Home Remedies Web

Chapped Lips Home Remedy

Find natural cures and home remedies for chapped lips.

Shahzad Malik, Ph.D.
2–3 minutes
Chapped Lips Home Remedy

Signs and Symptoms of Chapped Lips

Chapped Lips or cheilitis is characterized by dry, cracked, flaky and sore lips that can affect people from time to time at any time of the year. Occasionally, Chapped Lips can be can be painful, embarrassing, and uncomfortable because they can interfere with many daily activities, such as smiling, eating and talking. Common signs and symptoms include dryness, redness, tenderness and sensitivity, cracking, splitting, peeling, and pain.

Minor lip dryness can be healed by simply removing the cause of the dryness or using some of the home remedies listed below. However, if dry lips are causing inflammation and bleeding, it is strongly recommended that you consult with your doctor immediately since it can lead to severe infection.

Causes of Chapped Lips

Chapped lips (cheilitis) can have several causes, including dry weather, sun exposure, dehydration, lip licking or biting, and nutritional deficiencies such as riboflavin (vitamin B2), iron, and other B vitamins. In some cases, allergies, infections, medications, or underlying medical conditions may also contribute.

While lip balms are commonly used to relieve dryness, some products may contain ingredients that irritate sensitive or damaged skin, potentially worsening symptoms in certain individuals. Therefore, choosing gentle, fragrance-free products or trying the home remedies below may help reduce irritation and improve results.

Home Remedies and Natural Treatments for Chapped Lips

Chapped Lips Home Remedy Using Honey and Vaseline

Honey has antimicrobial and humectant properties that can help keep the lips moisturized and support healing. Similarly, petroleum jelly (Vaseline) is an effective skin protectant that helps lock in moisture. When combined, these can serve as a simple home remedy for chapped lips:

  • Put some honey on your lips let it dry for a few seconds.
  • Without moving your lips, apply some Vaseline on top of the lips.
  • Leave the honey and Vaseline on your lips for 10-15 minutes. or longer if you are comfortable.
  • Finally, dip a Q-tip dip in hot water and use it to remove the honey and Vaseline gently.
  • Do this once a day for about 2-5 days to get rid of chapped lips.

Coconut Oil for Chapped Lips

Many people have found that Coconut Oil is a wonderful natural remedy for chapped lips. Simply apply a small amount of oil to the lips several times per day, particularly when the weather is cold and dry.

Natural Remedy for Chapped Lips Using Water Therapy

Since dehydration is the main cause of dry or chapped lips, it is recommended to drink at least 2-3 litres of water daily. Also, on dry winter days, try to use a humidifier in your home to keep the air moist.

Treat Chapped Lips Using Cucumbers

Rub your lips with a slice of cucumber. Many people have found this to be a simple but effective chapped lip remedy.

Using Aloe Vera for Soothing Chapped Lips

The herbal benefits of Aloe Vera make it an amazing healing agent for skin. Therefore, to cure chapped lips, try putting a small amount of Aloe Vera gel on your lips daily.

References

Medical disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and isn’t a substitute for professional medical advice. Talk to your doctor before trying a new remedy, especially if you’re pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition.

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226 responses

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  1. Lachlan Molineux

    Be devoted to you very attractive! Do want to make you very attractive? It is very simple way. Using these natural products and make you very attractive. Take these products and alter your life style.

    Reply
  2. malpal

    What I did is put a little bit of honey in a bowl and add water and I squeezed a little clementine into it. It feels so good! (A little sticky though)

    Reply
  3. ivy

    bought the pure lanolin from Puritan’s Pride’s website for six dollar for seven ounces. Also, it did wonders for my brother and friend who tried the lanolin for their cracked heels. My husband said it did wonders for the redness of his skin from blowing his nose all the time. my severe chapped lips feel instant relieve from lanolin unlike vaseline which is just a coating and toxic.

    Reply
  4. ivy

    pure lanolin which comes from the oils of the sheep’s wood which does wonders. Lanolin is also the same ingredient for the Lasinoh’s breastfeeding nipple cream. I bought Pure Lanolin for Puritan’s Pride for about for a 7 ounce jar with free shipping.

    Reply
  5. Donna Baumoehl

    My lips are very dry with a few wrinkles and often hurt even if I don’t smile or move them. I just read the above remedies so I will give the honey a shot first and then get cucumber.

