For anyone who has ever suffered with dry, chapped lips, you know how uncomfortable and distracting they can be. Not only do dry, irritated lips feel terrible, but their flaking and inflamed appearance make it nearly impossible to wear your favorite lip products. A reliable lip moisturizer, whether it’s a clean lip balm or clean lip gloss, can help soothe dry lips and keep them moisturized, healthy looking, and comfortable. Read on to learn what causes dry lips, how you can prevent them, and where you can find the best lip moisturizer to help treat them.
What causes dry lips?
Because our lips are the thinnest skin on our body, and because they don’t contain oil glands, they are susceptible to become dry and chapped. Known medically as cheilitis, Cleveland Clinic lists symptoms of chapped lips as cracked lip skin, itching, dry, peeling or scaling lips, sores on the lips, and even mild pain.
While we may typically think of dry lips as being a cold winter weather problem, they can actually occur any time of year and can be the result of myriad causes. Cold weather can definitely cause dry lips, but if you’ve ever awakened after a day of too much fun in the sun, you know that sunburn and hot, dry weather can also cause dry lips (and your lips can be the victim of sun poisoning, too!). If you are someone who licks all your lip products off or licks their lips when anxious, you know that licking your lips too much can leave them red, dry, and irritated. Unfortunately, a bad reaction to medications, makeup or personal care products—common with toothpaste containing Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (known as SLS), a foaming agent—can also cause irritation and dryness. Lastly, some medical conditions, including some autoimmune disorders, thyroid disorders, and allergies can also cause dry lips.
How can I prevent dry lips?
While dry, chapped lips are undoubtedly uncomfortable, the good news is that we can take easy steps to prevent them.
First, staying well hydrated isn’t just good for skin that looks plump, clear, and radiant, it’s also great for keeping lips from becoming dry and dehydrated. Running a humidifier to help combat dry air, especially while you sleep, may also help prevent delicate lip skin from drying out (bonus: your sinuses may thank you, too!). And of course, finding the right lip products, like a gentle and safe clean lip balm, will go a long way in helping to prevent dry lips while keeping lips smooth, soft, and comfortable!
Which lip products keep lips moisturized?
While there are seemingly endless options out there for lip products promising to relieve dry lips, it’s important to choose lip moisturizer made with clean ingredients that won’t further aggravate irritation, and that aren’t harmful to your health over the long term.
Ingredients that deliver anti-inflammatory benefits can help ease the discomfort associated with dry lips; nut and seed butters, certain botanicals, and naturally derived emollient oils can target dryness and calm irritation. Whether you choose your lip moisturizer in the form of a balm or an oil, you want to make sure it goes on smooth—no dragging or pulling on delicate lips.
The important thing is to be consistent when using a lip moisturizer! Slather on a clean lip balm before bed to wake up with soft, smooth, moisturized lips. Then, apply the same lip moisturizer under your favorite lip products to prep lips and keep them happy while wearing lipstick, lip gloss, or lip oil. You may find using your go-to moisturizing lip products regularly not only helps dry lips feel better immediately, but works in the long term to prevent dryness overall.
What is clean lip balm?
At Inner Beauty, we formulate non-toxic lip products and lip moisturizer to be safe for sensitive lips and for sensitive bodies. While there is no governmental or industry-wide standard for what determines a “clean lip balm” here in the U.S., we have worked diligently to create a stringent definition of what Inner Beauty means by “clean.”
To us, “clean ingredients” are ingredients that are non-toxic and safe for sensitive bodies to use. Every ingredient used to formulate Inner Beauty Cosmetics is highly vetted for safety and efficacy, and to be safer for both people and the planet. Our definition of clean means it is safe enough for those who are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or breastfeeding; those who have autoimmune disease; those who are undergoing treatment for cancer or recovering from treatment.
Confused about the difference between what’s natural and what’s clean? That’s probably because they’re often used interchangeably. But while our favorite high-performing clean ingredients are those derived from Mother Nature, we’re aware that sometimes, these delicate natural ingredients need a boost to help them perform as they should, every time you reach for an Inner Beauty product. Therefore, we sometimes use safe synthetic ingredients to help improve the longevity, safety, and performance of our delicate natural ingredients. To be sure, not all synthetics are created equal; these safe synthetics have been reviewed by a team of chemists and toxicologists to ensure they meet our exacting safety standards.
When we refer to our lip balm as clean lip balm, then, we mean that our Stay Calm Lip Balm is free of ingredients that may be questionable or harmful to your health; ingredients like these that may be found in many conventional lip products and other personal care items. Instead, we’ve packed our Inner Beauty lip products full of beneficial natural ingredients that deeply care for lips every time you wear them! Ingredients like ultra moisturizing castor and apricot oils, super emollient shea butter, calendula flower extract and rosa moschata seed oil. Together, these ingredients work in harmony to calm irritation, moisturize and restore the look and feel of delicate lip skin—so your lips not only feel better when you wear Inner Beauty lip products, but they look beautiful, too!
What are the best hydrating lip products?
The best hydrating lip products are lip moisturizers with clean ingredients that don’t further irritate lips, that help calm inflammation, and that address dryness.
To target dry lips and to prep them for other lip products, reach for Inner Beauty Stay Calm Lip Balm moisturizing lip balm and primer. Not only does this super gentle, non-toxic formula replenish much needed moisture, but it helps to smooth lines so lip color glides on and stays looking even and beautiful.
Looking for added moisture and some natural looking, brilliant shine? Top your clean lip balm with Inner Beauty Shine Infusion Lip Oil, a clear lip oil that drenches lips in moisture, thanks to the powerhouse ingredients of castor seed, sunflower, jojoba and argan oils. Like all Inner Beauty formulas, this 100% natural formula is safe for sensitive lips. We love it worn alone, over our clean lip balm, or on top of our clean lipstick!
If you prefer your shine with a beautiful hint of color, Inner Beauty Sheer Bliss Lip Tint and Pure Shine Lip Gloss are moisturizing lip products that blend the comfort of moisturizing ingredients with ultra-wearable color. The never- sticky, clean lip gloss formula is infused with lip-loving castor oil; emollient jojoba oil in our clean lip tint creates a balm-like texture that stays soft and comfortable as long as you wear it.
Craving a more full color effect? Inner Beauty Coco Creme Lipstick is infused with coconut oil, castor seed oil and jojoba to keep lips soft, smooth, and moisturized, all while delivering demi-matte color that never feels dry on lips. If you can’t get enough moisture on your lips, don’t forget to prime them with Stay Calm Lip Balm, our clean lip balm that works double-time as a primer under your favorite clean lip products!
At Inner Beauty, we know that the best hydrating lip products are made to really nourish dry lips, leaving them moisturized, soft, smooth and comfortable, every time you wear them. That means you can focus on feeling and looking beautiful, flashing your one-in-a-million smile, and going about your busy day without the distraction of dry, chapped, irritated lips.
Whichever Inner Beauty Cosmetics lip products you reach for, you can trust that they’ve been formulated with clean ingredients that meet our own exceedingly high standards for safety and efficacy. We want you to feel good about using our clean beauty products, because they’re not only safe for sensitive bodies, but they’re easy to use, deliver beautiful results, and allow your inner beauty to shine through. So go ahead: make Inner Beauty Cosmetics a favorite in your makeup bag! Start with a must-have clean lip balm and build your clean beauty skin care collection from there. Your dry, chapped lips will thank you—and so will your sensitive body.
Here’s to choosing safe ingredients that make us all feel a little more beautiful every day!