Winter is near, and it will bring along with it the cold, dry and harsh weather. And, the presence of chapped lips will increase. The skin on our lips is thin and very sensitive. Our lips don’t have sweat or sebaceous glands, making them more vulnerable when exposed to extreme weather conditions. Exposure to sun, wind and cold, dry air can contribute to dry, chapped, flaky, cracked, painful, itchy or sore state of the lips.
Most people have chapped lips throughout the year, but it can get much worse during winter months. Indoor heat, wind and rough weather outside contribute to worsening conditions. Just the way you take care of your face similarly you should take care of your lips too.
Lips not only symbolize one’s beauty but also it talks about one’s healthy appearance. A nice-looking lip boosts up one’s confidence, while dry, cracked lips makes one lose their attractiveness.
Our lips dry out about ten times faster than the rest of the skin on our face so it’s important to use extra protection. And in such harsh weather, lip balms come to the rescue. Lip balms with herbal ingredients help get the desired soft lips as well do not harm the lips. They help in relieving sore and chapped lips, especially in winters.
Emollients like Castor oil, Coconut oil, Wheat Germ oil, Carrot seed oil and the extracts of Sweet Indrajao can help take care of the lips. They help in protecting the lips against the drying effects of the cold and dry weather during winters.
We have listed down few herbal ingredients to look for this winter in your lip balm. Try not to miss them:
Castor Oil is used externally to relieve various inflammatory skin conditions, when applied on chapped lips it helps in soothing and conditioning chapped lips.
Carrot Seed Oil, a viscous essential oil, that conditions and moisturizes the skin. It contains carotene and other antioxidants, which help in scavenging free radicals thus prevents skin damage.
Wheat Germ Oil, has poly unsaturated fatty acids and natural Vitamin E that helps nourish the skin and moisturize it. It tones and softens the lips and exhibits good antioxidant activity.
Sweet Indrajao has astringent, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that makes it useful to be used in various skin conditions.
Coconut Oil and its derivatives can be used externally for softening lips as it has good emolliency. In addition, it is an effective moisturizer for all skin types including dry skin.
The article has been authored by Dr. Hema Sharma Datta, Head - Skin Care and Cleansing, Research & Development, The Himalaya Drug Company.
