Top 10 Lip Care Tips: How To Take Care Of Your Lips

The skin on your lips is more sensitive than the skin on your entire body. Therefore, it is vulnerable to chapping and cracking, and hence, you need to follow some lip care tips. They help maintain your lips and care for them.

In general, every girl adores wearing a lip color that is bright and vibrant. But if your lips are not taken care of properly, even the most vibrant hues will look dull and unflattering on your lips. Furthermore, no lipstick, lip gloss, or lip stain can help you create a perfect pout if your lips aren’t healthy.

Keep In Mind

• Exfoliate: Exfoliate Gently brush your lips, once a week, using a soft and wet toothbrush to remove dead skin.
• Massage oils: Exfoliate Use almond or jojoba oils as they have healing and nourishing properties.
• Caution: Exfoliate Avoid applying lip products that contain camphor, eucalyptus, lanolin, menthol, salicylic acid, or added flavoring or fragrance as they aggravate the skin.
• Cold Compress: Exfoliate Apply a cold compress to stop chapped lips from bleeding and reduce swelling.

But what causes them to crack and dry up? Lips can not protect themselves from the harsh sun rays, especially in summers, because they have minimal oil glands and zero ability to produce melanin. So, they undergo dehydration and chaffing. Similarly, in winters, the cold wind breeze makes your lips chapped and dry. So, irrespective of climate, your lips get flaked whenever you have dry wind around or harsh sun rays.

To prevent this, we need to use lip balm that acts as an instant remedy to treat chapped and dry lips. Lip balms are incorporated with oils, waxes, and sometimes even camphor or menthol to soothe and moisturize your lips. In addition, lip balms infused with aloe or allantoin ensure speedy healing while providing nourishment and restoring the softness and smoothness of the lips. Moreover, if you rely on sunscreens when heading out, ensure that the sunscreen formula is packed with zinc oxide, or titanium dioxide.

Ami, a blogger, shared her experience of caring for her lips after a rough night of wearing drying lipstick. She writes, “…the next morning I wake up with very dry lips but then after I brush my teeth and wash my face, the death skin is soft enough (since my lips are still wet) so I just use finger to scrub it off. It comes off completely revealing smooth new skin (which I guess is formed overnight) – this is when my lips are in the best condition. Immediately, I apply lip balm again to seal in the moisture before doing anything else in my morning routine.” Additionally, she also provides a word of caution, “* Also drink a lot of water and don’t lick your lips so often. Tongue carries a lot of germs and licking your lips means taking way the natural moisture your skin produces (i).”

By reading this article, you will be completely aware of the common causes of lip problems and how to care for your lips effectively. Keep scrolling!

Common Lip Problems and Their Causes:

Here are a few problems you may encounter with your lips:

1. Chapping

• Chapping can occur almost in any season.
• To prevent and treat, apply a good lip balm daily.
• Do it in such a way that it slightly overlaps the edges of the lips.
• Look for a balm which provides sun protection and has elements like Vitamins A, C or E and AHAs (at night).

Quick Tip

Ceramides, dimethicone, petrolatum, and shea butter are among the ingredients beneficial for healing chapped lips (2).

2. Splitting

• Cracks often occur after sleeping in dry air.
• To prevent this, be sure to apply a good lip balm before going to bed
• Also try and use a humidifier as it will help retain the moisture in the air.

Quick Tip

If you notice peeling, avoid removing the flaking skin and apply a thick ointment such as petroleum jelly to protect your lips from impurities (2).

3. Lipstick Bleeding

• This begins as the skin around the mouth loses collagen and elastic tissue with age, or is aggravated by smoking.
• Using a waxy lip liner to outline lips will help contain your lipstick within the line.
• When cosmetics no longer help, the more permanent (and expensive) solution is to have collagen or hyaluronic acid filler injection to fill the cracks.
• Or you could always not smoke and give up on that!

4. Cold Sores

• Caused by viral infections, these look like blisters or open scabs.
• To avoid re-infection, use cotton swabs to apply lipstick while the sore is visible.

Now that you know the different types of problems that you can face with your lips and the causes that result in the same, let us look at the tips that will help contain the problem.

