During the fall and winter, lips experience dryness which can lead to chapping and peeling. Although uncomfortable, it really is an easy fix.

People experience chapped lips more in the wintertime than in the summertime. The cold soaks up moisture and accelerates lip damage. The natural tendency is to lick the lips, but that's the worst thing to do. This habit aggravates the problem causing more issues.

Cracked lips in cooler weather is caused by environmental conditions including:

Cold temperatures
The flu or cold that forces someone to breathe out of their mouths
Indoor heating systems and car heater
Wind
Mild dehydration causes dry lips, so even though it's chilly outside do still drink plenty of water throughout the day. Those treating chapped lips need to scale back on their coffee and tea intake because caffeine does dehydrate the body.

Topical lip balms and conditioners are a great choice for treatment.

It's important to point out that although the winter skies are overcast, it's always a good idea to find a lip balm with a sun protection factor. chapped lips treatments penetrate cloudy skies and damage skin.

And if winter sports like skiing and snowboarding are on the seasonal calendar, these activities can also worsen lip issues. So wear lip balm, a ski mask or scarf regularly.

If there's time for research, log on to the Skin Cancer Foundation website. There, one will find a list of products that are approved by this organization which will have a SPF formula.

For years, people turned to petroleum to treat dry lips but it's been discovered that the more it was used, the more chapped their lips became.

Also avoid these formulas in lip products because they irritate dry lips even more, such as:

Alcohol
Capascin (made from chili peppers)
Menthol
Phenol
Some of the above products plump up lips, but on the flip side, they may dehydrate them instead. Like always, consult with a skin care professional on what is best.

Other great lip restoring ingredients are:

Aloe Vera
Anti-Ozonate
Coconut Oil
Shea butter
Typically, it takes about a week to treat chapped lips. During this timeframe, abstain from eating salty and spicy foods because this can aggravate the problem.

Also, while indoor heating is cranking in the home, think about investing in a humidifier. Having it in the bedroom will help moisten dry lips while getting some shuteye.