Most of us are really good at caring for our skin and hair on a daily basis. Conditioning treatments, rich lotions, hydrating oils—we do the work to keep our complexions flawless and our hair silky smooth.
But what about our lips? If you’re like many of us, you don’t really pay attention to your lips until they’re already super dry and chapped.
At that point, they’re peeling, discolored, and just not cute. Plus, it can take days to get that plump pout back.
So, can we agree this isn’t the way lip care should work? Instead of dealing with cracked, dry lips when they pop up, let’s focus on preventing them from happening altogether.
What we’re saying is this: it’s time to add lip care to your daily rituals—and here’s how to do it.
How to Prevent Dry Lips: Causes, Fixes, and Daily Habits
Before we get into how to prevent dry lips, let’s look at what causes them in the first place. This makes it way easier to curate a lip care routine that actually treats the root cause.
Once we’ve got all that sorted out, we’ll tell you what you should do and what products you should try to stop your lips from drying out.
What Causes Dry Lips?
Dehydration
Here’s an obvious one: usually, lips are dry because you haven’t had enough water. Hydration is essential to our entire body. So, when our body doesn’t have enough of that moisture, it has to prioritize where that H20 goes.
And, unfortunately? Your lips definitely don’t rank very high on that priority list. Not when there are so many other bodily functions that require proper hydration. Because of that, don’t bet on moisture making its way to your lips if you’re dehydrated.
Cold or Dry Weather
Cold or dry weather directly pulls moisture from your lips (and your skin and hair, too). It’s nature's way of trying to balance things out.
Yes, basically what we’re saying is that when the earth is dehydrated, it does the same thing that your body does. Pull moisture from one area and take it somewhere else.
Deal with dehydrated skin when the seasons change, too? Here’s how to avoid dry skin on your face in winter.
Indoor Heating or Air Conditioning
HVAC systems without built-in humidifiers don’t add any moisture to the air as they heat or cool. This can cause the same issue as dry air outside, stripping your body of moisture.
Sun Exposure
After unprotected sun exposure, lips feel dry if not outright sunburned. This is because the sun breaks down your lip’s moisture barrier, heat sucks out the water, and cell damage causes inflammation.
And yes, this can absolutely happen in the winter! Add chilly breezes on top of that, and it’s a recipe for disaster.
As always, the sun is not your beauty BFF. For more on that, grab your copy of Get the F*ck Out of the Sun.
Lip Licking or Biting
Frequently licking your lips is a bad habit that makes everything super dry and chapped. This is because salvia isn’t hydrating. In fact, it actually evaporates faster and introduces digestive enzymes that break down your lip’s moisture barrier.
Harsh Lip Products
Certain lip balm, lipstick, and lip gloss brands give you the perfect short-term color moment, but many of them aren’t actually good for your lips.
Many (especially long-wear ones) contain alcohol and film-forming agents that dry your skin out. And ones that boast “cooling agents” like menthol and mint actually dry the skin out over time, too.
Then there are lip plumpers, flavored lip products, and harsh lip scrubs—all bad for your long-term lip health. Add synthetic preservatives like propyl gallate and artificial fragrances to the mix, and you have a recipe for some dry ass lips.
Over-Exfoliating the Lips
Exfoliating your lips helps remove dead skin cells that could be preventing your lip products from soaking in. But, like exfoliating your skin, too much can do some damage.
If you’re using a lot of lip scrubs fairly often, that could be leading to chronic dryness.
Mouth Breathing
Do you wake up every morning with dry lips? It could be because you’re breathing through your mouth instead of your nose at night. This is suboptimal for a lot of reasons, but one of the most noticeable side effects is dry, chapped lips.
Constant airflow increases moisture loss and prevents the lips from retaining hydration. And if you remember from earlier, saliva evaporates faster than water—contributing to dryness and chapping, too.
How to Stop Lips from Drying Out
Use a true lip balm with SPF.
If you want to protect your lips from drying out and chapping, start using real lip products. No more matte lipsticks and bright glosses. Well, you can still use them, but just for special occasions.
For daily wear, you should be applying lip balm with SPF 30 or higher. The product should nourish your lips with hydrating ingredients and seal it in with occlusives, like beeswax or shea butter.
Of course, the sunscreen component is essential. Look for balms that use mineral filters, like titanium oxide or zinc oxide. They’re better for your skin long term.
Here are some of our favorite lip products to add to your routine:
Avoid licking your lips.
Though licking your lips can feel soothing in the moment, it’s one of the worst things you can do if you want a soft, juicy smile.
Every time you feel like licking your lips, use your balm instead until you break the habit. You’ll probably be wasting some product, but at least you’re not counter-acting its effects.
Don’t over-exfoliate.
Some exfoliation to shed dead skin on your lips can actually be good for hydration. Moisturizing products can’t soak in if there’s this layer of dead skin on the top, so don’t cut exfoliation altogether.
Instead, be more intentional about how you do it. Only exfoliate 1-3 times a week with something gentle like Burt’s Bees Conditioning Lip Scrub with Honey Crystals or The Lip Scrub by Sara Happ.
For full instructions, read our post on how to exfoliate your lips.
Drink plenty of water.
No matter what you do topically, you won’t achieve proper skin hydration without drinking plenty of water. Dry, cracked lips will just keep coming back.
The best way to prevent your lips from getting chapped at all is by giving them moisture from the inside. You can do that by simply increasing your water intake. Or, you can optimize your water for better hydration.
This helps make every sip more effective. All you need to do is add a scoop of Beauty Salt to your morning water! This helps you get and stay hydrated for as long as possible.
Use an overnight lip mask.
You don’t need to do this every night, but using an overnight lip mask is a great way to heal chapped lips or be proactive as the weather changes.
Grab Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask or The Lip Slip by Sara Happ and use it 2-3 nights a week. But, if your lips are well hydrated after making the other changes on this list, you could do it less often!
Use a humidifier at home.
Dry air is one of the main enemies of perfectly plump lips. You can’t control the weather outside, but you can control the weather inside.
Regardless of the season (but especially in winter), make sure you have a humidifier in your bedroom at night. But really, you should have one anywhere you spend a lot of your time.
This one will pay off big time, because humidifiers in the home help strengthen your hair, skin, and nails, too.
Wear Mouth Tape every night.
No matter what you do during the day, it’ll be an uphill climb if you’re still sleeping with your mouth hanging open. The good news? We can fix that.
By wearing The Skinny Confidential Mouth Tape every night, you prevent air from passing by, saliva from creeping in, and moisture from leaking out. Not only will dry lips be a thing of the past, but so will morning dry mouth and throat.
Mouth Tape offers other beauty benefits, as well, like healthier skin, brighter eyes, and reduced swelling. Plus, it literally makes you sleep so well.
Ready to give it a shot? Here’s more on what Mouth Tape is, how it works, and why you need it.
How to Fix Dry Lips
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Strip your routine back to one simple, fragrance-free lip product.
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Apply lip balm to slightly damp lips to seal in moisture.
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Reapply immediately after eating or drinking.
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Use a thick, occlusive layer before bed.
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Pause exfoliation completely until lips heal.
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Avoid long-wear lipsticks and liquid mattes.
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Breathe through your nose when possible, especially at night.
Prevent dry lips with Mouth Tape, better hydration, and a great lip balm.
Dry lips don’t have to be something you’re constantly fixing—they’re something you can stay ahead of. With the right daily habits, a few smart product swaps, and a little extra overnight support, soft, hydrated lips can be your baseline.
If you’re ready to upgrade your routine, browse The Skinny Confidential Shop for more innovative skincare essentials.
