1. Exfoliate Dead Skin Cells 

Just like the skin on your face, excess dead skin can lead to dryness and that tight, chapped feeling. Exfoliating can help, but it’s important to remember how sensitive and delicate lips are, says Justine Kahn, herbalist, esthetician, and founder of Botnia Skincare. She likes to incorporate a gentle scrub into her regular skincare routine. “While you're washing your face, take a soft towel or a reusable cotton round to gently buff your lips,” she says. 

If you don’t have especially sensitive skin, Jennifer Davis Alexander, Ph.D, a holistic skin scientist and skin wellness expert, likes to DIY a lip scrub for a natural lip exfoliator. “Make a quick scrub by combining organic cane sugar, raw organic coconut oil, and organic honey,” she says. (You can use aloe vera instead of honey to make the lip scrub vegan.) The sugar acts as a physical exfoliant to remove buildup, and the coconut oil is an emollient that protects the skin barrier while moisturizing lips, Dr. Alexander explains. And when in doubt, you can use your clean, soft toothbrush right on the lips—gently!

2. Drink Enough Water

Want healthy, pink lips? Drink water! “Drinking sufficient water is a foundational step in maintaining hydrated and healthy skin, including the skin on your lips,” says Dr. Alexander. “Hydration from within can help prevent dry and chapped lips, promoting a more plump and healthy appearance.”

3. Create Your Own Lip Balm

It’s obvious that you should use lip balm on dry lips. But there are specific ingredients you should look out for when creating your own lip balm or buying a premade one. “For achieving maximum moisture in lip products, it is crucial to look for ingredients that can deeply hydrate and nourish the delicate skin of the lips,” says Kahn. These include hyaluronic acid, organic vegetable glycerin, vitamin E, and shea butter, and cocoa butter. Skip any fragrances as they could cause irritation. 

Dr. Alexander makes her own lip mask with a mix of organic shea butter, organic coconut oil, and honey, which she applies to damp lips just before bed. But if you’re less into the DIY, we’ve got you. For all-day hydration and luscious lips, we love LASTING SMILES Vanilla Bean Blended Beverage Organic Lip Balm, and for overnight relief, BOTINA Soothing Repair Mask as a lip mask.

4. Wear SPF Lip Balm

You wear sunscreen on your face, so why would you skip your lips? In case you didn’t know, the sun can seriously dry out your pout. We can’t stop wearing CORAL SUN SPF 15 Coconut Lip Balm because it smells like a vacation and leaves lips feeling soft. For another option, Kahn is a big fan of SALT + STONE Sunscreen Lip Balm 30 because it “contains moisturizing oils like sweet almond, shea butter, and jojoba, along with broad spectrum zinc oxide sunscreen,” she says.

5. Choose Hydrating Lip Products 

If you’re wearing lipstick all day, it’s important to find a lip product that boosts hydration. Skip any matte formulas, which can suck the moisture out of your lips, and go for a hydrating cream lipstick, moisturizing lip gloss, or tinted lip balm. We’re big fans of REALHER Moisturizing Lipstick because it has natural ingredients like jojoba seed oil and shea butter.

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