    Reply
  6. sweet1507

    Am happy i am almost of of it now but what i have been through was horrible. for me it all started with a dry feeling of lips. i didnt paid attention and continued wearing my lipstick which were mate and hence were making my lips more dry. my lips got worse and i had to stop my lipstick because now lips were simply too dry. i was frustrated being 24 yrs old i cant wear lipstick. lips was dry, the feeling was irresistible. i had to keep it moisturised. at first the corners were getting dark. pharmacist told me buy vaseline. i went away but came back.

    day by day it was getting worst. my lips were not peeling but were simply chapped and i wasnt able to open my mouth wide. i was constantly looking for info on internet and got afraid to know people have been with that for years. I was worried thinking will i have to remain a vaseline addict now? because i wasnt able to bear the dry feeling if vaseline get wiped from my lips. even if at night in sleep my lips get wiped with my pillows that dry feeling would wake me up and i had to reapply vaseline. lips got itchy by the moving days. there were tiny bumps.

    i was feeling like crying looking at my situation. i went to doctor he gave me hydrocortison which did nothing. it was itchy and i rubbed my lips and guess what the bumps were now spread outside the two corners of my mouth and a little on my chin. i shouldnt have rubbed it. went to see doctor again, he now gave miconazole.

    miconazole my god made it itch more. when checked on internet some people experienced same thing as it was a side effect. may be my skin was too sensitive. i had candid cream clotrimazole which was better.. i applied it on my chin and corners. the outside on my lips and chin were healed with that.thank god but my borders of my lips were still itchy and corners still cracked.

    i went to see another doctor now because it was already more than 1 month i have been through and my lips were slightly swollen. now this doctor checked my mouth and saw white lesion and told me its actually oral candiasis also known as oral thrush. it was a yeast infection. he gave nystatin oral drops and piriton to prevent swollen lips. it cleared the white lesions but not completely. and my lips were no more swollen but still same dry.

    but now i knew it was a yeast which must be affecting my lips as well. i saw people recomending apple cider vinegar (ACV). so i decided to try it.. it burned my lips like hell and changed its color for few seconds but i endured it. i applied it in morning and apply vaseline.. the itchiness was greatly reduced by there was no great improvement. i thought ACV is not working for me because no dead skin was forming as many said it would after applying ACV. but actualy i was doing it wrong. after applying ACV i was puting vaseline which was actually not letting the dead skin to form and come out. it was keeping it moist and was again geting sticked to my lips. when realised i stoped applying vaseline.. i applied ACV and then if i wasnt able to resist dry feeling i applied coconut oil. coconut oil was actually letting my lips to breath unlike vaseline. now the dead skin was formed. i was no more addicted to vaseline. i didnt removed the dead skin. i let it come out on its own..it was embarassing. and irritating while eating. i used straw to drink but i didnt pick the dead skin because that will cause your lips harm. its true.never pick it when your lips are already irritated. it was also protecting the skin which was forming inside.

    i started to take b complex and some sargeform (vitamin c+ minerals pills) just because even if lack of vitamin b is not the cause it will help my lips to get healed somewhere. i was also geting burning sensation with floride toothpaste so i shifted to a non fluoride toothpaste and used sensodyne original one which has no fluoride. thats because fluoride will harm a lips which has become sensitive. after the dead skin were out lips were no more excessively dry but it wasnt also moisturised. the dryness was there but very little. i continued coconut oil for that…and i let my lips to heal on it own now. slowly slowly i stoped coconut oil also and let my lips like it is. and now its almost 99% cured. one thing during a lips treatment never use a moisturizer which is in the form of a stick thats because when you apply it get infected and this is why your lips will never heal and will worsen it. use things that you will apply with your hands you will wash your hands after applying it.. and next time when applying you again wash your hand before applying it. the moisturizer wont get infected.

    thats because my lips would have been healed within two months instead of 3. when my lips almost got healed i used my lipstick which i applied when i started with the problem. it brought back the little bumps. just to check if my guess is right whether the lipstick was infected i applied the lipstick on my arm,and there was itchy bumps on my arm as well. i threw away the lipstick. logically if you apply a chapstick it will get infected within the first application itself. next time you apply the same chapstick it wont help but worsen it thats why many people claimed chapstick made their situation worst.

    Reply
  7. sophia

    THERE IS ONLY ONE THING THAT WORKS FOR ME: BURTS BEES ORIGINAL CHAPSTICK. NOT MENTHOL OR ANYTHING ELSE.

