The Science Behind Lip Balm: Why Do Our Lips Get Chapped and How Do Lip Balms Help?

Nourish Mantra

Introduction

Like most people, you've probably experienced the pain of chapped lips at one point or another. Whether it's from the cold weather or sweltering heat, our lips can get really dry—especially in the winter and summer months. You may have turned to a lotion or spf lip balm, but did you know that there's actually science behind what makes them so effective?

In this post, we'll discuss everything there is to know about lip balms: how they work, why they're important for your health (and not just an accessory!), and even how some of those ingredients could affect your body if applied too often. So let's get started!

For most of us, chapped lips are a year-round problem, but they're especially frequent during the summer and winter months.

Lip balm is essential for healthy lips. If you have dry or chapped lips that result in cracks or sores, lip balm can help protect your lips from further damage by creating a protective barrier.

The best lip balms contain ingredients that moisturize the skin while also providing sun protection so your lips don't burn when exposed to UV rays. Many brands offer SPF 15 or higher as well as hydrating ingredients like shea butter and vitamin E oil that help keep skin soft and supple all day long (and night). Some even contain antioxidants such as green tea extract which may improve circulation underneath layers of dead cells on top of healthy pink skin underneath--making it appear fuller than before!

Here's why our lips get chapped.

Lips are made up of skin, which is a protective barrier that safeguards our lips from the elements that make it dry, chapped and cracked. When our lips are exposed to  cold, wet or windy weather, it can cause your lips to dry out and become chapped. The skin on our lips is very thin compared with other parts of our bodies--that's why they're so sensitive!

Chapped lips happen when there isn't enough moisture in them for long periods of time; this means that there's not enough oil in them either (the oil helps keep moisture locked in). When this happens regularly over time, cracks can form in the top layer of skin which makes them even more susceptible to infection from bacteria or fungi like candida yeast infections.

What are the main causes of chapped lips?

There are a few different causes of chapped lips. The most common include:

  • Weather, such as wind or cold temperatures
  • Dry air, which can be caused by heating systems and central air conditioning
  • Sun exposure, especially when you're out in the sun for extended periods of time without lip protection on (lipstick or sunscreen)
  • Excessive use of lip products like lip balms and glosses, which can lead to over-hydration of the skin and cause more moisture loss than normal as well as clogging your pores with product buildup that prevents proper healing

How to prevent chapped lips?

  • Use a lip balm regularly. The best way to prevent chapped lips is to use an SPF lip balm every day, even if you're not going outdoors. You should also reapply it often--every couple of hours or so--because your lips will lose moisture throughout the day.
  • Avoid licking your lips as much as possible! This can lead to more chapping, especially if you're prone to dryness in general or if there are already cracks in your skin from previous chapping episodes.
  • Apply an additional layer of lip balm under the lipstick: A layer of lip moisturizer before applying lipstick helps keep those pigments from settling into crevices where they might cause irritation later on down the road; plus it provides additional protection against UV rays since most lipsticks don't contain SPF but many brands do include some form thereof nowadays (including Carmex).

What can you do to make dry or chapped lips feel better?

Lip balm the ultimate saviour

Lip balm with SPF will help protect the skin from sun damage, which can cause even more dryness. You may also want to try a lip balm with hyaluronic acid or vitamin E. These ingredients moisturize and soothe the lips while providing protection from environmental factors like wind and cold weather. Shea butter is another common ingredient found in many lip products because it contains antioxidants that help keep skin healthy while also improving elasticity--so you'll have softer, smoother-feeling lips after using it regularly! Beeswax also has healing properties that can soothe irritation caused by chapping or cracking (like those pesky cold sores).

Next up: soothing agents! If your lips are chapped because they're dry and cracked (as opposed to just being sunburned), then this step is especially important for you--you need something that can soothe those irritated areas with natural ingredients like aloe vera or calendula extract rather than chemicals like menthol or camphor. These ingredients have been shown time and again not only as effective but also safe when used topically Finally: sun protection! While we don't recommend going outside with no protection whatsoever (that would be silly), we do recommend wearing a lip balm with SPF whenever possible (and especially during long hikes). This step helps keep UV rays from damaging our lips further while also preventing them from becoming even more chapped over time due to exposure.

