Fight the chill Protect your lips in winter

With the cold winter weather gripping much of the country, many people are experiencing dry, cracked and painful lips. The cold air, the chilling wind and the centrally heated air inside strips the moisture away from your lips leaving them chapped, flaky, slit, sore and painful, a condition known as common cheilitis. The harsh winter winds have a significant effect on our body particularly on our lips leaving them dry, chapped, flaky, cracked and even painful.

Use glossy lipsticks and lip balm. Avoid soap and powder on the lips. Remove lipstick with a cleansing cream or gel. Apply almond oil or cream at night and leave on.

After washing the face, the lips may be rubbed gently with a soft towel to remove dead skin. Apply cream of milk (malai) daily and leave on for an hour. If the lips become dark, add a few drops of lemon juice to the cream of milk. At night, apply pure almond oil daily on the lips and leave on overnight.

Honey can be mixed with sesame seeds or walnut powder and used as a scrub for the lips. A little almond oil may also be added.

Oils like Argan and Coconut oil also help to nourish the skin on the lips. Argon oil is actually native to Morocco, where it has been traditionally used for food purposes, as well as to treat skin and scalp problems. Today, it is being increasingly used for cosmetic purposes to make cosmetics like moisturisers, creams, lotions, face packs, hair oils, hair conditioners, etc.

Argan oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and Vitamin E. Since it contains Vitamin E and antioxidants, it helps to delay the visible ageing sign and even rejuvenate the skin. It protects the youthful properties of the skin, like elasticity and resilience. As it is easily absorbed by the skin, it can be ideal for the care of the lips.

The fatty acids also nourish and soften the skin. The oil was used for medicinal purposes to cure skin problems and also heal and soothe burns. It nourishes the skin and improves skin texture. Argan oil can be used directly on the skin. Use only a few drops directly on the lips.

Coconut oil has also been valued for its nourishing and moisturizing ability. It has a great skin-softening ability and helps to make the skin soft and smooth. It may be applied on the lips and is also said to protect the skin from the damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet rays of the sun.

It is said to protect the skin better than cream. It also helps to heal cracks on the lips. In fact, it can be used to remove make-up from the face, including the lips.

Coconut oil may be applied on the lips and left on overnight. Or, it can be left on for 15 minutes and wiped off with moist cotton wool. The advantage is that unlike other preparations that may contain synthetic ingredients, coconut oil can be safely applied on the lips and even ingested. Another advantage is that unlike other oils, coconut oil does not become rancid.