Why does lip balm dry out my lips?

Does lip balm dry your lips?

Some formulas do, but lip balm is also a treatment for chapped lips. Lip balm can worsen the very dryness it is sold to relieve, which is an awkward performance review for a moisturizer. Burning, stinging or tingling after application means irritation, not that the product is working. Stop using that product rather than applying more.23

An allergic reaction can look like ordinary chapping: redness, dryness, scaling, cracking and itch, sometimes with mild swelling. It can begin hours after contact and persist while you keep using the trigger. Cheilitis means inflamed lips; the appearance alone does not tell you whether irritation or allergy is responsible.14

Which ingredients should you avoid while lips heal?

While your lips are chapped, avoid lip products containing:

• Fragrance and flavourings, especially cinnamon, citrus, mint and peppermint.
• Menthol, camphor or eucalyptus.
• Lanolin, phenol or propyl gallate.
• Salicylic acid.
• Octinoxate or oxybenzone.

What lip balm helps dry lips?

Choose a fragrance free, hypoallergenic lip product. White petroleum jelly is a useful choice for very dry, cracked lips because a thick ointment holds water in longer than waxes or oils. Other helpful ingredients include ceramides, dimethicone, mineral oil and shea butter. Outdoors, choose SPF 30 or higher with zinc oxide or titanium oxide.3

A generally helpful ingredient can still be a personal allergy trigger. Castor oil, for example, appears in lip care advice but is also a recognised cause of allergic lip reactions. If you have an identified allergy, avoid that ingredient in every lip product rather than choosing by the moisturizing claim.134

How to help your lips recover

1. 1Stop the balm that causes discomfort and replace it with a gentle lip balm or ointment.
2. 2Wash your hands before applying balm, especially when using a pot.
3. 3Apply as needed during the day, when you wake up and before bed. Reapply after eating or drinking.
4. 4Apply your SPF lip balm before going outdoors and reapply about every two hours.
5. 5Leave flaky skin alone. Picking and biting irritate lips and slow healing.

Lips have no oil glands and are more vulnerable to dryness than other skin. A balm cannot remove cold weather or dry air, despite the considerable confidence of the lip care aisle. A humidifier can help with dry indoor air, particularly if you breathe through your mouth at night. Avoid licking your lips: as saliva evaporates, lips become drier.23

What if switching balms does not help?

For an itchy rash on or around the lips, stop lip cosmetics. Once the rash clears, adding one product a week can help identify a trigger. If reactions keep returning, a dermatologist can arrange patch testing for contact allergy, including your own products. Toothpaste and other oral hygiene products can also be responsible, so balm is not the only suspect.47

Expect noticeable improvement within two to three weeks of gentle care. See a doctor if your lips worsen, do not improve in that time, or bleed frequently despite treatment. Hot, painful and swollen lips need medical assessment because they can signal infection. A pharmacist can help you choose treatment and decide whether you need a doctor.2356