Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Taking care of your lips
• Part 2 of 3: Keeping your lips hydrated
• Part 3 of 3: Making lifestyle changes
• Tips
• Warnings

Do you have a bad habit of picking your lips? You probably do that because they are dry and cracked. Taking good care of your lips keeps them smooth and supple, so you don't feel the need to pick them anymore. By exfoliating your lips, keeping them hydrated and making lifestyle changes to promote healthy skin, you can beautify your lips and put your plucking habit out of the way for good.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Taking care of your lips

1. Work on grooming your lips instead of picking them. Are you absent-mindedly plucking away the dead skin that forms on your lips? When you feel a piece of skin coming loose, it is impossible to resist picking. However, plucking your lips doesn't actually make them any less dry or healthier. Instead of plucking the skin off, try to put that energy into making your lips healthier. The result will be smooth lips without dry skin, which look fantastic, instead of rough lips that bleed where you picked them.
   • If your picking habit is in fact a persistent bad habit or a nervous tic, it will take more than taking care of your lips to fix the problem. Find an article on how to break a bad habit on WikiHow to help you stop picking your lips for good.
   • If you are concerned that you will not be able to stop on your own, see a therapist and determine if you have compulsive skin-picking disorder, which is closely related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and body-perception disorder (BDD). This is very difficult to fix on your own, so seek the help of someone who can advise you.
2. Brush your lips with a toothbrush. Dampen your lips with warm water, then use a clean toothbrush to gently brush them in a circular motion. This will get rid of the build-up of dry, dead skin that makes your lips look ripped and flaky. While plucking your lips often removes too much skin and results in bleeding, brushing your lips only removes the top layer of dead skin, leaving the protective layer on.
   • A clean loofah is also a good item to use for brushing your lips. Just make sure not to use older loofah, as it can harbor bacteria.
   • Don't scrub your lips too hard with the brush. It's okay if your lips are still a little rough after brushing. You may need more than one session to get rid of dead skin completely.
3. Try a sugar scrub. This is a great way if your lips are very flaky and sore as it is a bit softer than using a brush. Make a simple mixture of a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of honey. Slather on your lips and use your fingers to massage the scrub over your lips. It will remove the top layer of dead skin without damaging the layer underneath. When you are done, rinse your lips with warm water.
4. Apply a soothing lip balm. A softener is a substance that traps moisture in your skin and protects it from drying out. If your lips are badly cracked, applying a lip balm regularly may not be enough to cure them. Look for a product that contains one of the following softeners as a main ingredient:
   • Shea butter
   • Cocoa butter
   • Jojoba Oil.
   • Avocado Oil
   • Rose oil
5. Repeat it until your lips are free of dry skin. It can take more than a care session to get your lips back in shape. Repeat the process of exfoliating your lips every few days. You can use a soothing product on your lips in between sessions, during the day and at night while you sleep. Do not repeat the process more than once a day as it will irritate the skin.

Part 2 of 3: Keeping your lips hydrated

1. Avoid using products that dry out your lips. The standard lip balm from the drug store will likely contain ingredients that will eventually make your lips drier over time. Continue to use a good soothing balm with natural ingredients. Avoid products (including lipsticks, lip gloss, and coloring) that contain the following skin irritants:
   • Alcohol
   • Fragrances
   • Silicones
   • Mineral oils
   • Parabens
2. Don't lick your lips. You may be tempted to lick your lips when they are dry, but enzymes in your saliva will dry them out even more. Just like resisting the urge to pick, you also need to resist the urge to lick.
3. Protect your lips at night. Do you often wake up with dry lips? That could be the result of sleeping with your mouth open. When you breathe through your mouth all night long, your lips can dry out quickly. While it can be difficult to change your breathing habits, you can correct the problem by protecting your lips at night. Remember to apply lip balm every night before going to bed so that you wake up with lips that are moisturized instead of flaky.
4. Drink lots of water. Dry, cracked lips are often a side effect of dehydration. You may not be drinking enough water during the day. Drink whenever you feel thirsty, and try to swap coffee and soda for water when possible. Within a few days, your lips will be softer and more hydrated.
   • Alcohol is notorious for its drying effect. If you often wake up with chapped lips, try reducing alcohol intake a few hours before going to bed and drinking plenty of water before going to sleep.
   • Carry a reusable water bottle with you throughout the day so you always have something to drink with you when you're thirsty.
5. Use a humidifier. If your skin is naturally dry, a humidifier can be a lifesaver, especially in winter. Humidifiers humidify dry air so that it is less harsh on your skin. Put one in your bedroom and see if you can tell the difference after a few days.

Part 3 of 3: Making lifestyle changes

1. Eat less salt. Salt deposits on your lips can cause them to dry out quickly. Changing your diet so that it has less salt can make a big difference in the texture of your lips. If you do eat salty foods, rinse your lips with warm water so that the salt doesn't settle on your lips.
2. Stop smoking. Smoking is harsh on your lips, causing dryness and irritation. If you are a smoker, there are many good reasons to quit, and having healthy lips is one of them. Try to cut back as much as possible to protect your lips from damage.
3. Protect your lips from sunburn. Like the rest of your skin, the skin on your lips is vulnerable to sunburn. Use a lip balm with SPF 15 or higher to protect your lips from burning.
4. Cover your face in cold or dry weather. Nothing makes your lips dry and flaky like the cold, dry air of winter. If you're more likely to pick your lips in the winter than in the summer, this is the reason. Try pulling your scarf over your mouth when you go outside to protect your lips from the cold.

Tips

• If you find that you only pick your lips when you are nervous or tense, try to find out when you are feeling nervous. For example, if you think "oh dear, my homework has to be done by tomorrow and I haven't done anything yet!" And you pluck your lips with nervousness, noticing it can change the habit.

Warnings

• If you think you have compulsive skin-picking disorder, it's important to seek help right away. This disorder does not go away on its own; it is linked to deeper problems that require the help of a therapist to address them.