Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Moisturize your lips
• Part 2 of 3: Keep your lips hydrated
• Part 3 of 3: Make lifestyle changes
• Tips
• Warnings

Do you have a bad habit of biting or picking your lips? You are probably doing this because they are dry and cracked. Taking good care of your lips will keep them smooth and supple, so you no longer need to bite or rip off dry skin. By exfoliating your lips, moisturizing them and making some lifestyle changes that promote healthy skin, you will make your lips look beautiful and get rid of the biting habit forever.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Moisturize your lips

1. 1 Work on moisturizing your lips instead of biting them. Are you unknowingly biting or ripping off the dead skin that has gathered on your lips? When you feel like a small piece of skin is peeling off, it is impossible to resist and bite it off. However, biting your lips doesn't actually make them any less dry or healthier. Instead of nibbling off bits of skin, invest that energy in improving lip health. The result is soft lips without dead skin that look great, not rough and bleeding in places.
   • If lip biting in your case is a persistent bad habit or a nervous tic, then solving the problem will require more than just moisturizing. Read the article "How to Get Rid of Bad Habits", useful tips from which will help you to end your bad lip biting habit once and for all.
   • If you are worried that you will not be able to cope on your own, see a therapist and find out if you have dermatilomania, which is closely related to obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder. Such problems are very difficult to solve on your own, so seek the advice of a specialist.
2. 2 Massage your lips with a toothbrush. Moisten your lips with warm water, then use a clean toothbrush to massage them in a circular motion. This will remove the accumulated dry, dead skin that can cause chapped and flaky lips. If you bite or twitch your lips, you pull off too much skin and your lips start bleeding, and when exfoliating with a toothbrush, only the top dead layer is removed.
   • A clean loofah scrubber is another good lip massage tool. Just be sure to take a new washcloth, as bacteria could accumulate in the old one.
   • Don't rub your lips too hard with the brush. If your lips are still a little rough after this massage, that's okay, that's okay. You may need more than one session to completely get rid of dead skin.
3. 3 Try a sugar scrub. This is a great option if your lips are very chapped and bleeding, as it is slightly softer than brushing. Make a simple mixture of one teaspoon of sugar and one teaspoon of honey. Apply a small amount to lips and massage gently with your fingers. This will remove the top layer of dead skin without damaging the bottom layer. When done, rinse off the scrub with warm water.
4. 4 Apply an emollient lip balm. An emollient balm is a substance that traps moisture in the skin and protects it from drying out. When your lips are severely dry and chapped, regular chapstick may not be enough for them to heal. Look for a product that contains one of the following emollients as a main ingredient:
   • Shea Butter;
   • cacao butter;
   • jojoba oil;
   • avocado oil;
   • rosehip oil;
   • Coconut oil.
5. 5 Repeat these steps until your lips are completely soft. It may take more than one moisturizing session to get the lips back into shape. Repeat exfoliation every few days, and in between sessions, apply emollient to your lips throughout the day and at night.Do not repeat the process more than once a day, as this may irritate the skin.

Part 2 of 3: Keep your lips hydrated

1. 1 Do not use products that dry your lips. Regular store-bought lip balm likely contains ingredients that actually dry out lips over time. Keep using a good emollient balm with natural ingredients. Avoid products (including lipsticks, tints, and gloss) that contain the following skin irritants:
   • alcohol;
   • perfumery fragrances;
   • silicone;
   • parabens;
   • camphor, eucalyptus, or menthol;
   • flavors like cinnamon, citrus, or mint;
   • salicylic acid.
2. 2 Don't lick your lips. When you have dry lips, you may be tempted to lick them all the time, but the enzymes in your saliva will cause your lips to dry out even more. Just as you resist the urge to bite your lips, resist the urge to lick them.
3. 3 Protect your lips throughout the night. Do you often wake up with dry lips? This may be due to sleeping with your mouth open. If you breathe through your mouth all night, your lips can dry out quickly. While changing your breathing habits can be difficult, you can still fix the problem by protecting your lips during the night. Remember to apply lip balm before bed every night to wake up with moisturized lips, not chapped lips.
4. 4 Drink plenty of water. Dry, chapped lips are often a side effect of dehydration. You may not be drinking enough water throughout the day. Drink whenever you feel thirsty and try to substitute regular water for coffee and soda whenever possible. After a few days, your lips will become softer and more hydrated.
   • Alcohol is notorious for its ability to dehydrate the body. If you often wake up with chapped lips, try cutting off alcohol a few hours before bed and drinking plenty of water before bed.
   • Carry a bottle of water with you throughout the day so you can always have a drink when you feel thirsty.
5. 5 Try using a humidifier. If you have naturally dry skin, a humidifier can be a lifesaver, especially in winter. It moisturizes dry air so that the latter does less damage to your skin. Install a humidifier in your bedroom and see if you can feel the difference after a few days.

Part 3 of 3: Make lifestyle changes

1. 1 Eat less salt. Salt builds up on the lips and can dry out quickly. Changing your diet towards less salt can have a dramatic effect on the texture of your lips. If you do eat salty foods, rinse your lips with warm water afterward so that no salt remains on them.
2. 2 Do not smoke. Smoking is very harmful to the lips, causing dryness and irritation. If you are a smoker, there are many good reasons to quit this habit, and healthy lips is one of them. Try to minimize or quit smoking to protect your lips from damage.
3. 3 Protect your lips from sun exposure. Like all other skin, lip skin is susceptible to sun damage. Apply SPF 15 or higher lip balm to protect your lips from sunburn.
4. 4 Cover your face in cold or dry weather. Nothing can make your lips dry and chapped like the cold, dry winter air. If you are more likely to bite your lips in winter than in summer, then he will be the reason. Try pulling up your scarf and covering your mouth when you go outside in winter to protect your lips from the cold.

Tips

• If you find that you only bite your lip when you are nervous or uncomfortable, try checking what is causing you anxiety.For example, think: "Mom, you need to submit your homework tomorrow, and I haven't started it yet!" If at the same time you start to bite or twitch your lips nervously, you can get rid of this habit, each time paying attention to these moments.

Warnings

• If you think you may have dermatilomania, then you should seek help right away. This disorder will not go away on its own, it is associated with deeper problems, for which you will need the help of a therapist.
• Always stock up on a tube of lip balm or petroleum jelly in case it runs out unexpectedly. You may not be able to leave your lips alone because they are too dry.
• If you bite your lips until they are bloody, you can get an infection in them, and this is more than unpleasant.
• If you are allergic to any of the ingredients in the lip balm, stop using it and see your allergist.