Skin & hair · 3 min
Lips and handsin winter
Heated rooms and cold wind dry the thinnest skin first. A little plain balm, gloves outdoors and less licking keep lips and hands comfortable.
The heating goes on, and a week later your lips sting when you smile and your knuckles crack at the sink. It is not you. Cold air outside and warm, dry air inside take water from the thinnest skin first, and lips and hands are the thinnest skin you show the world.
The steps
Four small steps,in your own time.
Keep a plain, unscented lip balm in your coat pocket and another by the bed. Put on a thin layer in the morning, after you eat, and a little more at night.
When you notice yourself licking your lips, swap the lick for a sip of water.
After you wash your hands, pat them dry and rub in a thick, plain, unscented cream, knuckles first. Keep a tub by the sink.
Put gloves on before you go out into the cold, and turn the heating down a degree at night if you can.
The reason
Why it helps
Lips have no oil of their own, so they lose water quickly. Licking feels like a fix, but as it dries it leaves them drier than before; something plain sitting on top keeps the water in. Hands lose a little oil at every wash, and cream on slightly damp skin helps them keep what is left. Gloves and a slightly cooler room take some of the drying air away. Plain, unscented things are kinder than ones that tingle or smell of mint, which can sting.
A gentle variation
If you will not remember during the day, do it twice only: balm and cream as you wake, and again as you get into bed. Leave flaky skin on the lips alone and let it come away by itself.
WE · TRIBE
Try itwith someone.
Put a balm and a tub of cream in the places you share, by the kettle and the front door, and remind each other on the way out. If you look after someone, check their lips and hands too, especially if they breathe through their mouth or spend long days in a warm room.
Try it today
Today, put a plain balm in your coat pocket and a tub of cream by the sink. Use them after you eat, after you wash, and before bed.
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