How can I cure chapped lips?

How can I cure chapped lips?
Lips chap when its natural moisture is lost either by over-use of matte lipsticks or eating citric fruits or even by smacking lips too often. It could also be an allergic reaction to your toothpaste, mouthwash or lipstick.

Some tips to avoid chapped lips:
First rule of winter lip care: Don't lick your lips! Especially in cold weather, frequent lip-licking (something most of us do without even thinking about it) can lead to dry, cracked, painful lips. That's because as the saliva on your lips evaporates, it takes your lips' natural moisture with it -- and since lips don't have oil glands, their natural moisture is scarce to begin with. Once you've sworn off licking, here are some other tricks to turn your lips smooth and soft:

* Use a lip balm to help seal in moisture. Stay away from flavoured balms; you may just end up smacking your lips unable to resist the great taste. Try Vaseline Lip Guard.
* Exfoliate your lips once a week. Wet a soft toothbrush and gently brush your lips with a circular motion.
* Instead of using drying matte lipsticks, line your lips with a lipliner, then fill them in and cover with a gloss.
* Apply and reapply a thick, moisturising lip balm. For already-chapped lips, look for a medicated balm containing cooling, pain-reducing ingredients such as camphor, menthol, and phenol.
* Once your lips have healed, switch to a non-medicated balm with ingredients like vitamin E, allantoin, and honey. Apply in the morning, throughout the day under or over lipstick, and before bed.
* Slough off flakes. To keep lips silky, use a washcloth or wet toothbrush (skip the paste) to gently buff your lips every other day.
* Use a humidifier. Dry indoor air can sap the moisture from lips, so use a humidifier when you're indoors, and especially while you sleep.



How can I prevent dry feet and hands?
Apply olive oil on your hands and feet every night to avoid dry and flaky skin. Applying a moisturising lotion also does the trick. Use moisturisers from reputed companies as they have longer durability. Moisturising bars and glycerine-based soaps are also of great help too.

What about dandruff?
Winter is the time when dandruff strikes hard and again, it is mainly due to dry weather. Dandruff is basically nothing but dry scalp skin that flakes out. The key is to retain moisture in the scalp so that the skin doesn't peel off. Oil your hair twice a week and wash it with a good anti-dandruff shampoo with lukewarm water.

If I have oily skin, need I moisturise it?
Most people with oily skin have a wrong notion that they don't need moisturisers in winter. They feel that doing this will make their skin oilier. But even oily skin needs its own share of dampening. What you can do is use water-based moisturisers to avoid the blotchy look.

Simple solutions to three of your biggest winter hair worries:
Our hair has it rough all year long: But winter assaults hair in the worst ways. Read on for tips on how to beat the trickiest winter problems:

Problem: Dry, fuzzy ends
Solution: Schedule trims religiously -- every four to six weeks -- which prevents fried ends from getting worse. Stock up on a conditioner that's richer than your summer conditioner, and try an ultra-moisturising hair mask every week.

Problem: Static and flyaways
Solution: Spritz on a leave-in conditioner before you style, which helps to weigh hair down. When hair is dry, apply a small dab of shine serum with your hands, or mist on a light dose of hairspray. In the worst cases, rely on hairstylists' age-old solution: Spray a brush with Static-Guard, and run it through your hair.

Problem: Dullness
Solution: Ask your colourist to add a few highlights or apply a clear gloss to boost shine and luminosity. If you don't colour, use a gel or cream with silicone (a shine enhancer) before you style your hair.