How does lip balm work?

Lip balm is a common remedy for chapped lips. While you may think that lip balm is simply a moisturizer that helps prevent or treat dry, cracked skin on your lips, it actually does much more than this.

Lip balms contain ingredients that help protect against environmental damage and UV rays--both of which can cause premature aging of the skin around your mouth. In addition, some lip balms contain antioxidants that fight free radicals in order to reduce fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth area as well as protect against sunburns or skin cancer (which can also lead to the development of melanoma).

What should you avoid in your lip balm?

You should also avoid products that contain artificial sweeteners, colors, and flavors. The FDA has not approved any of these ingredients for use in lip balms.

  • Artificial sweeteners like saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose have been linked to cancer when consumed in large doses over time. These sweeteners can cause irritation on your lips if you use them regularly.
  • Artificial colors are used to make your lip balm look pretty but they may be harmful if ingested or applied over long periods of time. They can also stain your teeth when you eat or drink something after applying the product on your lips (and yes, this happens).
  • Parabens are preservatives found in almost every cosmetic product that prevents bacteria from growing inside a container of cream or lotion; however, parabens mimic estrogen which means it disrupts hormone levels causing an increased risk for breast cancer among women who are exposed to daily over many years through a topical application such as using this type of product frequently enough even though there currently isn't enough research done specifically about how much exposure would be required before seeing health consequences develop due solely because no one knows exactly what level would cause damage but based upon what we already know about how dangerous estrogen dominance is within our bodies then anyone who uses products containing these chemicals should stop immediately!

Are there any side effects of using too much lip balm or SPF-containing products on your face?

Too many SPF-containing products on your face can cause irritation, sensitivity, and dryness. These are all side effects that can be caused by using a lip balm with too high an SPF level. If you're experiencing these issues with your lip balm, it's best to switch to one that has less SPF or no sunscreen at all.

Get to know the science behind your favorite stick of lip moisturizer before you buy a new one.

You might think of lip balm as a simple product. You apply it, and your lips feel better. But there's actually quite a bit of science behind those little sticks of moisturizer.

Lip balms are made up mainly of waxes and oils (which are called emollients). Waxes are solid at room temperature, but they soften when they come into contact with the warmth of your skin--just like when you rub your hands together or stick them in front of an open flame! The emollients then coat the surface of your lips to seal in moisture and keep them soft all day long (or night).

How Nourish Mantra's lip balm is best for you all year round?

Nourish mantra lip balm

Nourish Mantra's lip balm is made with natural ingredients, so it works better than other options on the market. We have two types of lip balms: Rose Repair Lip Balm and Beetroot Blast Lip Balm. These two products have ingredients like rose extracts, beetroot extracts, paraffin wax (boots the moisture level), carnauba wax ( has emulsification properties and excellent oil-binding capacity), shea butter (which helps keep your skin soft), vitamin E (a powerful antioxidant that protects against free radicals), castor oil (which helps prevent wrinkles), glycerin (a moisturizer), olive oil (which helps hydrate dry skin) avocado oil (provides nutrients for healthy hair growth) jojoba oil and calendula oil which makes it best lip balm for dry lips. What makes our products different? These three benefits bring the difference in our lip balms from others:

  • Reduces pigmentation - Our product reduces pigmentation which means less pigmentation marks on your lips over time!
  • Restores & repairs tissue - It restores & repairs tissue which means healthier-looking lips after you use it consistently for some time.

 

Also Read: Top - 5 skincare benefits of papaya

Conclusion

So, we've established that our lips are made of different kinds of skin: the bottom layer is thicker and more waterproof than the top layer, which means it doesn't get as chapped or dry. But when we have dry lips, what exactly causes them? Well, there are several factors involved here: one is genetics--some people just have naturally dry skin! Another reason is exposure to cold or windy weather or even just low humidity levels indoors. Finally (and most obviously), certain foods can cause dryness too (like salty snacks).