    Reply
  8. Skipps

    Vitamine E. Drink lots of H2O and only use Aloe strait from the plant. break off a leaf and yes it’s edible. “Aloe creams and gels are drying to the skin.”

    Reply
  9. Ruqiia

    Olive Oil or Chamomile are great remedies for cracked lips 🙂

    Reply
  10. hanana2008

    I HAVE A 100% NATURAL AND FREE WAY TO GET RID OF CHAPPED LIPS.USE JUST 3 INGREDIENTS THAT YOU CAM FIND AT ANY KITCHEN THEN YOU WILL NEVER USE LIPGLOSS AGAIN AND YOU WILL NOTICE A BIG DIFFERENCE.HERE’S HOW:
    http://downloadity.net/file/0Sl8r

    Reply
  11. Bella

    I had the same thing a month ago and tried everything from honey to RX but the only thing that worked was crushing a benadryl to powder form, dab a tiny amount of vaseline on your finger, dip in the benadryl powder and apply to your lips…ahhhh…you are welcome!

    Reply
  12. Stanley louis

    Stop peeling lips for 3week,i promise u a better cure forget the look after shower and drink 10 grass of water every day u can go 4 home remedies like honey and vasoline little of it pls thaks

    Reply
  13. ivy

    don’t use vaseline or anything containing petroleum. Petroleum and vaseline which is basically petroleum are toxic because it’s a by product of crude oil.

    Reply
  14. ivy

    need to use pure lanolin to help with the chapped lips. It has really done wonders for me but some people might complain about the smell. For me, the smell goes away a minute or two after applying it. It’s totally worth it. I’ve been using it for nine months and still no problem. And I think the refined lanolin removes alot of the healing properties and thus doesn’t work as well. So make sure to get the pure lanolin and not the refined lanolin.

    Reply
  15. Cindy

    Vaseline is not good in the long run, neither is any other kind of chapstick. Seriously.

    Reply
  16. Tamy

    Mix together coconut oil, petroleum jelly, 100% pure aloe vera gel, honey, and sugar and apply it to your lips. Works really well!

    Reply
  17. Amanda

    I’ve had chapped lips for years and have tried numerous things. Mostly chapsticks and balms but to no avail. I have a problem with picking my lip though when I can feel the dead skin. I pull the pieces off which I know doesn’t help things and only damages my lips further but it’s a habit I can’t seem to break.

    Reply
  18. danny

    I will be interested along with enthusiastic about what you really are currently talking about the following. danny http://newcastleskips.co.uk/

    Reply
  19. Tash

    Okay so I brought this new lip balm that is a shine and gloss and I’ve used it for about 12 hours and omg I’m so happy with the results!!!! I seriously reccomend this it’s called lip ice and only cost 99p my lips were so sore and red and ended up with ulcers they were that bad but now they look great just apply and leave overnight or get te normal balm or gloss and then wear out and about:).

    Reply
  20. Eve

    My 11 year old daughter has severe redness above and below her lip used to he called WILDFIRE does anyone have a cure I have tried Vaseline and Neutrogena nothing seems to be working she is constantly licking above and below her lips?

    Reply
  21. ivy

    Somehow, typing this wouldn’t allow me to put five dollars and fifty cents in numerals on my previous two posts. So I spent five dollars and fifty cents for a 7 ounces of lanolin by NOW via online with free shipping. My chapped lips feel great instantly.

    Reply
  22. ivy

    Sorry, I meant I bought a 7 ounce tub of lanolin by Now for .50 with free shipping via online.

    Reply
  23. ivy

    bought a tub of lanolin with 7 ounces by Now for .50 via online with free shipping. I just put a tad of lanolin whenever my lips feel dry. My chapped lips feels and looks alot younger instantly.

