5. Many people become addicted to lip balms, so it's best to avoid them. There are even lip balm addiction anonymous groups set up for chronic, addicted users.

6. The secret to soft lips is natural, cheap, healing and easy to do. All you need to do to have the best soft lips with no exposure to irritating chemicals is to make your own lip balm by using virgin coconut oil. You can easily find coconut oil in whole food stores. Get the kind of coconut oil that smells like coconut and has not been bleached, refined or processed. You can put some in little jars and carry them with you in your car or bring to your office. Coconut oil becomes liquid at 77 degrees so don't keep it in your purse. A little will go a long way and you won't have to constantly reapply it. It is edible so there is no harm if you swallow any or lick your lips.

7. If you have a serious lip condition that doesn't respond to coconut oil for any reason make sure you see your skin specialist or dermatologist.