Winter is brutal for many obvious reasons. We have to strategically layer our clothes, invest in more hair conditioner, and change up our skincare routine. Something that we forget to do is take extra care of our lips. Let’s be honest, winter wrecks our lips and we still believe that licking them more frequently will solve the problem.

The skin on our lips is different from the rest of our skin, specifically the skin on our face. While the skin on our face produces oil to keep our skin hydrated and healthy, our lips are left to dry out and split because they don’t produce any kind of moisture. Our lips rely on products to do that for them.

The skin around our eyes is very similar to the skin on our lips. They both have the thinnest skin and lack the ability to provide self-sustaining moisture. If you are looking to exclusively hydrate your lips, try applying a little bit of eye cream on your lips and layering it under your favorite lip balm. If you want to step it up or you find your lips in a code red situation (aka they’ve split), I recommend layering the eye cream under a thick healing ointment. Healing ointments like Vaseline and Aquaphor are great for creating a protective barrier over your lip and sealing in the hydration that the lotion provides.

I know it sounds weird, but when it gets brick outside and your lips are getting wrecked, you have to do whatever it takes to keep your lips sorted.