-conscious of my dry lips when I was younger. I bought Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm SPF 25 Original when I was in my early teens and that really helped me keep my lips moisturized (and protected with SPF!). More recently, I've been loving LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask Intense Hydration with Vitamin C Original which reaaaally preps my lips for lipstick application in the morning.

 

Also, I would try cutting back on the lip scrubs! From my experience, skin dries with too much exfoliation - this also applies to lips. ๐Ÿ™‚ Balm it up!!! 

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

Hmmm you have a point about the scrubs! Every time my lips have been dry in the past I would try a scrub to get rid of the dry skin. But thatโ€™s probably just been making it worse. ๐Ÿ˜ฑ Looks like my BITE scrub will have to stay in its drawer until my lips are healed. Thanks for the suggestions!

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

@HunterKathleen  I really like BITE BEAUTY - Agave+ Nighttime Lip Therapy

and I like LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask Intense Hydration with Vitamin C Original

both have worked really good for me. I also use Jouer Cosmetics Essential Lip Enhancer Balm 0.33 oz/ 10 mL

during the day. 

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

I really like BITEโ€™s agave lip mask but I havenโ€™t tried this one, Iโ€™ll check it out! Thanks! ๐Ÿ˜Š

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

I would highly recommend the La Mer lip balm.It really is stupidly expensive at 65 bucks (iirc) but I have no doubt that it will completely heal your lips, probably in just a day or two. It is just a little pot but should last you a while as you dont need much. It tastes like minty chocolate and I find it works best applied before you go to sleep. It is a wonderful indulgence and it totally works to repair and rejuvenate wrecked lips!!

 

La Mer The Lip Balm

 

 

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

Eek! Thatโ€™s a lot of money but your testimony is very convincing! Iโ€™ll have to think on this one, thanks!

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

@HunterKathleenYes! It is a pricey product and I do feel pretty bad when I splurge such a ridiculous amount of money on lipbalm, but itll last me six months and it absolutely does work. If youre going to need to reapply several times a day youll run thru this fast, but I just use a wee bit after Ive brushed my teeth at night and it works magically whilst Im sleeping.

 

I have an app on my phone called Ibotta, its a cashback app that gives you money/gift cards back when you shop in certain stores and buy specific items. My Ibotta all gets cashed out in Sephora and pretty much always on big treats like La Mer!! ๐Ÿ™‚

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

I second the agave lip mask! I use it as a night treatment and helps seal in the moisture. I also like it as a lip base for my matte lipsticks.

โค๏ธ Melissa

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

@HunterKathleenI'll second the recommendations for

BITE BEAUTY - Agave Lip Mask!

 

Also, yes if your partner is smoking hookah inside, that is a lot. The smoke is not safer than cigarette smoke and there are serious negative health outcomes associated with hookah smoke. It doesn't matter if you're not breathing it in directly from the pipe. Second hand smoke can also cause issues.

Re: Need help with constantly dry, cracked lips!

Yeah Iโ€™ve tried to convince him to quit (or at least lessen it) not just for me but for his own health! Weโ€™ll see... maybe Iโ€™ll get through to him. Until then I can probably convince him to at least open the windows when he smokes. Hopefully having the air ventilated more would help!

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