Is Chapstick Bad For Your Lips?

June 4, 2024 by Mani Pandey

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Does Chapstick Make Your Lips More Chapped

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Supple lips look healthy and beautiful. However, people may end up having dry and chapped lips due to varying reasons. While seasonal changes are one of the prominent reasons among them, when the body is not sufficiently hydrated, the chances of having chapped lips rise.

Talking about the season, the tendency of lips to get dry and look chapped starts from autumn till the end of winter. Dry and chilly winds during these seasons increase the risk of chapped lips. This also means that you always have your favorite lip balm or Chapstick with you.

Article Contains

Chapstick
Why Do Lips Get Dry?
Does Using Chapstick Dry Your Lips?

Adding another Chapstick or lip balm layer can save the lips from brutal dryness (1). But does Chapstick make your lips more chapped or help them heal fast? It is one of the most frequently asked questions, especially during winter. If you are wondering the same, keep reading to find out!

Chapstick

Chapstick is a common name used for different forms of lip balm, not any particular product. In the market, you may get Chapstick in a variety of brands, shapes, sizes, and viscosities. Different brands present and sell Chapstick in different forms according to people’s suitability; for instance, you can get it as a stick, ointment, or balm.

Additionally, it is also available in various colors, flavors, tints, and sometimes in herbal form to gain the attention of people of different age groups.

Why Do Lips Get Dry?

It is not just in winter that our lips start to feel the little cracks in them, which are very painful. You can also get dry and chapped lips in the summer as much as during the cold season and the major reason behind it is the lack of oil glands.

Unlike other skin parts, lips do not have oil glands or sebaceous glands. The function of these glands is to secrete sebum that keeps the skin moisturized and protected, preventing it from becoming dry and dull. Therefore, the lips easily get dry or chapped.

At the same time, my lips are very thin. It cannot lock in moisture, which is why it is softer and more sensitive than any other part of the body.

In addition to these, exposure to strain caused by the environment, like pollution, ultraviolet rays, temperature, and certain foods that cause allergies, can also make the lips dry and displeasing. We tend to lick our lips constantly when they are dry. Doing this can also aggravate the irritation of the lips, as the salivary digestive enzyme amylase causes the lips to lose moisture, making them dry, chapped, or bleeding.

Does Using Chapstick Dry Your Lips?

The simple answer to this question is NO. ‘Using Chapstick dried lips’ is one of the beauty myths that needs to be busted.

The primary job of Chapstick is to deliver moisture to your lips. The two major ingredients of Chapstick are-

Humectants, which attract water and lock in moisture (2)
Emollients, which moisturize and soothe the dry skin of the lips (3)

Chapstick and lip balms are suitable for your lips and do not make them more chapped. In fact, lip balm with specific products and natural oils is mostly recommended for dry and chapped lips.

Having Chapstick with any of the following ingredients make them more impactful-

Petroleum jelly
Glycerin
Hemp seed oil
Castor oil
Shea butter

All these ingredients are known to hydrate the lips and keep them well-moisturized. While glycerin has both humectant and emollient properties, it attracts moisture from the surroundings as well as strengthens the skin’s moisture barrier by preventing moisture loss, ingredients like castor oil and shea butter ensures lips to stay soft and supple.

One more thing that you should keep in mind is using a Chapstick with an SPF, especially when you are outside in the sun, during both summer and winter. The SPF helps protect the lips against the damage from ultraviolet rays from the sun.

Just like the skin of other body parts, lips are equally prone to damage when subjected to ultraviolet rays for a long period. It is when a Chapstick with SPF comes in handy, giving a complete protection to the lips- from dryness as well as sun rays.

Conclusion

Chapped lips can cause trouble, especially when dryness gets severe, leading to cracks and peels on the lips. In the worst scenarios, the lips start to bleed. At the same time, dry or chapped lips do not look aesthetically pleasing. It is when using Chapstick and lip balm helps relieve the irritation caused by chapped lips.

If you wonder, ‘does Chapstick make your lips more chapped,’ be assured that they don’t. You can continue using Chapstick until it suits your dry lips and prevents them from dryness.

Drinking water and keeping skin and lips hydrated are also great solutions for quickly healing chapped lips. If the problem persists and causes pain, you should contact your doctor immediately.

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