New Delhi: Stock up on natural oils, green tea, papaya and beetroot juice to get rid of chapped lips through simple home remedies, suggest experts.
Aakriti Kochar, Hair and Make-up Expert, Oriflame India, and Bhavya Sharma, Beauty Expert, UrbanClap.com, list down some home remedies for chapped lips.
* Natural oils such as coconut oil, grape seed oil, tea tree oil, neem oil, almond oil and jojoba oil are excellent moisturisers. Since coconut oil is widely available, use it as your base. Choose any other form of natural oil and mix a few drops of it to about a spoon of coconut oil. Blend it in and apply generously on your lips. You will notice a difference in just about a couple of days. Apply the oils regularly to keep the problem of chapped lips away permanently.
* Your lips often begin to bleed and hurt when the chapping is extreme. To quickly rectify this problem, you can try the honey-Vaseline home remedy. Just apply a thick layer of raw, organic honey on your lips and seal it off with a layer of Vaseline on top. Leave for about 15 minutes and then gently wipe it off with a damp towel.
* Rose plant in your house will be a rescuer when you are suffering from chapped lips. This remedy will help your lips stay nourished and enhance the beautiful colour. Wash a handful of rose petals thoroughly in water. Soak the petals in milk for a few hours. (If you have issues with dairy products, you can soak them in glycerin instead). Mash the rose petals into a thick paste. Apply the paste to your dry lips two to three times a day and every night before going to bed.
* Aloe vera is one of nature’s most effective medicines. It has multiple uses and healing chapped lips is one of them. Aloe vera not only helps repair the chapped lips, it also works to strengthen the thin layers of the skin. This leads to stronger lips that don’t chap quickly. It therefore is a good idea to make a habit of applying aloe vera to your lips throughout the year. It is very easy to use as well. All you have to do is slice an aloe leaf and scoop up the gel from within. Apply the gel directly on to your lips before you go to bed at night.
* Milk cream is a great natural lip moisturiser. Apply fresh milk cream on your lips and leave it on for 10 minutes. Then gently wash your lips with a cotton ball dipped in lukewarm water. Do this daily to help your lips heal faster.
* Sugar is one of the best natural exfoliators. All you have to do is mix a spoon of brown or white sugar to a spoon of honey and some olive oil. Make a very coarse paste and promptly apply it to your lips. Please remember that the sugar needs to be granulated and not dissolved. Gently massage your lips with this paste and leave it on for about thirty minutes and then rinse it off. Do this regularly.
* Green tea is rich in tannis, a compound that helps reduce the pain and burning sensation caused by chapped lips. Green tea, therefore, helps repair the damaged skin cells on your lips. It is also full of antioxidants that make your lips healthy and strong. Just dip a bag of green tea in some hot water and place the bag on your lips. Leave it for as long as you can and you will feel the discomfort slipping away.
* Has the constant chapping left your lips dark and discoloured? If yes, then you need the honey and lemon home remedy. Just mix a spoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and a spoon of honey to half a spoon of olive oil. Apply it on your lips and leave it for about half an hour, before you wash it off.
The lemon juice acts as a bleach that helps reduce the dark colour on your lips. Honey is an effective antibacterial medicine that heals the damaged lip skin. And the olive oil nourishes and moisturises the skin.
* Dry, chapped skin often brings about tremendous amounts of itching and discomfort. To combat the problem of itching and also to hydrate the skin on your lips, try using the papaya and honey home remedy. Mix a spoon of papaya pulp with a spoon of honey and apply to your lips. Papaya is packed with enzymes that provide instant relief from itching.
* Last but not the least, here’s a remedy that has a dual effect. Beetroot juice is a full of nutrients that hydrate your skin from the inside. It also boasts of a dark, red colour. This home remedy is ideal to try just before you leave home. Apply some pure beetroot juice directly to the lips and leave for about fifteen minutes. Then wash if off with cold water. You will find your lips to be hydrated and you will also notice a beautiful rich, dark hue on them.
–IANS