Dry lips: causes and what you can do about it

Dry lips are a common problem. Find out here what the causes are and what you can do about dry lips.

Dry lips are often rough and cracked. This creates unpleasant feelings of tension and can even be really painful. It gets particularly bad when the lips split open and bleed.

Lips are much more sensitive than the rest of the skin. That’s why you can see from the lips particularly quickly whether the body is a bit out of balance. However, the causes of dry lips are often harmless and easy to remedy.

Dry lips: the most common causes

There are various reasons why lips become dry and chapped. Often there is a physical cause:

• Your fluid balance is too low. This may be because you might not be drinking enough water in general. If you sweat heavily, for example during sports, you also lose a lot of fluid. The same applies to diarrheal diseases. If you have very dry lips, make sure to drink more.
• A lack of vitamin B2 and the trace element iron can also lead to dry lips. A B2 deficiency is most likely to affect vegetarians and vegans, as the vitamin is primarily found in meat, fish or milk. Iron deficiency can also occur with an unbalanced diet. Anyone who has a monthly menstrual period has a higher need for iron. You can recognize a deficiency by the fact that you constantly feel tired and listless. In addition, the skin is dry and the lips are chapped.
• Herpes infections also dry out the lips. By the way: There are home remedies for herpes.

• Chemotherapy is an immense burden on the body. In addition, cells in the mouth are attacked. This can cause inflammation and dry out the lips.

External circumstances that can cause dry lips

But sometimes you also get dry lips due to external influences, for example:

• The weather can take a toll on our lips. Particularly high and particularly low temperatures dry out our lips. But extreme changes in temperature can also rob the lips of moisture. Especially in winter, many struggle with dry hands or dry skin all over their faces.
• If you use lip care products regularly, you can quickly get used to them. If you try to stop using lip balm, your body may respond with dry, chapped lips.

• Severe stress causes the body to slow down less relevant functions in order to mobilize energy and sharpen the senses for potential dangers. The production of saliva, which ensures that food is broken down and our mouth is moistened, can decrease under psychological stress.

This is how you can prevent dry lips

You can prevent dry lips with healthy habits and simple measures.

• Make sure you’re drinking enough fluids. Drink mostly water and unsweetened teas. In order to protect the environment and avoid plastic waste, you can almost always drink tap water in Germany without hesitation.
• Take care of your lips with the right products. Make sure these don’t seal the lips. They should be rich in valuable oils to support and maintain the suppleness of the lips. More about lip balm in our guide.
• Eat a balanced and healthy diet. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you can get most of your nutrients from plant sources. Vitamin B2 is found, for example, in kale, peas or broccoli. Vegetable sources of iron include lentils, sesame, turmeric or pumpkin seeds. Incidentally, you can promote the absorption of iron by adding vitamin C. Caffeine, on the other hand, inhibits the absorption of the trace element.
• If you’re suffering from persistent stress, relaxation techniques can release your tension. For example, try out whether you feel more relaxed through meditation, yoga or other sports. Tip: This is how you find the right sport

Read more on Techzle.com:

• Lip care test: Öko-Test warns of carcinogenic substances in lip care products
• Make lip balm yourself: quick recipe with natural ingredients
• Torn corners of the mouth – you can do that about it

German version available: 5 Natural and Effective Home Remedies for Dry Lips