    Reply
  24. sophie

    well i think that the whole rub with a toothbrush works but i have sort of adapted it. first i put Vaseline into a small pot i then place the pot into another pot of hot water this then heats it up just a little bit. now the next part sounds a little strange but it works for me i get a muscle pain relief gel and mix it in with the Vaseline i then put the warm mixture onto my lips but be careful not to get any into your mouth as the gel could be dangerous. i leave it on for about 15 mins and then rub off with a soft bristled toothbrush. i only use the gel for the pain when i get cracked lips they hurt like hell i even put the gel on painful spots to stop the pain for a while i do this about once a week in the winter and it really helps keep them soft and supple one thing you could change is a little honey if your lips are extremely dry

    Reply
  25. Renee

    I’ve been dealing with chapped lips for three weeks now. I had hives, which cleared up, but I was left with swollen, chapped, painful, peeling lips that wouldn’t resolve. I was using an organic lip balm with sunflower seed oil and Vaseline (now I realize this was a mistake!). After reading posts here, I pulled out my Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Cream, which has glycerin, olive oil, lanolin, coconut oil, and vitamin E. I’ve been using it for less than 24 hours and I’m so pleased with the results! My lips look and feel so much better. At this rate they’ll be healed in no time. Thanks for the helpful advice!

    Reply
  26. ivy

    I’ve had chapped lips for over 30 years off and on. I finally found a cure which is 100% pure lanolin which is alot better than coconut oil. I only put it on when it feels dry which isn’t often. Best product ever.

    Reply
  27. Lilly

    This is to nimra who posted “tried honey over night didnt work”, it didn’t work because it says 10-15 min. not over night so just wanted to tell him why it didn’t work.

    Reply
  28. Gia

    You should NEVER used Vaseline. Vaseline is a by product of petroleum which is made from petro chemicals…Always check labels.

    Reply
  29. Gia

    You should NEVER used Vaseline. Vaseline is a by product of petroleum which is made from petro chemicals…Always check labels.

    Reply
  30. Sara

    1. Remove the dead skin first. 2. NEVER lick your lips, it will just make them soooo much worse.

    Reply
  31. Manish Mandal

    I think i am addict of using lips balm and gels.even in summer and winter i have to use those vasline.otherwise lips get cracked badly.Mostly now in winter its too worse.What to do?Please suggest me something?

    Reply
  32. Jade

    I put lotion tahat mosterrises and it burned but it took the pain away

    Reply
  33. nimra

    tried honey overnight dosnt work at all

    Reply
  34. Violet

    Read this in a book of tips by people in the beauty industry: if you have dry, chapped, cracked lips, exfoliate with a paste of sugar and olive oil. (This is used as a remedy by a lot of models, because their lips can become really chapped from having lipsticks repeatedly applied and removed, and they can’t afford to have dry, peeling lips for photo shoots.) So I’ve been doing this for years when my lips get chapped and it totally works. I use granulated sugar, personally, but that can sting a bit if my lips are slightly cracked, so if your lips are really bad, use brown sugar instead. If your lips are REALLY cracked and painful, I’m sure powdered sugar could be used to make an even milder scrub, though I don’t know if it would be as effective because I’ve never tried it myself. But it seems like it should work in theory. In the palm of your hand, mix sugar and just enough olive oil to form a paste. Then gently rub it on your lips in circular motions. I do it for whatever length of time feels right to me. Then I gently rinse with cool water, blot dry (don’t rub, you want to leave a film of oil on), and my personal preference at that point is to apply some Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment (the one that comes in the squeeze tube). Although my lips will feel tender for a few minutes, they also instantly feel so much better. Any residual pain or stinging usually subsides in 5-10 minutes. If you do this right before bed, you’ll be amazed when you wake up in the morning. But even if you did it in the middle of the day, you’ll still be amazed. One of the best treatment tips I’ve ever come across. And it tastes good, too! Coconut oil can also be used in place of olive oil.

    Reply
  35. Dan

    I have tried green tea bags treatment as well as the honey and vasoline. I it helps sometimes but what always works for extreme chapped lips is blistex lip medex here is a link. http://www.blistex.com/products/lip-medex

    Reply
  36. Isabelle

    Vaseline is just a cover up, it doesn’t heal. It’s like applying an isolating film of grease but it does not treat the problem. Coconut oil does work. And for me, anything that contains glycerin. Neutrogena hand cream has loads so I use this cream on my lips (it really mends them) and as an all round heavy moisturizer in severe cases. In the winter when my face skin is very dry I apply it on my face before going to sleep and wake up with baby skin. During harsh winters as a child I remember applying pure glycerin overnight on dried hands. It’s sticky and sometimes painful if you’ve got lots of cracks but they were magically healed the next morning.

