Chapped Lips...any good way to cure them?

[ZylitoL]

Every single winter, I get chapped lips. It's like an announcement that winter is coming, and it's getting dry. This year, it's been particularly bad....=(

I have 3 cracks on my lips right now, and they hurt whenever I eat, or for that matter, move my lips in any way. It's been there for about 4 days now and I'm starting to get irritated.

It also pisses me off when I play trombone, because I can't afford to get mass amounts of saliva on my lips. So, I play with lip balm on, and the tone of the horn suffers a great deal.

Anyone have any good advice to cure them, or at least fasten the recovery? I'm using lip balm right now and the treatment is very temporary. As well, any tips to maintaining a crack-free lip?

[Lisa M]

Get a non-comedogenic, non-scented lotion like Cetaphil. Use that on your entire face after you wash it, twice a day.

After that, apply Vaseline to your lips.

Don't use lip balm, since it just masks that problem and doesn't do anything to solve it.

[Urban~Ninja]

If you got bacon, get all the fat, mash it up to a nice paste then apply a little to your lips for a few hours, good as gold.

[ZylitoL]

Thanks for the suggestions!

The problem arises when I'm at school though. Are there vaseline packs that are small and portable? The only ones that I have in my house are about the size of a Big Mac.

Any other tips are welcome! =)

[Lisa M]

I think they make Vaseline in like chap-stick-tube-things.

Keep in mind that Vaseline will not itself rehydrate you lips, but it prevents your lips from losing moisture. Hence using moisturizer in addition to the Vaseline at least 2x/day.

[Urban~Ninja]

OR THE PIG FAT!

It works a charm, put it on before you go tobed and when you wake up chapped lips will be gone.

[Soli]

I have the same problem in the winter too.
I use this stuff:
http://img.shopping.com/cctool/PrdImg/images/pr/177X150/00/01/d6/4a/22/30820898.JPG

Works like a charm. Any problems I have with dry lips is gone, and it heals cracks too. :)

[japanat]

In addition to the earlier suggestions, make sure that any soap you use rinses off completely. Don't just splash like in the soap commercials, rub it off (most soaps, even the lotioned ones, leave a pretty good film which dries skin). And make sure you are drinking enough fluids (not like the Wii lady!). Doctors recommend 1/2 oz water per pound of body weight, more for athletic people. So a 125lb person needs at least 2 qts water/day. All other drinks are on top of that, don't count them into the total. -- You will go to the bathroom a lot for the first 2-3 days, then your body adjusts to always having liquid and slows down a bit.

[ZylitoL]

Yeah good point Lisa. I need to hydrate my lips above all, and then apply stuff needed to maintain it.

I'll see if I can get the vaseline the next time I go shopping somewhere..

Urban I'm sorry but I want to stay off the pig fat =p

Soli what brand lip balm is that? I doubt I can get it though...I think all lip balms are essentially the same, and thus don't do a very good job.

japanat, I think you bring a very valid point. Come to think of it, I drink...less than 200ml of water at school daily. So, I'll definitely be drinking a lot more and see how it goes.

Thanks y'all!

[Soli]

^ No way, it works. I put it on this morning and a few hours later they felt better.

It has aloe in it, and that's put in lotion and soaps to help dry skin. So it's lotion for your lips. :P The brand is Avon.

[Plekto]

My cure was to mix vitamin E oil and aloe vera together into a slightly sticky balm.(about 1/4 Vitamin E oil, 3/4 Aloe Vera)

Works for burns and cuts as well. Good for your hands if they get chapped, too.

[mawande]

I discovered this year that if I keep hydrated (drinking lots of water, but of course not a dangerous amount) and use chapstick, I HAVE NOT SUFFERED chapped lips yet this year! After 20 years (I don't count my childhood, as parents do that part) I've learned to manage!

Yes, she can be taught. She being me.

[xtine]

I usually use some medicated Blistex. Works for me.

You play trombone too!!! I've been playing the trombone for more than eight years at high school, college, and university levels. Played a bit of everything. Concert, symphonic, wind ensemble, jazz, marching, pep band. Just never got to be in any brass ensemble or trombone choir though I really wanted to.

