Your Coffee Addiction Could Be Making Your Lips Crazy Dry
Winter is in full swing, and that means your hair and skin are dried out to the max. To combat the problem, you may have opted for creamier face cleanser, made lip scrubs and tried all sorts of conditioners. But there’s something else you can do to fight that flaky skin, particularly when it comes to chapped lips: Stop drinking caffeine.
Gasp! We know that sounds extreme, but as this Chicago Tribune community contributor points out, the skin on our lips is thin and ultra-sensitive to dehydration. And your morning latte is only making matters worse. High caffeine content dries out our bodies, and to top it off, coffee and tea have diuretic properties that add to the dehydration. More trips to the bathroom equal more dehydration — it all makes sense.
But don’t get too stressed about it all just yet. Katherine Zeratsky, a registered dietitian for the Mayo Clinic, says in this Livestrong article that you’d have to drink about five to seven cups of coffee a day to truly affect your hydration levels. But just in case, we might switch to herbal tea for the duration of winter.
What are your favorite remedies for dry skin? Let us know @BritandCo.
(h/t Chicago Tribune + Livestrong; photos via Getty)
