Whether summer or winter, it's never fun to have lips that are dry and cracked, itchy and painful. If this happens to you, know that there are a number of home remedies you can use for immediate relief, and even for quicker healing. It's important to have the basics of what you may have around the home that can help you take care of those lips for some much needed relief. Here are 10 tips to take care of those cracked lips that have worked for generations:
1. Cucumber slices - This may usually be considered as a treatment for puffy eyes, but the high moisture in the cucumber as well as its vitalizing substances, will help ease chopped lips and make for a reasonable substitution for lipstick or vaseline.
2. Aloe vera - In addition to the plant treating burns, wounds and skin defects, the Aloe vera plant is useful for treating and nourishing cracked and dry lips. The only downside is the strong odor that comes off it.
3. Castor Oil - If you suffer from constipation you probably have some castor oil or paraffin around the house. Smear a bit on your lips with your finger, it will nourish the dry lips and immediately relieve the feeling of burning.
4. Cream - The high concentration of oil in the cream make it an effective treatment of chopped lips. So next time you're out of aloe vera, try some cream.
5. Honey - Yes, honey is a great source of moisture and nourishes the skin. Smear honey on the hurting lips to nourish them and enjoy the sweet taste. The stickiness is a bit unpleasant at first, but it passes quite quickly.
6. Sugar peel - In order to quicken the rate of healing, it is best to remove the dead skin from the lips. Mix a few drops of water with a tea spoon of sugar and massage your lips, then immediately rinse with water to remove the dead skin.
7. Avocado - Other than being yummy, the avocado also contains oils that will nourish those dry lips and even give them a shiny, glossy look.
8. Olive oil - Like castor and paraffin oils, olive oil can also heal burning and chopped lips, due to its high concentration of oil and vitamins that quicken the healing rate.
9. Vitamins - Taking multi-vitamins can also help shorten the time healing time of cracked lips, as well as eating vitamin A-rich foods, such as carrots, apricots and spinach.
10. Drink a lot - To help the healing process, and even to prevent this condition in the first place, it's imperative that you drink more water than you usually do. Nourishing the cells 'from the inside' is no less important than any of the others on this list, and even more-so. Hydrate regularly, and the chances of dry lips drops dramatically.
