How to Hydrate Lips: 8 Tips To Keep Lips Moisturized

Table of Contents

• What Can Cause Dry Lips?
• How to Moisturize Lips: Our Top 8 Tips
• Products That Will Keep Your Lips Hydrated

Chapped lips put a damper on your day — and your beauty routine. Not only do they feel uncomfortable, but dry lips make applying your favorite lipstick nearly impossible. Between seasonal changes and everyday habits, several factors can cause your lips to dry out and peel. The good news? You don’t have to accept chapped lips as an inevitable part of your life. In this guide, we’ll explain how this happens and share 8 tips on how to hydrate lips to keep them moist, plump, and looking gorgeous!

What Can Cause Dry Lips?

Let’s face it — lip dryness comes from everywhere! While we can’t control everything (hello, winter weather!), knowing what’s drying out your pout helps you fight back. Whether it’s that new medication or your marathon coffee sessions, identifying the root cause is the first step to figuring out the best way to moisturize your lips. Here are some common causes:

• Allergies/medical conditions: Certain conditions, including eczema, food allergies, and vitamin deficiencies, can result in dry lips.
• Sun exposure: The delicate skin on your lips lacks natural protection and is particularly vulnerable to sun damage, which leaves lips parched.
• Cold or dry environments: Cold weather attacks your lips on two fronts — low temperatures and harsh winds strip away moisture, while indoor heating further dehydrates your skin. 
• Lack of consistent hydration: Here’s another compelling reason to drink more water — dehydration almost always shows up first on your lips.
• Some medications: Certain medications, including specific antibiotics, antidepressants, and diuretics, can cause lip dryness as a side effect.

If your health or lifestyle makes you prone to chapped lips, knowing how to keep lips moisturized becomes even more essential.

How to Moisturize Lips: Our Top 8 Tips

We’re all about action! Here are some of the best ways to hydrate lips for a perfect, healthy pout!

1. Swap Irritating Lip Products for Moisturizing Ones

Learning how to keep lips hydrated begins with prevention. Many popular lip products can actually worsen dryness. Stains and some lipsticks often contain alcohol, waxes, and fragrances that strip natural oils from your lips. Some lip plumpers can also backfire. While they initially create that coveted fullness, their active ingredients — like menthol and peppermint — can ultimately dry out your lips, leaving them even more shriveled than before.

Instead, opt for more hydrating lip products that contain moisturizing ingredients, like our liquid matte lipstick collection. Available in a variety of sensational colors, our lipstick boasts nourishing ingredients like shea butter, jojoba, and oils that will not only help soothe your lips but will also stimulate collagen and hyaluronic acid.

2. Stay Hydrated With Water

Beautiful lips start from within. When you drink plenty of water, your entire body benefits — including your lips. Understanding how to keep your lips moist begins with proper internal hydration. Without adequate water intake, your body prioritizes vital organs, and unfortunately, your lips aren’t considered essential. Give your body enough water so it doesn’t need to make these tough choices!

3. Use Lip Balm With SPF

Many people forget to include their lips when applying SPF, which undermines all your hydration efforts. UV rays are especially harsh on your lip’s delicate skin. Incorporate a lip product with SPF into your daily beauty routine, applying it before any color products like lipsticks and stains to create a protective base layer.

4. Apply a Lip Mask Before Bed

While you sleep, your body undergoes intensive cellular repair. This makes nighttime the ideal moment to apply a lip mask and maximize its healing effects. Our Sweet Dreams Lip Therapy is specially formulated with vitamin C for lips and infused with calming lavender.

5. Avoid Biting and Licking Lips

You might not even realize you’re doing it, but biting and licking your lips strips away their natural moisture. Biting creates tiny tears, leaving your skin vulnerable to infection and irritation. Licking, though it feels refreshing in the moment, actually worsens dryness. As saliva evaporates, it pulls moisture from your lips.

6. Reapply Products Often

Your lips need constant attention. Applying a hydrating product once in the morning isn’t enough. Make a habit of reapplying your hydrating lip product several times throughout the day, especially when you start to feel that telltale tightness. For products with SPF, follow the UV protection guidelines and reapply every 30, 60, or 90 minutes, depending on the formula’s specifications.

7. Try Exfoliating Lips Weekly

When lips are already cracked and peeling, exfoliation becomes your first priority — even before focusing on how to rehydrate your lips. A gentle exfoliation removes the dead skin cells that cause a flaky appearance and creates a smooth canvas for hydrating products to penetrate effectively. Create your own natural scrub by mixing coffee grounds, sugar, or salt with coconut oil for a gentle and effective treatment.

8. Start Using a Humidifier

Dry air is the enemy of moist lips. Knowing how to hydrate lips means considering your environment, too. If you’ve been waking up with a scratchy throat, your home’s air is likely too dry. Dry air pulls moisture from your body, including your lips. A humidifier boosts ambient moisture levels, helping your body maintain adequate hydration for plump, smooth skin everywhere.

How to Keep Your Lips Hydrated With Only1 Cosmetics

Soft, supple lips are the cornerstones of natural beauty, and now that you know how to hydrate your lips, chapped skin will never interfere with your beauty goals. At Only1 Cosmetics, we offer several clean formulations that nourish your lips while adding radiant color. Shop the look by pairing our tinted hydrating lip balm with our jojoba-infused clean lip liner for a perfectly defined smile that feels as good as it looks.