Should you use lip balm at night?

How to use lip balm before bed

1. 1Wash your hands before applying lip balm.
2. 2Apply a balm that does not irritate your lips, or a thick lip ointment if they are very dry and cracked.
3. 3Leave flaky skin alone. Picking or biting can slow healing, and licking dry lips can make them sore.
4. 4Apply balm again when you wake up, and use it as needed during the day. Reapply after eating or drinking.

Which balm should you choose?

Plain petroleum jelly is a straightforward choice. Beeswax balms are another option for soothing chapped lips, but a thick petroleum jelly ointment is the better choice when you need longer lasting moisture retention. Other helpful ingredients include ceramides, dimethicone, mineral oil, castor seed oil and shea butter. Look for fragrance free products labelled hypoallergenic. If one balm is not helping, try another: some people are sensitive to fragrances, dyes or other cosmetic ingredients.234

While your lips are chapped, avoid products containing menthol, camphor, eucalyptus, lanolin, fragrance or cinnamon, citrus, mint and peppermint flavours. Salicylic acid can also irritate chapped lips. Stop using a product if it burns, stings or tingles; those sensations mean irritation, not that the product is working.12

Is bedtime balm enough?

Nighttime balm is part of daily lip care, not a replacement for it. Use balm whenever your lips feel dry. Before going outdoors, apply a nonirritating lip balm with SPF 30 or higher, and reapply every two hours outside. Zinc oxide or titanium oxide are suitable sunscreen ingredients for chapped lips. If you wear a face mask, apply lip balm before putting it on: masks can cause lip tightness and chapping.125

What if your lips are dry every morning?

A bedroom humidifier can help, especially if you breathe through your mouth at night. Mouth breathing can also cause a dry mouth, including when your nose is blocked. Balm helps dry lips, but dry mouth needs separate attention. Keep water by your bed and take regular sips during the day. A pharmacist can advise on treatments to keep your mouth moist or help with a blocked nose. Do not stop prescribed medicine if you suspect it is causing dryness; get medical advice first.26

How long does healing take?

Regular balm use should ease discomfort while your lips heal. Recovery commonly takes two to three weeks, and severely chapped lips can take longer. The aim is comfortable lips, not a more elaborate bedtime production.1

When does balm need backup?

Painful cracks at the mouth corners can be angular cheilitis, meaning inflammation at those corners. Frequent balm or thick ointment is often enough when saliva causes the irritation. Other causes need different treatment, so persistent corner cracks should not be treated as ordinary dryness indefinitely.7

See a healthcare professional if your lips worsen, do not improve after two to three weeks, bleed frequently despite home care, or have sores that will not heal. Hot, painful and swollen lips need a GP assessment because they could be infected.1234