Say ‘no’ to chapped lips

Emollients like Castor oil, Coconut oil, Wheat Germ oil, Carrot seed oil and the extracts of Sweet Indrajao protect lips against the drying effects of cold and dry weather during winters.

Come winter and dry, chapped lips cannot merely be wished away. The skin on our lips is thin, sensitive, and also does not have sweat or sebaceous glands. Thus, they are 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 lips. Most people have chapped lips throughout the year, but it can get much worse during winter. Indoor heat, wind and rough weather conditions outside contribute to sore lips. Just as we take care of our face, we must take care of our lips, too.

Pucker up!

Lips not only symbolise one’s beauty but also enhance our appearance as luscious lips boost one’s confidence! Lips dry out about 10 times faster than the rest of 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 results without harming the lips. They help in relieving sore and chapped lips, especially in winters. Lip balms contain something called emollients that are great moisturising agents. They also protect and lubricate your skin.

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.

Here are a few herbal ingredients to stock up on this winter:

Castor oil: Castor oil is used externally to relieve various inflammatory skin conditions and when applied on chapped lips, it helps in soothing and conditioning chapped lips.

Carrot seed oil: Carrot seed oil is a viscous essential oil that conditions and moisturies the skin. It contains carotene and other antioxidants which help in scavenging free radicals, thus preventing skin damage.

Wheat germ oil: Wheat germ oil has polyunsaturated fatty acids and natural Vitamin E that helps nourish the skin and moisturise it. It tones and softens the lips and exhibits good antioxidant activity.

Sweet indrajao: Sweet indrajao has astringent, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that makes it useful to be used in various skin conditions.

Coconut oil: Coconut oil and its derivatives can be used externally for softening lips as it has good emolliency. In addition, it is an effective moisturiser for all skin types, including dry skin.

Dr Hema Sharma Datta
(The author is head, skincare and cleansing, research & development, The Himalaya Drug Company)