We all know the importance of skincare and using the appropriate products that suit your skin type. As important is skincare, it’s also important to take care of your lips. The lips have skin like no other part of the body. They are thin, don’t produce any oil (which acts like a barrier) and they can get dry very fast.
As a girl who suffers from constant dry lips, I’ve tried so many lip balms and lip treatments. Some worked and some didn’t. There are also ways to prevent dry lips with proper nutrition and water. Here are some of the things that work for me and are good in treating and preventing dry lips:
DRINK A LOT OF WATER
This is easier said than done. The recommended dose for daily consumption is 8 glasses a day and that’s a lot. The way I make sure I drink enough water is having a big bottle next to me at all times. That way I make sure to drink 2 bottles a day which totals to 16 oz. of water. And this is for one day. You don’t want to drink big amounts of water all at once because it can lead to water intoxication (yes you can drink too much water).
EXFOLIATE
As any part of your body, the lips get dead and flaky skin too. Once a week you can use a gentle exfoliator that is meant for the lips. There are a lot of sugar based lip exfoliators on the market or you can also make it yourself. You can use brown sugar mixed with olive oil (or any other oil that you like). Make sure you are gentle when exfoliating especially if you have sensitive skin. My favorite lip exfoliators include the Fresh Sugar Lip Polish and Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub.
MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE, MOISTURIZE
Look for a lip balm that has ingredients like beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter, Vitamin E which all help with hydration. Try not to use lip balms that have alcohol or salicylic acid. They actually dry the lips and don’t help with hydration.
I use a ton of lip balms. I have lip balms all over the house and couple in my bag. If I’m not wearing lipstick I make sure to apply lip balm every two hours (yes that’s how dry my lips are). Most importantly always apply lip balm before you go to bed.
You can also use Vaseline to lock in moisture over your lip balm. My favorite and go-to lip balms include: Nuxe Reve De Miel, Glossier Balm Dotcom, Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment, GlamGlow Poutmud Wet Lip Balm Treatment and Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Kiss.
For heavy duty moisturizing I always come back to the Bite Agave Lip Mask.
USE A HUMIDIFIER
Especially if you live in a dry climate as me, humidifier helps with keeping your skin and lips from drying out. We keep a humidifier in our living room and one in the bedroom to make sure the air is not dry and at a comfortable level.
APPLY SPF ON THE LIPS TOO
It doesn’t matter if it’s summer or winter our lips still burn when exposed to the sun. A lot of lip balms already contain SPF but you also have SPF that’s meant for the lips, like the Supergoop! Shine-On Lip Screen Broad Spectrum SPF50.
USE A LIP MASK
Yes these exist. If your lips are extremely dry you can use a nourishing lip mask to add moisture. There are also lip masks who help with plumping and make your lips appear bigger. The one I’m using is from Kaplan MD which plumps your lips and also comes with a lip balm. If you haven’t tried a lip mask, Sephora carries one that is pretty affordable.
How do you take care of your lips? Any lip balm favorites that I need to try?