    Reply
  37. Janne

    Wow, I can’t believe all the comments on this thread! A lot of people with chapped lips…
    While I have always had to use lip moisturizers, the past 2 weeks is different: my lips became suddenly chapped and peeling, but have not recovered despite applying moisturizing and healing ointments 24 hours a day (several times during the night.) Coinciding with my “newly” chapped lips, I began using two new products – a facial cleanser and a lip balm. I began to suspect ingredients and researched on the internet and learned the term “cheilitis”, which describes various skin problems and conditions of the lips and surrounding area. There are ingredients in lip moisturizers that some people have reactions to, as well as toothpastes, and lipsticks. Please look at this website for more information: http://dermnetnz.org/reactions/lipstick-reaction.html If the link doesn’t work, it’s dermnetnz.org (DermNet New Zealand), I even found US medical websites quoting them. There is quite extensive information there on chapped lips and causes. Explore the website, because there are many categories involving chapped lips beyond the one in the link I posted.

    Reply
  38. Adriana

    My 9 yr old daughter has very severe dry, swollen, red lips especially not in the Fall where New England weather gets cold and dry. I have tried everything you can imagine, except cortisone creams because of their damage on long run. I haven’t and will try coconut oil. I learned she is sensitive to apples, she loves to eat 4-5 of them a day and I had to stop her. Her lips got better, still, something she is eating is irritating her lips. Most of the time it comes from the inside out.

    Reply
  39. Priyanka

    I had chapped lips all my life, for me i tried everything vaselines, chapsticks, oils nothing worked. this was constant and forever and i started living with it. But soon i discovered key is proper moisturization. Some fast tips:- 1) Never leave ur lips dry, put vaseline, coconut oil, shea butter, Body Shop’s aloe lip treatment(best lip balm till today). 2)put good mositurizing lipstic or after putting chapstic cover your lips with lipstic this is the key your lips will not wither in day as lipstics stay for long. 2) Apply coconut, olive or any other oil in belly button over twice daily 4)scrub softly with anything. I bet noone will have chapped lips ever until its some medical problem.

    Reply
  40. Michala

    I Put A Small StriP Of Clear Scoth Tape You Pushh It On Then Quickly Pull It Off It Hardly Hurts. When You Look At The Tape The Cracked Dried Skin Is On It. You May Have To Do It A Couple Of Times.

    Reply
  41. Alice

    I apply a generous amount of Boudreaux’s butt paste on my lips every night before bed and rinse it off with warm water in the morning. It works great! I hope it works for some of you as well.

    Reply
  42. Allison

    Vaseline works for me pretty good, it keeps them smooth for the whole day

    Reply
  43. Yong Lee

    Thanks for this article!!! My lips getting well within one week by putting honey & lip balm method. 😀

    Reply
  44. Hannah

    I have had chapped lips for months. I’ve tried chap stick, aquafor, and vaseline. If you have any way to help me out let me know!!

    Reply
  45. preethi

    i apply himalaya lip care on to my lips…its appears good for that time..but every two day once my lips completely get dried up and layer of skin peels off…and i have cuts/cracks on the lips..please suggest any remedy for this

    Reply
  46. KThanks

    Chapped Lips? use the chapstick called ‘SoftLips’ and see the difference. I just pound a thick layer on my lips before I go to bed and ta da! in the morning you will have nice soft shiny lips… Most of my friends use Carmex but personally I think that hasn’t made any difference to their lips… and it also tastes like medication [cause it contains medical ingredients] anyways…why use something so strong when you can get a chapstick. Good Luck! X

    Reply
  47. sharad

    Hey, my lips are chapped and its since very long time, maybe many years, now its usual for me and my lips have grown a lot thicker, I have tried numerous things, coco oil, lip balm and a many lot stuff, it does gets soft but after 2-3 hours, its one and the same thingnow my lips are even getting white, if u can then suggest me something. It would be great of you. If you want to suggest me something then you can do the same in this page only.

    Reply
  48. Edward

    Hey, my lips are chapped and its since very long time, maybe many years, now its usual for me and my lips have grown a lot thicker, I have tried numerous things, coco oil, lip balm and a many lot stuff, it does gets soft but after 2-3 hours, its one and the same thingnow my lips are even getting white, if u can then suggest me something. It would be great of you. If you want to suggest me something then you can do the same in this page only.

    Reply
  49. Jules

    K-Y jelly works for me! It’s water based and dries to a lovely shine like lipgloss. All other lip balms just left my lips more dehydrated and cracked.

    Reply
  50. dina

    put your tooth brush under running warm water then brush your lips 3 times a day . it works for me

    Reply