Lip Balm For Chapped Lips: Here’s How To Choose The Right Lip Balm For Yourself

Lips have no oil glands and a much thinner outer layer than the rest of your skin. This automatically means that your lips tend to lose moisture quicker as well as burner easily. Needless to say, the best lip balm for chapped lips depends on why your lips are chapped. There are other factors that cause your lips to chap too which include sun, daily dryness, weather changes and the likes.

BeBe Tip: Any form of sun exposure needs SPF. Whereas mild dryness needs hydration, and cracked or peeling lips need repair.

Best for: Use during daytime, commuting, travel, anyone who spends time outdoors.

Just like the rest of your body and face, sun exposure harms your lips too and more so considering how thin the skin is making it more susceptible to damage. However, most people tend to skip SPF in their lip balm which causes the lips to dry out faster, be more chapped and cracked and over time become darker.

What to look for: SPF 30 or higher, and a texture that's comfortable enough to reapply.

Product pick: Minimalist Lip Balm SPF 30 is a simple daytime option. It also works as a great nighttime lip mask due to its thick consistency that can be layered on thickly. We suggest you apply it every morning and reapply through the day if you're outside, eating or drinking.

BeBe Tip: Think of it as sunscreen for your lips. If you wear one balm during the day, make it this kind.

Best for: Best used for lips that feel dry or rough but aren't cracked.

If you're someone whose lips are simply dry but not cracked then chances are you don't need anything heavy. A lightweight hydrating balm that can be applied throughout the day helps keep them hydrated and soft, also helping with the barrier of your skin.

What to look for: a light, comfortable texture and ingredients that support moisture.

Product pick: Lakme Peptide Lip IV Hydrating Lip Balm suits daily top-ups when your lips feel dry or look dull. It is best known to aid with moisturisation with it;s peptides and niacinamide backed formula. We suggest you simply pop it into your bag and use it after meals, before lipstick, and before bed.

BeBe Tip: Hydrating balms keep lips comfortable day to day. For deeply cracked lips, they usually aren't enough alone.

Best for: For lips that encounter splits, flaking, peeling and lips that sting.

When the lip barrier is damaged, the goal changes. You cannot simply cater to hydrating your lips. You need to seal in moisture and give the skin a protected space to heal. That's where thicker, occlusive formulas come in.

What to look for:

• Occlusive ingredients such as petrolatum, beeswax or shea butter, which form a protective layer and reduce moisture loss
• Soothing, healing ingredients such as ceramides or panthenol
• A fragrance-free formula, since fragrance can irritate already damaged lips

How to use it: Apply a thick layer at night and re-apply through the day. Don't pick at flakes. Let them lift off on their own at their own time.

Dark lips and chapped lips are two different things. The honest answer is that there's no overnight fix to it either. Lip colour is influenced by genetics, sun exposure, dryness and irritation hence improvement when trying to salvage dark lips comes from consistent habits formed over weeks and not days.

A realistic routine:

1. Protect: Use SPF every day. This matters most, because sun exposure can deepen pigmentation.
2. Exfoliate gently: Do this once or twice a week at most, with a soft method. No harsh scrubbing is ever needed since the skin on the lips are already quite thin and susceptible to further damage.
3. Use brightening ingredients: When it comes to ingredients, vitamin C is a popular one for uneven tone.
4. Be patient: It's important to be patient. Expect gradual change, not a dramatic shift.

Product pick: Minimalist L-Ascorbic Acid 8% Lip Treatment Balm targets darkness and uneven tone. Use it on lips that are intact, not cracked or raw, since active ingredients can sting on broken skin. If your lips are chapped, heal them first with a repair balm, then add this in.

No matter how hard we try to fix the little things to achieve what we want even when it comes to something like chapped lips, there are a few habits that need to be shaken off because even the right balm for you cannot win against these;

• Licking your lips. Saliva evaporates fast and leaves lips drier than before. This is the classic chapping cycle.
• Harsh lip products. Strongly flavoured, mentholated or heavily fragranced balms and long-wear lipsticks can irritate or dry lips out.
• Peeling flakes. This tears healthy skin and can start new cracks.
• Not drinking enough water. Dehydration shows up on lips quickly. So be sure to hydrate throughout the day.
• Over-exfoliating. Scrubbing every day damages the barrier you're trying to repair.

Most chapped lips improve with the right balm and better habits. However, it is important to know when to reach out to a doctor. We suggest to see one if;

• Cracks at the corners of your mouth don't heal after a week or two, or keep coming back
• Lips are swollen, painful, bleeding or have sores that don't heal
• There's no improvement despite consistent care and avoidance of the above mentioned habits.

• Morning : Minimalist Lip Balm SPF 30
• Through the day: Lakme Peptide Lip IV Hydrating Lip Balm as needed
• Night: a thick repair balm if your lips are cracked
• Dark lips: Minimalist L-Ascorbic Acid 8% Lip Treatment Balm on intact lips, alongside daily SPF

The best lip balm for dry chapped lips is the one that matches what your lips actually need right now.

Chapped lips rarely need more balm, in fact they need the right balm. Once you know whether your lips are dealing with sun, everyday dryness, or actual cracking, the choice gets simple; SPF like Minimalist Lip Balm SPF 30 for daytime protection, Lakme Peptide Lip IV Hydrating Lip Balm for regular hydration, and a thick, occlusive repair balm at night when lips are cracked.

If darkness or uneven tone is your concern, Minimalist L-Ascorbic Acid 8% Lip Treatment Balm can help over weeks, alongside daily SPF and gentle exfoliation. Use it only on intact lips, and heal any cracks first.

Pair the right lip balm for chapped lips with better habits: stop licking and peeling, avoid harsh products, and drink enough water. And if cracks at the corners of your mouth don't heal, see a doctor rather than reapplying indefinitely.