While most people turn to commercial lip balm for chapped lips during the dry months, there are a number of easy home remedies for chapped lips that you can make and use as an alternative to a petroleum-based lip balm. Some of these home remedies might surprise you – and you most likely already have them in your garden or kitchen.

There is a growing body of evidence that shows that petroleum-based lip balms may not actually do much to heal your chapped lips. Petroleum jelly, in particular, can actually clog pores and mucus membranes and prevent oxygen and moisture from reaching skin cells. So while it might feel like your lips are soothed and softened when using these types of lip balms, you’re actually preventing moisture from reaching your lips and might actually be making the problem worse.

One solution would be to learn how to make lip balm at home using natural ingredients. Or, if your lips are way past the lip balm stage, you can use other home remedies for soothing the dry discomfort of chapped lips.

Some of these home remedies for chapped lips might not be very portable, but if you’re looking for a more natural solution to soothing your sensitive lips during the dry winter months, these will bring you welcome relief.

Honey and Sugar

Lots of folks know about the honey antibacterial properties that make it useful for treating other skin conditions, but honey’s gentle moisturizing action can also bring relief to someone with chapped lips. Being someone who spends a lot of time outdoors during the cold, dry winter months, this is one of my favorite home remedies for chapped lips. You can make a honey-sugar scrub to use on your chapped lips, and even on your elbows or feet. Not only does it work to remove dead, dry skin cells, but it also smells (and tastes) wonderful!

• 2 teaspoons granular sugar (raw sugar, brown sugar, or white sugar)
• 1 teaspoon of raw, organic honey
• 1 teaspoon almond oil (optional, but lovely)
• Optional pinch of cinnamon

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl until it forms a paste. Using your fingertips, rub a small amount into your lips and massage gently for a minute or two to remove any dead skin cells. Wash the scrub away with warm water, and apply a homemade lip balm if desired. Repeat once a day as long as you need to. Keep any leftover honey sugar scrub in a small glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Stores indefinitely at room temperature.

Aloe Gel

My husband likes to buy unusual vegetables and fruits at the grocery store, and one day he came home with a huge aloe leaf. He had originally intended to learn how to cook and eat the aloe, but it came in handy when I wound up with a severe sunburn.

While everyone knows that aloe vera medicinal uses include topical application for sunburns and other burns, the gel from an aloe vera leaf is great for treating dry, chapped lips. If you have an aloe plant at home, snip off the tip of one of the leaves and spread some of the gel on your finger. Gently massage the gel into your lips, and leave it for about one minute. You can wipe it off using a soft cloth and some warm water, being careful not to get any of the gel in your mouth. (Aloe vera gel is extremely bitter!)

Repeat this as necessary until symptoms subside.

Milk Cream and Rose Petals as Home Remedies for Chapped Lips

You might love to have cream in your coffee every morning, but the natural animal fats in cream can help heal your chapped lips. Just dip your finger in some cream and gently massage it into your lips several times a day.

Milk cream can also be combined with rose petals for a treatment for chapped lips. Combine a dozen rose petals with a few tablespoons of milk cream and let them soak for about three hours. Mash the rose petals and cream into a thick paste, and apply the paste to the lips with your fingers. Leave the paste on your lips for about 10 minutes, and then gently wipe off. You can repeat this up to three times a day, and apply your favorite homemade lip balm between treatments.

Cucumbers as Home Remedies for Chapped Lips

If you spend your summers growing cucumbers for pickles and salads, you’ll be happy to know that cucumbers also have a use as a home remedy for treating chapped lips. Just take a fresh cucumber and cut off a few thin slices, then apply the cucumber slices to raw or chapped lips for about 15 minutes. You can follow up with your favorite homemade lip balm, or a tiny bit of coconut oil to help hold in the moisture from the cucumbers.

What are your best home remedies for chapped lips?