My Daughter Picks Her Lips

Actually, from what I've experienced, chapstick just makes the problem worse. I use vaseline, and it works great!

Aquaphor is excellent. My granddaughter and I have both used it with great success. It's in a blue tube and made by Eucerine. It may seem expensive but you only need a tiny bit. It works when nothing else will and is also good on chapped cheeks.

The Mary Kay satin lips lip balm works wonders and it's 'non-addictive' as some of the other dry lip products are.

My daughter was doing this last year, and we tried the medicated chapstick for a few days along with an antibiotic ointment at night to heal the peeling then one with extra moisture to soften them up (I forget which one but I think it was from Avon), eventually she went back regular chapstick again because her lips healed. Basically right now you have to treat it like it is a cut.

I do it too sometimes. And my sister could've written a book on picking lips.
You could try telling her that she can't give you a goodnight smooch with such dry rough lips. If she'll put some vaseline on first then she can. In a nice way of course.
Another product I like is Molten Brown vitamin lipsaver. You can find it online. It's not a chapstick-like product. It a tube you squeeze some out on your lips. Or on the finger and then on the lips.

It can be so frustrating seeing what the little ones do to their lips in the winter - my doctor recommended Abreva. It's a little pricey and is actually a cold sore medicine, but a little bit goes a long way, and it did the job.

To help break the habit, you can try putting band-aids over the tips of her fingers so it's more difficult for her to pick and also will help make her more aware of it. Good luck.

Dear L. F.,

I was telling a friend that my younger
granddaughter picked her lips all the time when the weather here in MI got cold when she was younger (they have lived with us most of their lives - we are legal guardians) and I would rub vaseline petroleum jelly on them and it would help until the cold weather was done. She told me that something on t.v. or she read in a magazine mentioned that olive oil is really the best thing to use on lips and everywhere on the human body.

When the girls were quite young the same one who picked her lips would get sores all over her body from being so dry when the weather got colder. After bathing them, I would towel them dry and then rub each one in with olive oil (you don't put any on top of the head or anywhere in the hair). They smelled a little like french fries, but by morning the oil would be soaked into their skin and not too much on the pajamas. It was great for the dry skin overall. I don't know why I did not think of it for just the lips as well. As you go out the door it is good to have a small container of olive oil to dip your finger in and rub onto each of the childrens' lips. Then when you come back into the door from being out do it again. I would think it would only take a few days to get the redness around the mouth cleared up. If you don't like to mix germs between each person, you could have a small container for each child and use a different finger to apply it. It would take longer, though, to get out the door.

She also may be picking her lips because she has been having fevers and the lip skin gets crunchy and rough when a fever occurs. I don't know if it's just a habit or she has a good reason. Whatever the reason, the olive oil would help soften up her lip skin.

I don't know if you have an Aldi store near your house, but here it can't be more than $2.50 for a 16 ounce bottle of olive oil and it lasts quite long. It used to be $1.99 per bottle but I'm sure the cost has gone up some. Mine has lasted so long that I have not needed to buy any since the prices have gone up.

If you have any Tupperware midgets you might want to fill one of those up and keep the seal on it so that if it falls over, it won't spill and create a slippery and dangerous mess near your door to leave the house. You also may want to keep a small old towel near it so you can wipe off your hands or you might not be able to open the door with slippery hands. It also makes excellent hand lotion. It stinks, but works so well it is worth the smell to me.

L. C.

I also have had very chapped lips all winter long for many years, until about two years ago. I use Lip Saver from Arbonne. It is non addicting and adds moisture instead of pulling it out. It is 8.00 a stick (it looks like a chapstick), but it is so very well worth it. I also have a son who is a mouth breather and he has the same issues. As long as he puts it on his lips before he goes outside and puts it on again when he comes in his lips stay smooth. I also push him to drink more water too!! If you would like more information on Arbonne, you can email me. All of Arbonne is all natural!!! Arbonne.com

Plain old vaseline is the best thing for lips.

My daughter does the same thing. Is your daughter a mouth breather? That contributes to the chapped lips, all throughout the year, but it is worse in the winter. Chap stick and thick products like that actually can pull the moiosture out of the lips and make it worse. We use Rosebud balm, it is $6.00 a tin that will lst about 6 months. You can get it at sephora. Also, our dermatologist also recommended Aquaphor ointment, I think another responder recommendeed it too. Keep in mind though, that for some people, the petroleum products, like these and Vaseline, can cause irritation in some people. If your daughter is one of them, go to a health food store and look for a vegetable based type of ointment, that should help. These habits are really hard to break. I suggest to make her aware of it, try making her wear mittens when she is watching tv, or doing activities that don't involve her hands, so she will be aware of when she puts her hands to her lips.

I wonder if she's not using the chapstick enough... or licking it off, since she's 4. My husband is the dry lip person here and he didn't prefer the chapstick as much. He uses Blistex.
Maybe use Blistex for when you apply it and maybe get her a Bonnie Belle set that is fun that she can put on herself too. Or Hello Kitty... Maybe it can redirect her interest in picking them to putting gloss on them.
Just an idea... Good luck.

