How to Take Care of Your Lips
Your lip skin is more sensitive than the skin on the rest of your body. This means it’s more vulnerable and requires special care. No makeup can help you create the desired effect if your lips are not healthy. This is why 5-Minute Crafts has got some useful tips that can help you boost your lip health.
Why lips require special care
First of all, you should know that lip sensitivity is related to the fact that lips have a poor barrier function and low moisture capacity. Moreover, they do not contain oil glands. This makes them vulnerable to dry wind and sunlight, which cause dryness and lip damage.
These are the most common lip issues:
- Chapping usually occurs in winter due to cold windy weather and dry heated air inside.
- Splitting is a condition that can be caused by various factors, like sun damage, lip injury, dehydration, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and more.
- Lipstick bleeding is a common consequence of aging and unhealthy habits.
- Cold sores are a result of viral infections and can have painful symptoms as bad as blisters filled with fluid.
1. Hydrate properly and regularly.
Hydration is a must when it comes to lip care.
- Whenever you feel your lips are dry, make sure you apply lip balm. Do not miss the corners of your lips.
- Ideally, lip balm should be reapplied 2-4 times a day.
- If you sleep in a dry room, you should apply lip balm before bed to keep your lips hydrated and try using an air humidifier.
- Drink lots of water, as your lips need inner hydration as well, just like your skin.
✅ Carry a hydrating lip balm in your purse at all times and keep one in different places, like at your desk and in the bathroom, so it’s always at your fingertips.
⚠️ Licking your lips might give you an instant feeling of hydration, but it actually leads to the opposite effect and can even lead to painful inflammation.
2. Exfoliate.
Most of the aforementioned skin issues can be resolved and prevented by regular exfoliation, which means eliminating dry and flaky skin cells from your lips. Here’s how it’s done:
1. Use your fingertips to apply a small amount of scrub to your lips.
2. Rub it gently over your lips in circular movements for 30 seconds, at most.
3. Allow the lips to soak the nutrients from the scrub for 10 minutes.
4. Rinse your lips with warm water.
5. Use a clean towel to pat your lips dry.
6. Apply a soothing lip balm.
⚠️ Excessive and harsh exfoliation of your lips can cause damage to their barrier function, so make sure you don’t overdo it.
⚠️ Avoid picking and biting your lips.
3. Use sun protection.
Lips tend to be a common spot for skin cancer because they get a lot of sun exposure. This is why sun protection is essential in lip care.
❗ While outdoors, use a lip product with a sunscreen of at least SPF 15.
❗ Reapply it once every 2 hours, especially after a meal or a drink.
4. Remove makeup before bedtime.
To allow your lips to breathe, do not forget to remove your lipstick or lip gloss before going to sleep. Wipe them using a damp cotton ball.
5. Cut down on caffeine.
Due to caffeine content, coffee consumption can cause the disappearance of the natural pink lip color and lead to the blackening of your lips, so cutting back on it is a good idea if you want to ensure healthy lips.
6. Massage your lips.
Your lips will get the needed boost in blood circulation and look pinker if you massage them on a daily basis. If you do it with nourishing oils, like coconut oil, they will also get the needed nutrients. Doing it once a day is just enough.
7. Use lipstick.
We have already mentioned that lips have no sebaceous glands, which means they have no natural protection. For this reason, wearing lipstick when you’re outside adds a protective layer to your lips and can actually help protect them from dirt, sun, and dry air.
8. Make your own lip scrubs at home.
Homemade natural lip scrubs are easy to make.
Just combine 2 teaspoons of sugar or salt with 1 tablespoon of a natural ingredient that nourishes your lips. That can be coconut oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, shea butter, beeswax, or pure petrolatum.
⚠️ However, there are ingredients that may potentially damage your lips and cause more dryness. Make sure you avoid cinnamon, eucalyptus oil, menthol, peppermint oil, camphor, or a fragrance of synthetic origin.