Your lips together with your eyes are the focal point of your face. However, so few pay attention to them. So many men and women have face regimes that could even last an hour but their lips are left untouched without any kind of nourishment and care applied. This may be the case because most people don’t know how to maintain and care for them.
So Why Do You Have to Take Care of Your Lips?
Just like what a fireplace does to your home, your lips accent your face. Pink, luscious, and moisturized lips certainly make your face look more appealing. Not only that, moist lips don’t create lines when you put on your favorite lipstick. And everyone does want to look good in a photo, right? Your very creative Instagram posts will just be put to waste when the best part of your face is not as good as it should be.
Moreover, taking care of your lips is not just for aesthetic purposes. You need to give extra care to the outer skin of your mouth since it is much thinner than the rest of your skin and is thus more sensitive to dry weather, especially during winter.
When your lips are not continually moistened, it can lead to chapping which can hinder you from eating and speaking properly. It can also lead to infections since cracked lips wound and bleed and it would leave you sores.
So giving tender, loving, care for your lips is not just for vanity’s sake. It is considered part of personal hygiene.
How Do You Take Care of Your Lips?
Since your lips are always exposed to changes in weather and are very sensitive to it, you have to give them special care. Here are some helpful tips from experts on how to properly maintain the lusciousness and moisture of your lips.
1. The Lip Balm Is Your Armory
Lip balms are your most effective armor in preventing chapped, dry lips. Not all beauty products are equal. A lanolin lip balm is great for people who don’t have sensitive skin. It has emollient properties – making your skin feel softer and finer, and keeps moisture locked into your lips.
For those who are too sensitive to allergens, you can find lip balms that contain cocoa butter, shea butter, and coconut oil. They also give a natural barrier of protection from heat and pollution on your lips. One other thing, avoid lip balms that have camphor in them as they can easily dry out your skin.
2. Exfoliate
Exfoliation removes dead skin cells from your lips which clogs the skin. It also uncovers new skin cells which make your lips have that pinkish and firmer look. Exfoliate your lips by gently scraping them with a soft toothbrush or damp cloth. Be careful not to force the skin out of your lips as it will chaff and create wounds, making it bleed and can cause you an infection.
When you exfoliate your lips, make sure that you are not going out right after as the procedure will make your lips a little sensitive making them susceptible to the changing weather.
3. Massage your Lips
Aside from removing dead skin cells, blood must be properly circulating all around your lips. This will give it that pinkish-reddish look and prevent it from being pale.
To start massaging your lips, prepare a mixture of honey and brown sugar. Now, before you apply the mixture to your chaps, make sure that you have washed your hands first. Dip one finger into the honey and brown sugar mix then put it all around your lips. Gently massage it by forming a circle around each area, much like when you’re applying blush-on through a sponge on your face.
Step two. Put on some moisturizing oil on your lips or you can use your favorite lip balm and lift your lips by gliding your two middle fingers from the center of your lips up to your cheeks. Do this three times. Next, draw small circles on your bottom lip and gently pinch your upper lip using your thumb and index finger. Do this also three times.
Make a habit of massaging your lips every night or every other night before your sleep.
4. Hydrate
Hydration or keeping your body water levels at sufficient amounts at all times is not just good for your skin and the internal system of your body but most especially for your lips. Most of us are not aware that our lips don’t have oil glands. That’s why it is so sensitive to dry weather.
When you drink sufficient amounts of water a day, your lips become plump which improves their elasticity. This only means that it is unlikely to crack and cause blemishes and wounds.
5. Healthy Diet
A healthy diet doesn’t just give you a slimmer figure and more energy to lift the barbell at the gym or run 5 miles a day. It also makes your skin more radiant, firm, and healthy. Of course, this aftereffect of eating healthy food reverberates to your lips.
You should include your diet foods that are rich in vitamins C, E, and K. Get your vitamin D from soaking at least ten minutes from the heat of the sun early in the morning.
6. Exercise Is Always Nice
Exercise helps in shedding those toxic elements inside your body so it can help your lips get much firmer and pinkish. It also boosts the flow of blood into your lips’ skin cells which is very beneficial as it nourishes the skin and gives it the vital oxygen and vitamins it needs to moisten it and give it a healthy glow.
Plus, when exercise sheds out the stress you feel from a day’s hard work, it also indirectly helps to keep it firm and plump.
7. Protect Your Lips from The Sun
Since your lips are very sensitive to dry conditions, you should a) use a lip balm and b) make sure that your lip balm has SPF15 or higher. This is because it receives a lot of sun exposure, especially your lower lip. If not paid attention properly, you can even develop lip cancer. So make it a habit of always protecting your lips from too much heat from the sun.
8. If You Have Dry Lips, Try These Remedies
Aside from exfoliating, drinking sufficient amounts of water, and protecting your lips from the harsh weather through a lip balm, you can proactively heal your chapped lips. Use any one of these natural cures for damaged or dry lips: Aloe Vera, honey, avocado butter, and petroleum jelly. They are the best remedies for severely dry lips. Use them during the day and when you sleep for faster healing of your lips.
9. Don’t Lick or Touch Your Lips
Our instinct when we feel and see that our lips are dry is to lick them. But that’s a mistake. Your lips don’t have oil glands and licking them will remove the moisture from them and will cause further damage to that sensitive skin outside your mouth. Instead, you can go to the washroom and apply a damp handkerchief to them. That way, you will moisten it and not remove any few strips of moisture from it.
Also, if you further check the anatomy of your lips, you will know that it is bare flesh. A touch from your unsanitized finger will immediately expose it to viruses germs and other entities that could cause it to wound, dry, or even swell.
Another thing that you should avoid is breathing through your mouth. If you notice when you try to smell your breath through your hand and give off air from your mouth, you will feel that the air is hot when it comes out. This action is like what a hairdryer does to your hair. It gives off hot air and dries your lips completely.
10. Don’t Leave Your Make-Up On
Leaving your makeup on when sleeping is a No-No not just for your face but for your lips as well. This will suck the moisture out of your lips and will result in chapped and very dry skin. To make sure that you have removed all the smudge and traces of lipstick from them, use a damp cotton ball when wiping the chaps out of your lips.
11. Avoid Doing These Things
During winter, avoid applying lip gloss and long-wear lip colors especially those that might have alcohol in them. Also, matte lipsticks are not advisable during the cold season. Smoking has been proven to dry out the skin and more so, your lips. If smoking cannot be prevented, make sure that you’re drinking plenty of water and you’ve got some lip balm ready to the rescue. Salty foods are also not good for your lips since they draw out the moisture from your lips.
Lip care just like skincare is essential. It gives you holistic tender loving care for your face. There are far more things you can do to properly tend to your sensitive lips but make these things a habit: exfoliate, moisturize, drink lots of water, eat healthy foods, and exercise. Those things make wonders more than just for your lips.
Keep being AllDayChic!
