As we age, our lips tend to lose plumpness, vitality and even the amount of red that appears on them. Our lips also lose moisture, so it is imperative, especially as the temps drop, that we keep them dewy.
There are things you can do to make sure your lips stay hydrated like maintaining a diet that is high in protein and vitamin C which are essential for producing healthy collagen. As far as lifestyle changes, you can cut out smoking, drink more water, and take care of your teeth to prevent them from wearing down over time which can cause lips to sink in. The movement that drinking from a straw causes will encourage the breakdown of elasticity and collagen in your lips making them smaller, drier and more wrinkled.
What can you do to combat dry, sore and scaly lips? Well, a good moisture-rich balm can buffer your delicate lips from the elements. We found some products that are high in emollients to lock in moisture. Take care of those luscious!
Aquaphor is an old tried and true product that is free of fragrance, preservatives, and dyes. It provides immediate relief for dry, cracked lips especially during frigid temps; $4, drugstores
Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm contains beeswax, vitamin E, and peppermint oil to nourish moisture-starved lips; $3.29, Target
Eau Thermale Avene Cold Cream Nourishing Stick Lip Balm offers immediate relief for severly dry, chapped lips, leaving them feeling smooth and soft; $14, Amazon
Kiehl’s Facial Fuel No-Shine Moisturizing Lip Balm is a matte product that provides rich emollient shea butter and squalane, men will especially love the no-shine finish; $9, Macy’s
Nivea Recovery Medicated Lip Care SPF 15 helps protect lips against the drying effects of the sun, wind and cold, enriched with shea butter and menthol that helps heal cracked corners too; $3, Walmart
Task Essential Lip Ace contains vitamin B5, oxygen, jojoba, shea butter, acacia and sunflower oils, the advanced anti-aging formula balm intensely repairs, softens and adds moisture. The oxygen promotes collagen production for firmness and volume; $38, Bloomingdale’s
Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips leaves lips feeling supple and hydrated, 100% pure made from natural medical grade lanolin, tasteless, odorless, contains no parabens or fragrance; $12.50, Amazon