How to Conquer the Lip Picking Habit Once & For All

Teresa Munyiri
4 min readApr 7, 2022

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Courtesy of: HelloGiggles.com

If you’re a frequent lip picker, you probably know that lip picking is right next to nail-biting and pimple popping in the ‘bad’ beauty habits list. And while these habits have downstream effects, sometimes it can be hard to resist chewing on your nails when anxious, popping an unsightly whitehead when bored, or ridding your pout of pesky flakes.

But, how do your break these ‘bad’ habits? Do you book a hypnosis appointment, sign up for lip pickers anonymous, or invest in a lip lock?

Well, as much as hypnosis might help you kick the habit once and all, you don’t need to go to extremes. All you have to do is subscribe to these simple tips, and you will have soft, full, and supple lips in no time:

One Word: Hydrate

It doesn’t matter if you’re an occasional lip chewer or all-day picker; hydration helps keep those dry flecks at bay. Therefore, you need to invest in an emollient lip balm that quickly combats lip dryness, protects you from UV rays, and speeds up cell turnover.

As for lip-softening ingredients, consider elements that build up your skin barrier — ceramides and fatty acids are excellent examples.

Humectants are essential, but you don’t want to use them as your sole moisturizer.

In fact, balms that only contain hyaluronic acid or glycerin can make your lips drier, making them more prone to cracking. That’s because they naturally attract moisture, and if the air is low in humidity, they can pull moisture out, leading to evaporation (causing dryness).

Invest in A Lip Scrub

If the chap doesn’t cave, gently buffing away the dry flecks can help keep your lips smooth. And, by sloughing off the stray bits of skin, there’s not much left to pick. Just moisturize those lips after — as rubbing your lips raw can also trigger flaking.

Either invest in a drugstore lip scrub or mix up a DIY version.

Courtesy of: ecolivingmama

Consume More Vitamin-Based Meals

Chapped lips can be a sign of a vitamin deficiency. Specifically, a lack of zinc, folate, and vitamin B1, B6, and B12 have been linked to dry, flaky lips. So, if you suspect that you’re dealing with a nutrition gap, increase your vitamin intake or add a supplement to your health regimen.

Stop Lip Licking

It’s one of the most challenging habits to resist, but you need to stop licking your lips throughout the day. Yes, it might seem harmless, but moistening your lips with saliva can lead to more chapping unless there’s an occlusive on top.

Instead, tote around your favorite lip balm or lip-gloss for a quick moisture boost whenever you need it.

Keep Your Fingers, And Yourself Busy

There’s a floating theory that lip picking is a self-regulating behavior — it stimulates us when bored or inactive (binging on movies or scrolling through social media) and helps us relax when we’re overstimulated by stress or negative emotions.

Therefore, if you’re a mindless lip picker, you need to find hobbies or activities that stimulate your brain similarly but healthier, like clenching a stress ball. You can also try knitting, painting, or playing board games — they help keep finicky fingers at bay while providing a similar release.

Practice Meditation

Tons of internal and external triggers can cause lip picking — breaks in the texture of your lips, dryness, inflammation, and even psychological stress.

Psychologically, you might be inclined to tear off those dry bits due to changes in temperament, stress, and genetics.

Yes, you heard that right! According to some family studies, compulsive lip picking has a genetic component. And while consistent hydration and exfoliation help, sometimes you need to try practices that feed your mental health — be it meditation, movement, yoga, et al.

Courtesy of: Adobe Stock

Consider Professional Therapy

When meditation and yoga don’t work, it might be time to consider professional help.

When someone continually maims themselves, scars themselves, have several bouts of infections, and still can’t stop picking, that’s a sign of more significant problems.

Specifically, severe lip picking can be a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder known as dermatillomania, which needs professional intervention. If you’re up to it, consider speaking to your therapist, getting to the root cause of your lip picking, and discovering effective coping methods.

Picking your lips is a challenging habit to break, considering the host of reasons you might feel tempted to tear at flaky skin. And while the tips listed above can halt the picking for good, you can’t kick the habit overnight. So, be gentle with yourself, and take it one day at a time!

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Teresa Munyiri

Teresa Munyiri is a writer living in Nairobi, Kenya. You can read her work at EmilyCottontop, Blogger, and Medium.