J.

I use Blistex Silk N Shine in the gray tube. Love it! It keeps the chapped lips at bay but also has a little shine. She might keep it on because it's 'big girl' lipgloss.

~L.

Last winter I had severly chapped lips. I called my derm. and she said to try Aquaphore. It's like vaseline. I still use it and swear by it. Last winter I tried everything, even bacitracin. First time I put this on it was instant releif.

L.,

When my lips get really chapped I rub olive oil on them. It will heal my lips faster than anything else I've tried. I pour just a tiny bit into a shot glass and keep it on my dresser. Then just dip the tip of my finger in and rub on my lips.

we've had really good luck with Blistex lip ointment
L.

One thing that helps my lips if they start to get peely....When I am in the shower, or bath, use a warm wet wash cloth to exfoliate my lips. This gets rid of the little peeling or hanging skin, so maybe she will have less to pick at. Maybe give her her own chapstick, so she can create a habit of constantly putting it on (that's what my 4yr old daughter does) instead of picking.

I have a hard time with chapped lips myself and the only thing that I have found that is working for me, after years of trying everything out there, is 'Nivea, a kiss of Moisture, hydrating lip care' I found it at the check out at walmart, it is about 2.86 a bottle and it is the only that that stays on, and really makes them feel nice so that I am not tempted to lick, chew, and pick. After the first minute of having it on, I realize later that I haven't been chewing on them. Good luck.

L.,

I'm not sure of how much water you make your children drink. But to increase their water intake would be a start. Also, try using plain old petroleum jelly or in other words....Vaseline. Purchase the big jar for at home and at night, and the tube for your daughter to have her own personal supply. They come in flavor as well if she's a stickler for flavors such as my daughter (who also had a case of really dry lips). I hope this helps you in some way.

Thank you.

A

chapstick causes lips to stop producing their own moisture. Try good old vaseline! You can buy it in a lil tube for lips so you don't have to dip your finger into the tub. Also exfoliate her lips once a day. Use a warm wash cloth and have her hold it on her lips for a minute then just gently rub, not too hard- apply vaseline right after. No skin for her to picky picky at! My girl is SUCHHHHHH a picker. I know the frustration that comes with it!

I use Arbonne lip balm. it doesn't have any oil/petrolium jelly in it, it moisturizes completely without feeling like you have anything on (so you/kids don't feel the need to wipe it off).

good luck!

Hi L.,
We use Burts Bees chapstick. It works really well although if lips are really chapped it burns a little. My son doesn't like that so he uses it alot to avoid getting to chapped. He is also 4. Good luck.
Chris

I took a prescription drug that made my lips severely chapped.

I tried lots of lip balms..

The best thing that I know of is Blistex medicated.

It is a creme. In comes in little white tube - it has a bit of menthol in it so your daughter might not like it but it was the only thing that healed my lips..

I often see it at the checkout lane of stores.. meijers..

The only thing I use is Blistex. It works even better than Vaseline. It comes two or three ways...the best is the semi-liquid "medicated lip ointment" in a white tube with an angled applicator tip. It really heals chapped lips quickly.

It also sometimes comes in a round lip balm tin that you stick your finger in (maybe less effective and definitely not as convenient) and also comes in a stick form like Chapstick, but the stick is the least effective, IMO.

As a side note, I have a friend who criticized both Vaseline (aka petroleum jelly) and Chapstick for having petroleum products in them, which she says is a drying agent and makes you dependent on them (and also allegedly unhealthy because they come from the same thing as gasoline). I really haven't done my own research on it since I don't use either product regularly, so I'm merely offering that comment up as food for thought, not fact. I just thought I'd mention it, in case it concerns you enough to look into it further. (For that matter, I really can't attest to Blistex being "safe" if you're an organic / all natural products kind of mom, but it works so well that I prefer to just remain in the dark for now.)

have you thought about vaseline instead of chapstick .. maybe try that after she goes asleep rather then the chapstick ...

Hi L., My name is K.. I am a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant. We have a great product called Satin Lips.
It has two parts. The first is a mask that exfoliats the dead skin cells. The second is a soothing balm that softens
the lips. It is priced at $18.00. It last for a long time
because you only use a small amount. Exta Emollient Night
cream is very good too and it is healing. Great on all dry and chapped areas of body. $11.00 I would be happy to extend a 10% discount on these great products. Is there
any reason why I couldn't hook you up with a product
that would help your "precious little girl"? Looking
forward to helping you out. K.

Use Aquaphor lotion. It is thicker than vasoline and will heal her lips in days.

L.,

Vaseline is what I've found works the best. My daughter is bad to have chapped lips. I put a good coat on at bedtime and see a great improvment the very next morning. This is also great for sore little noses when they have a cold and have to wipe it several times a day.

The great thing about vaseline is it doesn't sting when it goes on, which is a big plus in my book.

They don't always like the feel of it so I sometimes apply it after they've gone to sleep. Just warm it between your fingers before putting it on and they don't even wake up. ;)

Good luck!