SOS Dry Lips!

The cold dry winter season always sees an increase in chapped lips. This is because your lips do not have oil glands, so they’re almost always exposed to the elements. People have chapped lips throughout the year, but in winter, dry air indoors, wind and cold weather outside contribute to worsening conditions and chapped lips end up sore, inflamed and at times can lead to infection. This can easily be prevented by taking care of your lips in the same way you take care of your face. 

A simple routine is to apply a lip balm daily, especially at night, when you start to experience dry lips. Most lip balms have petroleum gel, mineral oil or dimethicone as their base and some people can be irritated by these, more so when additives or known irritants like eucalyptus oil, camphor and menthol are added to the mix. Be cautious of using lip balms with a lot of additives.

If you have dry, irritated lips and are noticing a sting when applying your lip balm, it might be one of these additives in the product that is aggravating your condition. In this case, you can either choose to make your own or buy a product that is 100% natural and certified organic such as Phyt’ssima Lip Balm.

Do you want to make your own? It is effortless and here are the steps and ingredients to do a beautiful balm in less than 15 minutes. 

The following formula will take less than 15 minutes to make and will last you a whole winter season. 

• 5 ml (1 tsp)shea or cocoa butter
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) avocado or jojoba oil
• 15 ml (1 Tbsp) local beeswax (grated or pastilles) or soy wax
• 1 drop vitamin E oil (optional)
• 5 drops essential oil — peppermint (optional)

Melt first three ingredients in a metal bowl over a pot with 50 ml (1/5-cup) water. Let the mixture melt on low heat. Stir. Remove from heat. Stir in optional ingredients. Cool. Store in an air-tight container.

Note: For fragrance, best is to avoid lemon, lime, grapefruit or bergamot essential oils which can react with sunlight.