Chapped lips and hands

So I think I have finally come down from my post-National-Championship high, although the lingering effects of the screaming and yelling are still present. My voice isn't quite back to normal, although I was told last night my hoarseness was sexy, so maybe I should let out blood-curdling screams every other day or so to keep it.

Anywho, I am totally battling dry hands and chapped lips right now. It's been extremely windy in Texas lately, and although the weather is a lovely 78 degrees, mold counts are terrible and allergies are abounding.

Never fear, I am battling dry hands and chapped lips with a couple of weapons.

Ok, so dry hands. Here's my problem. I love the Aveda Hand Relief, which is this ultra-thick wonderful cream you can smear all over your hands and poof, no dryness. But the side-effect is a little greasiness. I needed something I could use at work every day frequently that wouldn't cause my fingers to slip off the keyboard. Voila! Almond Nail and Hand Cream by The Body Shop. I can't take credit for this find though, I have to give kudos to my friend Sarah, who had this at her desk many moons ago. I practically stole it from her because I was coming to her desk so often to use it. Anyway, it's got all these great ingredients like sweet almond oil, shea butter and lanolin, and has this wonderful smell that light but not over-powering. Perfect for work because no one like to sit at their desk and have this insanely intense perfumed smell hitting their nostrils from someone else putting on lotion. Plus, it isn't greasy or thick--I use this at least 2-3 times throughout the work day and keep a bottle in my desk drawer.

Chapped lips suck. And when it's really windy, it's even worse. Do you find yourself consistently licking your lips, like that extra spit is going to magically moisturize and stop the chapping? Uh no. Then if you are really lucky you get the red ring around your mouth, which, let me tell you, is oh so hot. Make-up doesn't help much, just makes it pink rather than red. Well, here are a couple of things I am doing to help stop the madness.
1--Aquaphor Healing Ointment: I think it is basically souped-up Vaseline. I slather this stuff on every night to battle the chapping. I find it especially helpful because I keep my fan on at night, and if I don't put this stuff on, my lips, if already chapped, will end up cracking.
2--My Mentha lip balm from C.O. Bigelow. Love the peppermint taste, and it keeps me from licking. Also try My Favorite Lip Balm from C.O. Bigelow. It has shea butter and almond oil in it (starting to see a pattern here?) and gives your lips a nice sheen.

3--Exfoliation: I only do this when it gets really bad and I have a lot of flakiness. Take a small dry washcloth, put a little moisturizer or Aquaphor on it, and gently rub in a circular motion around and on your lips. It gets the extra dead skin off and moisturizes at the same time.



Well, to my fellow Texans, good luck with the wind today. Now I get to put on my shorts and sunscreen to enjoy this nice winter weather.