Winter weather not only damages our skin, but our lips too! So, we checked in with skin expert, Dr. Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, to get the lowdown on treating a parched pout.

Hydrate! "The thing with lip balms is that they lubricate but don’t necessarily hydrate," explains Alexiades-Armenakas. "They are designed to seal moisture so they can neither be absorbed or released." She suggests using a product designed to introduce moisture back into the lips instead.

Take your vitamins! Deficiencies in B vitamins, essential fatty acids, or iron can cause cracking of lip corners and scaling. A multivitamin/mineral supplement can solve the problem.

It’s all in the routine! You have a multiple step skin regime—why should your lips be treated any differently?

- Start with exfoliating your lips to remove dead skin cells.

- Prep skin with a hydrating serum like Darphin’s Hydraskin Intensive Skin-Hydrating Serum. It will instantly deliver relieving, reviving hydration to all thirsty skin.

- Layer on a creamy lipstick like Lipstick Queen in Hot Rose to seal in moisture (and make your pout pop!).

Drink up! Dehydration can cause dry lips. Increase your liquid intake and decrease your sodium intake.

Close your mouth! Stop licking/biting your lips–it further dries out your pucker.

More From Real Beauty:

Winter Skin Remedies

30 Best Anti-Aging Products

Best Lip Balms

How to Get Dewy Skin