Rodan + Fields / Blog / Skincare Guides

How to Hydrate Your Lips: Essential Tips & Products


Close-up of young woman applying Rodan + Fields Plumping Lip Oil SPF 28 to her lips

Not only do dry lips make it harder to create great makeup looks, but they’re also extremely uncomfortable. Some people with severe dry lips even experience painful cracking, peeling, and bleeding. If you’re tired of dealing with dry lips, our guide will go over all the causes of dry lips and help you find effective and long-lasting lip remedies for chapped lips.

Why are my lips so dry and chapped?

Lips are prone to dryness and chapping because lip skin is much thinner than skin on other parts of the body. This makes it harder for it to retain moisture, so you’re more likely to deal with painful dryness and chapping.

There are many different issues that can contribute to dryness. Exposure to harsh weather, including sun, cold, heat, and wind, can affect your lips. Behaviors like licking your lips excessively or using drying lip products are also common dry lips causes. Dry lips can even be a sign of health issues like vitamin deficiency, dehydration, or autoimmune disorders.

How to moisturize lips naturally: 5 tips for preventing dry lips

Fortunately, dry lips aren’t an unavoidable problem. If you’re unhappy with how your lips look and feel, you have a lot of great options to try.

Hydrate regularly

If you aren’t fully hydrated, your body doesn’t have enough moisture to spare for nonessential functions. This leads to patches of dry, scaly skin all over the body, and it can be a major contributor to dry lips. To avoid this problem, make sure you’re drinking at least 11 to 15 cups of water a day.

Use a moisturizing lip balm

Lip balm can be a great way to address cracked lips, but it’s important to choose the right product. You need ingredients that will add moisture to your lips and prevent the moisture from evaporating. The best lip balms often include natural oils, vitamin E, hyaluronic acids, beeswax, and peptides.

Exfoliate gently

If your main complaint about dry lips is how it looks, try a high-quality lip scrub. Exfoliating helps to gently remove dry skin on your lips, so it gets rid of unsightly peeling or flaking. It’s also useful because it creates an even surface for your lip balm or other lip products to stick to.

Follow a balanced diet

The foods you eat also have a big impact on moisture retention. To build strong, healthy skin cells, you need plenty of vitamin B and iron. Without these nutrients, dry lips become a lot more common.

Use a lip balm with sunscreen

If you spend a lot of time outdoors, you can end up with sunburns that make your lips even drier. To avoid this problem, try getting a lip balm specially formulated to provide sun protection. A little extra SPF can prevent a lot of cracking and flaking.

Lip balms: When should you use them and why?

How often should you apply lip balm? The general rule is to apply a soothing lip balm whenever your lips feel dry. If you have chronically dry lips, you might want to apply lip balm every morning and reapply it after each meal too. You should also make sure to apply a protective layer of lip balm before spending time outdoors in harsh weather.

Lip balms can be a nice addition to your beauty routine. If you prefer tinted balms, apply them when you want a pop of color to match your look. If you like their ability to make lips look plumper, you might want to apply your lip balm alongside your other makeup.

Shop the best lip balms to moisturize lips at Rodan + Fields!

Whatever your lip care needs, Rodan + Fields has an option for you. Our line of lip care products includes a variety of helpful balms, serums, and creams. If your main priority is visibly plumping and sun protection, you might enjoy the R+F Plumping Lip Oil SPF 28. Meanwhile, you might enjoy the REDEFINE Lip Renewing Serum if you’re looking to retain moisture.

Frequently asked questions about lip care and chapped lips

Here’s what you need to know to get the perfect lip care regimen for your needs.

Can I use lip balm under lipstick?

If you want to wear both at the same time, apply the lipstick over the lip balm. However, depending on the ingredients in the products you use, lip balm can make lipstick wear off sooner. For best results, apply your lip balm 20 minutes before your lipstick to give it time to sink in.

Can lip balm help with sunburned lips?

Lip balm can provide gentle moisturization that helps to heal sunburns. If you choose a version with SPF, it also helps to protect your healing skin from more damage.

What ingredients should I look for in a lip moisturizer?

Plant-based moisturizers like sunflower seed oil and shea butter are a great way to soothe dry lips. You might also want to look for hyaluronic acid and peptides since these ingredients encourage moisture retention.

Will moisturizing my lips make them look fuller?

If your lips look sunken and wrinkled, moisturization can help. It subtly plumps up lips and reduces the appearance of fine lines.

Ultimately, the right lip balm and lifestyle choices can help you fix severe dry lips. If you’re looking for treatments for dry lips, be sure to check out the best lip balms for dry lips at Rodan + Fields.