With the Winter season finally setting in and the clear lack of moisture in the air, our lips and skin tend to get rather dry and flaky easily. While you can easily use a moisturizer for your skin, chapped lips, however, can be tricky to deal with.

Chapped lips are otherwise known as cheilitis. The lip area is one of the most sensitive areas on your body, and does not have the same oil concentration of oil glands that act as a barrier to dryness. On top of that, lips are exposed to factors like licking throughout the day (we're all guilty of it), and cold weather.

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So, with the drop in the temperature, the lips too start to become cracked and flaky. Another reason why you may have chapped lips could be if you have extremely sensitive skin prone to sun damage. And, while a lip emollient once in a while might help soothe your lips temporarily, it's tough to find a permanent solution for this.

There are however triggers for chapped lips that you can fix:

1. Regularly wearing a lip balm that has ingredients like occlusive agents, such as lanolin in Aquaphor, white petrolatum in Vaseline, or beeswax, will help protect your lips.

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2. But using a good emollient better suited for your skin isn't enough. You also need to be consistent with the product, so apply it twice a day, at least, every day for a month. This way the product will be more effective on the lips.

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3. Thirdly, for flaky skin that you can't get rid of post consistent hydration, use a gentle scrub. A scrub is going to rid you of all the dry flakes. However, it's important to moisturize your skin right after that to protect the skin underneath.

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