Kiss, kiss.
Our mouths need as much care as the rest of the skin and our lips lack the protection that our outer layer enjoys. You need more than a good chap stick to battle the irritants your puckers have to face on a daily basis: food, drinks, pollutants, the weather and even the tip of your tongue. They also have no oil glands to retain moisture during the low humidity or colder months (just around the corner!) or sweat glands to flush out the toxins.
Most of us spend time picking out the right lip color and think about the beauty of our lips, but few of us think about the health of our lips. In fact, they are often downright ignored.
Here are some helpful hints so you can put forth a perfect pout:
1. Stop Licking your Lips
When our lips dry out we try to hydrate them with our saliva, but this actually dries them out more and can cause painful cracking. Leave the lick lipping to your pup.
2. Eat Vitamin-Rich Food
Your lips are dependent on a steady intake of vitamins and minerals. Curb chapped lips by eating plenty of whole grains, green leafy vegetables and egg yolks. The effect will be similar to the reaction your complexion gets when you eat right. A junk food bender can impact the condition of your lips.
3. Use the Right Lip Balm
You may be sold on whatever brand of lip gloss Angelina Jolie uses, but you should be thinking in terms of being smooth and supple. The best products for your lips have a base of beeswax, petroleum jelly or paraffin because they seal in moisture and won’t evaporate as quickly as some glosses.
4. Scrub your Lips Once a Week
Your lips take a beating every day. With all that talking (and kissing) they deserve a massage now and then. Exfoliating your lips once a week with a gentle lip scrub can keep the microscopic build-up at bay. Make a simple DIY mint lip scrub by adding 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 tablespoon of honey. Add a drop of peppermint and mix away. Apply with your clean fingertip and rinse.
5. Hydrate for the Sake of your Lips
Keep your lips hydrated by keeping your water intake up. You can keep your lips supple from the inside out just by indulging in your daily H2O. Also, diuretics like coffee and tea can dehydrate you so if you are feeling chapped cut down the morning pick-me-up.
Are you feeling kissable? Who is already battling chapped lips? Let’s chat below!
photo credit: notsogoodphotography via photopin cc
My lips ALWAYS get super chapped when it gets cooler. Thanks for the great tips…gotta try that DIY lip scrub!
Me too! This year I vow to make sure that DOES NOT happen!
I often use a bit of olive oil and sea sat as a lip exfoliator. Works great in the winter, hydrates the lips and tastes awesome!
Ohhh that is such a simple and fabulous idea! Thank you!