Winter can be a beautiful season, but boy does it throw off your beauty routine. We’re all lathering up with hydrating lotions to soothe our dry skin, but what can you do about your chapped, cracked and scaly lips? If you’ve traded in your favorite matte lipstick for a pack of chapsticks, keep reading for how to save your dry lips in winter with four easy steps.

Make friends with your humidifier

In order to take care of your dry lips, you need to address the dry air first. And the best way to do this is by using a humidifier. It will add moisture to the air and hydrate your lips – not to mention the rest of your skin. Another way to boost hydration is to keep up with your fluid intake with lots of warm teas.

Try weekly lip masks

This might seem extravagant, but a lip mask is a like a supercharged lip balm, and it can deliver moisture and nourishment to super dry lips.

Exfoliate your lips

If your lips are scaly and rough, you might think that picking away all the dead skin is a good idea. But that can actually make matters worse. Instead, try a very gentle exfoliant to remove dry skin that doesn’t leave your lips raw and tender.

Avoid irritating products

Whether you wear chapsticks, lip balms, or any type of lip color product, it’s important to keep irritating ingredients away from your lips. Fragrances, dyes and chemicals can exacerbate already-dry lips. Even menthol, peppermint and eucalyptus can be too harsh. So, opt for gentle oils, like coconut oil, Shea butter and Jojoba oil, as well as fragrance-free products, if your lips are dry.