How to Avoid Lip Chapping During Winter: 8 Steps (with Pictures) (2025)

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Co-authored byMargareth Pierre-Louis, MD

Last Updated: March 11, 2025References

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   Moisturize your lips. Applying lip moisturizer often is the best defense against lip chapping. Keep a tube of lip balm in your pocket and apply it to your lips at least once per hour.

   • Choose lip balms with an SPF 15 rating or higher if you will be outside.^[1] UV rays can be damaging to your lips and make chapped lips worse.
   • Choose lip products that are free of fragrances and dyes. These chemicals may irritate your lips even further or cause cheilosis, an inflammation of the lips or corners of the mouth.^[2] Look for a natural lip balm that contains petroleum jelly or beeswax and that does not contain any colors or artificial flavors.^[3]
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   Drink plenty of water. Dehydration may also cause lip chapping, so it is important to stay hydrated. The best way to stay hydrated is by drinking plenty of water. This will help to keep your lips moisturized and reduce the chance that they will become chapped.^[4]

   • Aim for eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day. You can also drink decaffeinated tea and juice to reach your daily fluid requirement.

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   Stop yourself from licking or biting your lips. Licking and biting irritates your lips and makes chapping worse.^[5] If you are licking or biting your lips because of the chapping, then you may need to apply more lip balm or petroleum jelly to stop yourself.

   • Try to apply some lip balm every time you find yourself licking or biting your lips.
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   Steer clear of salty, hot, and spicy foods. Spicy, hot, or salty foods can irritate your lips and may make chapping worse for some people, so you may want to limit or avoid these foods when you have chapped lips.^[6] You can resume eating these foods after your chapped lips have healed.

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   Stay inside on cold, dry days when possible. Exposing your lips to the harsh winter weather may cause chapping. Try to stay indoors if it's windy or bitterly cold. You may need to make some lifestyle adjustments to make this work.

   • For example, if you like to go for walks in the winter, then you might try to find some more indoor exercise activities to do during the winter, like taking an aerobics class or using fitness equipment.
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   Wear something over your face. Covering up the bottom half of your face will help to prevent moisture loss and chapping.^[7] If you must go out on a cold, windy day, then try wrapping a scarf over the bottom half of your face. The hoods of some winter coats even have hook-and-loop fastener or button snaps that you can secure over the bottom over your face.

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   Breathe through your nose. Breathing through your mouth when you are out in cold weather creates airflow around your lips and releases moisture. That is why you can see your breath in cold temperatures. It may not come naturally for you, but breathing through your nose may help to prevent lip chapping as well.^[8]

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   Use a humidifier. Air can become dry in your home during the winter, which may cause chapped lips. Using a humidifier in your home during the winter may help to prevent lip chapping. Try using a humidifier in your bedroom at night or on extra cold days.

   • Try to keep the humidity levels in your home between 30 to 50%. Air that is too humid can allow bacteria and other microorganisms to grow. You can purchase a hygrometer in a hardware store to measure the humidity in your home.^[9]

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