Fashion

The One Thing You Should Never Do To Chapped Lips

by Lindsey Rose Black

March 16, 2016

Chapped lips are never fun, but there's a habit that could be perpetuating your struggle and making matters far worse. I've scouted out the one thing you should never to do chapped lips so that you can finally cure your pout. Fortunately, once you know what you're doing wrong, you can finally fix it!

The one thing you should never to do chapped lips is a habit you might not even know you have: licking your lips! To understand why the habit is so damaging, Dr. Jessica Wu, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Southern California's School of Medicine, told Today, "Your saliva will immediately moisten your lips. But as soon as it dries, things get even worse. It'll dry them out even more." Ouch.

While occasionally licking your lips if they're chapped isn't the end of the world, Symptom Find elaborated on why the cycle of lip licking and chapping is especially dangerous. The site shared, "When your lips feel dry and chapped, you want to lick them. But soon after licking them, they feel dry again, so you lick them once more. This turns into a continuing cycle of lip dehydration because [as] saliva evaporates, more moisture from the lips escapes, making them even drier than before."

If you know you're a lip licker, consider trying one of the lip balms below that will keep your lips nourished while they heal and will help you fight the urge to lick!