How to Take Care of Your Lips
Written by Sneh Chaudhry on December 9, 2021
Your lips are super important—talking, kissing, and eating would be impossible without them. But dealing with dry, cracked, or irritated lip skin can be a pain. If you’re looking to improve your lip health, there are a few things you can start doing right away for smoother, silkier lips.
Exfoliate once a week.
Exfoliating removes dead and dry skin, leaving your lips smooth. You can use a lip scrub, your toothbrush, or a washcloth to gently scrub your lips and remove flaky skin.
- You can make your own lip scrub out of 1 tbsp (15mL) of honey, 1 tsp (5mL) of olive oil, and 1 tbsp (15mL) of sugar.
- Be careful not to exfoliate too often! This could irritate your lips and cause them to dry out.
Protect your lips with lip balm.
Lock in moisture and shield your lips from harmful UV rays. Grab an ointment-based lip balm with an SPF of at least 15 and put it on before you head out for the day.
- If you’re heading out in cold weather, consider covering your lips with a scarf, too.
- Reapply your lip balm every 2 hours for all-day protection.
- If an ointment-based balm is a little too heavy for daily use, you can save it for nighttime.
- Try to avoid lip balms with camphor, eucalyptus, or menthol. While they’re good for other things, these ingredients can actually dry out your lips.
Try not to lick your lips.
This can actually dry them out more. If your lips feel dry, use a lip balm instead of your tongue.
- When the saliva evaporates off your lips, it will take moisture with it, leaving your lips drier than they were before.
- You should also try not to bite or pick at your lips, especially if they’re already dry.
Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
When your insides are hydrated, your outsides will be, too. Aim for about 8 glasses of water per day, or more if you sweat a lot.[5]
- It might be helpful to carry a water bottle around with you so you always have water on hand.
- Stay away from dehydrating liquids, like coffee and alcohol.
Look for lip products that moisturize and hydrate.
The right ingredients can protect your lips and prevent dry and chapped skin. As you search for lipstick, lip gloss, and lip balm, find products with these ingredients:
- Castor seed oil, ceramides, dimethicone, hemp seed oil, mineral oil, petrolatum, shea butter, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, and white petroleum jelly.
- Products labeled “hypoallergenic” usually have some or most of these ingredients.
Stay away from lip products with fragrances or dyes.
Harsh chemicals can irritate or dry out your lips. Go for natural, fragrance-free products when you look for lip balm, lipstick, or lip gloss.
- Stay away from ingredients like camphor, eucalyptus, fragrance, lanolin, menthol, octinoxate, oxybenzone, phenol (or phenyl), propyl gallate, and salicylic acid.
- Even natural flavors, like cinnamon, citrus, and peppermint, can irritate your already sensitive lips.
Breathe through your nose.
Excessive mouth breathing can dry out your lips. Try to inhale and exhale through your nose as much as you can.
- If you have a cold or allergies, breathing through your nose might not be an option for you. Be sure to hydrate and moisturize your lips as much as possible to make up for your mouth breathing.
Keep metallic items away from your lips.
If your lips are sensitive, metal can make them even more irritated. Try to keep jewellery and other metallic objects away from your mouth whenever you can.
- Zippers, paper clips, and pen caps all have a tendency to irritate sensitive lip skin.
Put a humidifier in your room.
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Dry air can irritate your lips. Set up a humidifier in your bedroom to keep your lips moisturized at night.- This is especially helpful if you live in a dry climate or you’re a mouth breather.
- If you live in a humid area already, don’t worry about setting up a humidifier.
Stop using tobacco products.
These can increase your risk of getting lip cancer. Cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and e-cigarettes with nicotine are all bad for your oral health in general.
- Smoking cigarettes can also lead to more wrinkles on and around your lips.
- If you notice any lesions on or around your lips that won’t go away, visit a dentist or doctor as soon as possible.
Source: www.wikihow.life
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