Editors Note: We are always stressing how the little things make a big difference at Bella life and with this guide to kissable lips it is no different.  If you took an extra 3 – 5 minutes a day and pampered your sweet lips you are not only nurturing and loving yourself and your body, but you are also making it that much easier for those lips to get some loving from someone else! Want to know what to do with your lips once they are well moisturized? Take a look at our festive makeup tips! ~Nitika~

Chapped lips are the bane of a winter existence.  Sure, dry skin (of all kinds) are pretty much par for the course as the seasons start to change, but there is something about dry lips that are a particular nuisance – and, not to mention, seriously unsexy. To avoid dry, peeling, cracked, chapped, painful and sometimes even bleeding puckers, prevention is key. Just as your skin requires exfoliation and increased hydration as the weather chills, so do your lips – albeit with special care.

So, before your puckers are parched, learn how to prevent chapped lips this season (and heal them if need be!).

Moisturize, Preemptively. Before bed, no matter how luscious your lips may seem, slather on your favorite hydrating lip product or – our drugstore favorite – Aquaphor. And, I mean slather! The heavier and thicker the layer, the better!

Exfoliate Regularly. Every morning, take a children’s extra-soft toothbrush (the softer the better) and brush your lips in gentle circular motions. Once a week (or more, if needed) mix yourself a gentle scrub made of Sugar in the Raw and Aquaphor. The sugar will gently exfoliate the dead, dull, dry skin cells, while the Aquaphor keeps lips moisturized.

Not into a DIY scrub? Check out SoftLips Organic Coconut and Sugar Lip Polish ($4.99) also found in your local drugstore or Bella Life’s Top Pick Lush lip scrub.

Heal Promptly. If your lips nevertheless succumb to the dry weather, relieve the burning pain with a salt compress. Dissolve salt in warm water and apply a compress saturated in the solution on your lips for 20 minutes. Afterwards, apply a cucumber slice to your lips in order to hydrate and soothe, naturally. Follow with a heavy coat of Aquaphor.

In a bind and out without access to your trusty lip salves? Honey and olive oil are both available almost everywhere and will help heal your parched puckers in no time!