I use Aquafor, which is sort of like vaseline for lips when my lips are really chapped. Neosporin can also work.
Vasoline is my best answer, I use it every night before I go to bed and my lips are never dry anymore
Carmex is the best thing I use, even when my lips don't need it. I love the way it makes them feel. :3
I would use carmex, but it can be expensive, so you could Los try just regular Chapstick but put it on frequently ---------- Post added 27th Feb 2013 at 12:13 AM ---------- *also
Drink a lot of water because it will help. Often times lips get chapped because we're dehydrated. Happens to me all the time. Also I would recommend Vaseline brand chap stick because it's really hydrating and will create a barrier for your lips from the air so they can heal.
I use a hypo allergenic-lip repair product from Boots No. 7 line (when lips are already chapped and split), and lip balm from Burt's Bees (for maintenance). (NOTE: I have sensitive skin, and literally all of the other suggestions in this thread so far give me a bad reaction, like my lips swell and get itchy and red, and then crack more. I especially think Carmex is bad. It makes your lips feel cool and tingly at first, but then it actually dries them out more. A lot of lip products actually produce an effect that actually dries out you lips worse, and makes you use more of the product. I strongly recommend a natural lip balm, made from beeswax. Petroleum-based products also work if you don't have a bad reaction to them like I do. And if you can use sunscreen of any kind without getting a rash, which I can't, it's also good to get a lip balm with sunscreen in it.) Also, for chapped and cracking lips, make sure you are drinking enough water. Dehydration contributes a lot to that. ---------- Post added 26th Feb 2013 at 11:34 PM ---------- Haha, madi and I posted simultaneously.
...basically, to explain all the suggestions, it will heal if you don't let it dry out. Lip chap, vaseline, bag balm--heck, I bet lard would work if you were desperate. If you can keep the skin softened through liberal application of one of the above, it won't re-split every time you move your mouth, and will therefore get the break it needs to heal.
Lanolin is probably the best lip moisturiser, and petroleum jelly the best at keeping the moisture in. I make sure that whatever product I use has both of these in it. I swapped to one without lanolin in it and it was completely useless; when I swapped back everything was well again. Regular Vaseline is just petroleum jelly, so it will stop them from drying out more than they already have but won't contribute to rehydrating them - I think Vaseline markets a lanolin blend product though.
Just so you are aware not all lip balms are the same, Lanolin works for most people but for some, including me, it makes my lips worse so I use lip balm specifically made without lanolin. Sale Gay Guy
Any chap sticks work fine Burt's bees is natural so no oxybenzone in it as most say SPF 15 on them they add oxybenzone which is a carcinogen. Natural ones will usually add zinc oxide I believe
It may sound weird, but if my lips are really chapped, I'll put some heavy duty lotion on them, like Lubriderm or Cetaphil.
Being someone who plays an instrument everyday it seems like I always have chapped lips. Carmex is my saving grace because well, in my personal experience, nothing else seems to get the job done so quickly. Try out different things, all the suggestions thus far have been good, and you have lots of options so find what works best for you!
drink more water and don't lick your lips when you're outside and they feel dry. saliva dries them out more. i use pretty much anything i get my hands on. i have dermatillomania and will bite the skin off my lips if they're not smooth so i usually have a tube of chapstick on me. i also like carmex (especially if it's the burning stage of chapped) and burt's bees but vaseline is good too. some of my instrumentalist friends swear by chop saver.
