Hands up if you agree that chapped lips are the worst!
Anyone who has ever had dry lips knows exactly how frustrating it is to deal with. It seems to happen all the time, even when you feel like you've been taking care of yourself to the best of your ability.
A lot of people will tell you that you're just dehydrated, but as it turns out, that's not the only thing that causes dry lips.
There are a lot more underlying reasons than you may not have realized, and many are completely unrelated to your water intake.
Sun Damage
Sunburns on your face are painful enough, but when your get a burn on your lips, it's extra bad. Many lip balms have SPF built right in, so make sure you're applying it when you put on your sunscreen.
Excess Vitamin A
You'd think that having a lot of vitamins in your system would be a good thing, but having too much vitamin A can actually be mildly toxic. It'll start to dry out your lips and skin if you are ingesting too much of it.
Deficient In Other Vitamins
While vitamin A can dry out your skin and lips, not having enough vitamin B2 or riboflavin will cause your skin and lips to feel dry.
Vitamin B2 helps to metabolize fats and maintain amino acids, so if you are finding you are constantly reaching for your lip balm, trying adding more riboflavin into your diet.
Allergies
If you start to notice your lips are drying up or even swelling after starting to use a new product, it's likely because of an allergy to an ingredient inside of it.
Whether it's a lipstick, cleanser, or even a food, there are certain chemicals, waxes, or oils that are common allergens for a lot of people.
Yeast Infection
You may not think that a yeast infection would have anything to do with your lips, but yeast is actually found all over your skin.
Yeast can grow in the corners of your mouth, but you can combat this by avoiding licking your lips, and staying hydrated.
Not Enough Fat In Your Diet
A low-fat diet can be beneficial in some ways for certain people, but your body needs fat to lubricate the skin.
Healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil, and nuts are a requirement if you want to keep your skin moisturized and your lips healthy.
Licking Your Lips
Even though it feels like you are temporarily saving your lips from feeling so dry, in reality you are actually making it much worse.
Think about it, the chemicals that help break down food in your mouth are still there when you lick your lips. These chemicals dry out your lips, probably making you feel like you need to keep it up. Overtime it gets worse and worse.
Instead, you should reach for a lip balm instead.
And, of course, dehydration is the most common cause of dry lips. Your body needs water to keep functioning properly, and this includes keeping your skin and lips moisturized.
Source - CommonSenseHome / Health Line / Bustle