1. Slathering on the lip balm.
Bet you didn’t see this one coming! Lip balms that contain menthol or camphor can actually irritate and dry your lips further. So even if those mint balms taste and feel nice on the lips, ditch them. Instead of the popular wax type lip balms, go for creamy ones—they will hydrate your lips better.

2. Constantly licking your lips.
Your saliva is made of strong enzymes and acids that are made to break down food, which means it can damage your lips. So when you feel your lips dry up, drink water.

3. Picking on dead skin.
Severely dry lips lead to visible flakes. While it’s tempting to bite the skin off, don’t! Bleeding lips? Not cool. Instead, exfoliate with your toothbrush twice a week after brushing your teeth (when your mouth is still wet from gargling). You can also make your own lip scrub by combining olive oil and brown sugar.

4. Skipping SPF.
Just like your face, your lips need protection from the sun, too! Get a lip balm or lipstick that contains at least SPF 15 to save them from sun damage. Your lips have the thinnest skin on your body, making them very prone to sunburn.

5. Using expired lipstick.
Lipsticks can last anywhere from one to two years. The easiest way to tell if your lipstick is past its due date is by smelling it. If it smells funky, toss it out. You don’t want the chemicals in it messing with your pretty puckers.

This story originally appeared on Cosmo.ph.

Minor edits were made by the Femalenetwork.com editors.

SCREENCAP: Fifty Shades of Grey/Columbia Pictures (2015)