If the chapped lips thing bugs you enough and you are somewhat serious about playing, I'd recommend getting a gold plated mouthpiece. They are a bit expensive, but they feel real nice on your lips, and have a "slippery" feeling so you don't necessarily need to have that much saliva backup for buzz action.

I may bit of a trombone nerd for you, but what kinda horn do you use?

[ZaichikArky]

OR THE PIG FAT!

It works a charm, put it on before you go tobed and when you wake up chapped lips will be gone.

I could make a bunch of really mean jokes about Australians right now but I won't XD.

I have never heard of this "remedy". I imagine it could have been used in the outback decades ago. Oh I loze, but that was lame anyway. :3

Thanks for the tips! I am having the same problem right now and am using this 3 dollar lip balm. It works if I use it a LOT. It's called "Burt's Beezwax" and is supposedly the best balm there is. It's kind of helping the problem a little bit because my lips don't get worse, but it requires a lot of applications. I think I'll try some of the other suggestions : ).

[Trump]

Blistex is GOLD.

I live in Florida with like 2000% humidity all of the time, so whenever the air dries out I really feel it. I went backpacking in New Mexico for two weeks and after a two days my lips were about fall off they were so dry and cracked. Someone gave me a little package of Blistex and within 2 days my lips were fine again.

http://blistex.com/Lip%20Medex.htm

That stuff is pure magic... (and easy to carry around).

[ZaichikArky]

^ cool thanks!

Yeah, it's been really dry here recently(quite characteristic during this time of the norcal winter). During winterbreak my lips were quite chapped. I first was home with chapped lips, then went to Denver where my lips got even worse and I bought the 3 dollar chapstick and then I went to Broward County, Fl and VOILA my lips healed completely within about 4 days XD. I really usually hate the Floridian weather, but at least it's good for something ^_-. I go to Florida very often. hee. Orlando is the best place I've been so far. You live in an awesome area ! Must hate the tourists though. haha.

[setrict]

I put a wet towel on a rack by the heat vent in the bedroom before going to sleep. I'm not kidding! If I don't I wake up with dry sinuses and chapped lips. The extra humidity in the winter time also helps keep you from catching colds.

[ZylitoL]

I usually use some medicated Blistex. Works for me.

You play trombone too!!! I've been playing the trombone for more than eight years at high school, college, and university levels. Played a bit of everything. Concert, symphonic, wind ensemble, jazz, marching, pep band. Just never got to be in any brass ensemble or trombone choir though I really wanted to.

If the chapped lips thing bugs you enough and you are somewhat serious about playing, I'd recommend getting a gold plated mouthpiece. They are a bit expensive, but they feel real nice on your lips, and have a "slippery" feeling so you don't necessarily need to have that much saliva backup for buzz action.

I may bit of a trombone nerd for you, but what kinda horn do you use?

I play at both intermediate and high level bands at my school. I play both Jazz and Classical. Though I don't plan to go into music, trombone playing will be with me for the next who-knows-how-long years of high school+university.

I have a gold plated mouthpiece actually. It came with my horn.

I have a Conn 88H w/ CL2000 valve for classical and a King 2B Sterling Silver for jazz. The golden mouthpiece is for the 88H.

Zaichi, I've seen Burt's lip balm at my local drugs store. I'll pick that up. Thanks.

My bedroom is so damn dry, I hang 2 towels before I go to sleep and when I wake up at 6, it's dry. It's good that I'm moving to a new house soon though.

I think I might've found the cure to it, it's exactly as mawande suggested. Though it's tedious, if I hydrate my lips and THEN apply lip balm, it works like a charm. What I usually do it splash and mush my mouth with water @ a foun tain or via a water bottle, let the water seep in, and then put lip balm on. Today it worked great!! =)

[Soli]

^ Be careful with Burt's Beezwax. :blank: I had a horrible reaction to it when I tried it.

[ZylitoL]

I think I've used other Burt's products before and I was fine. I'm really not allergic to anything, maybe except mass amounts of dust.

I played horn today at school with the above technique, and it was a blast. The only minor complaint is that I have to do it pretty often, like every 2 hours or so, but it works.

[mamba]

my flat mate just uses chap stick, he's a trumpet player and hes out playing most nights and he plays outside alot, but he doesnt have any problems just using cap stick all the time, just not when he is about to play.