10 Simple and Effective Lip Care Tips

When it comes to lip care, you should firmly believe in the saying ‘prevention is better than cure!’ It is always possible to restore the health of your lips. But it takes time for the results to be visible and in the meanwhile, you will have to put up with the pain that lip problems cause.

Here are some simple tips that will help you to take care of chapped lips:

1. Do Not Touch Or Lick Your Lips

Lips do not have any protection of their own, which means that each time you touch them or lick them, they are getting directly affected.

It is essential that you do not do anything that will make the problem worse.

Never lick your lips. It might feel good for the moment and also feel hydrating for your lips. But once the saliva evaporates, it will leave the lips even drier. The enzymes in the saliva are simply too harsh on your delicate lips.

The next thing to never do is breathe with your mouth open. Imagine how much of the moisture must get stripped away with all that dry air blowing over it.

And the last in this segment is but obvious. Don’t kiss anyone with any infections on their lips. For it takes absolutely no time for an infection to spread to any cracks on your lips too!

2. Follow A Healthy Diet Plan

A good diet is essential not just for your skin but even for your lips.

Vitamins and other nutrients reflect directly on the condition of your lips. It is essential that you stay on a healthy diet to have lovely lips!

3. Stay Hydrated By Drinking A Lot Of Water

Staying hydrated is one of the most important things when it comes to healthy lips. Just as your skin needs to be kept hydrated from the inside, so do your lips.

4. Remove Makeup

Your lips need to be able to breathe by being clear.

• Make sure you remove all traces of makeup from your lips before you sleep.
• Use a damp cotton ball and wipe your lips clean.

5. Keep Your Lips Hydrated Overnight

While we are awake we know when our lips dry out, but this could be a problem when you are asleep.

The air around you tends to dry out your lips while you sleep.

• Make sure you use a heavy or hydrating lip cream or some petroleum jelly before you sleep.
• You can also use cream or raw milk for the same or even ghee (clarified butter).

6. Massage Your Lips

You can use some nourishing oils to massage your lips for about 5 minutes every day.

This improves the blood circulation in your lips and ensures that they get the nutrients that are needed.

7. Scrub Your Lips

Scrubbing your lips is important to ensure that they stay healthy and soft. Removing dead skin cells is a must to make sure that your lips don’t succumb to any infection.

• Use any mild scrub that is available in the market for lips
• Alternatively, you can make your own lip scrub at home with some rock sugar.

8. Always Carry A Lip Balm

You never know when your lips tend to start drying out. Make sure you have a good creamy and hydrating lip balm with you even while you are traveling.

9. Use Lipsticks when Stepping Out

Yes, the good news is that it is good to use some lipstick before you step out.

Since the lips have no natural protection, wearing lipstick will help you add a layer to them.

Using lipsticks protects your lips from the sun, dry air, dirt and other outside factors.

10. Know When It Is Time To Ask For Help

Sometimes, despite all these preventive measures, your lips still need help.

It is always a good idea to keep a lip balm handy, especially if you have dry and chapped lips. Read the next section for simple recipes of DIY homemade lip balms if you want all-natural ingredients.

DIY Lip Balm Recipes

1. Honey & Coconut Oil Lip Balm

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• A small container sterilized using boiling water

How to Make

1. Mix the coconut oil and honey in a small bowl.
2. Microwave for 20 seconds or until melted.
3. Stir the well and pour into the sterile container.
4. Let it cool and solidify before using.

2. Minty Cocoa Lip Balm

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cocoa butter
• 1 teaspoon beeswax
• 2-3 drops peppermint oil
• A small container sterilized using boiling water

How to Make

1. Melt the cocoa butter and beeswax in a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Add the peppermint oil and stir.
3. Pour into the container and let it cool.

These DIY lip balms are simple and natural solutions to keep your lips soft and moisturized.

Infographic: Top 7 Tips For Smooth And Healthy Lips

Since your lips have the most delicate skin on your entire body, they are prone to chapping and cracking. Factors like sleeping in dry air and smoking can contribute to split and unhealthy lips. The good news is that there are a few simple tips that can keep them nourished all year round. Check out the infographic below for more details.

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my top lip brown?

Hyperpigmentations could be one reason why the top lip is brown. In addition, factors like dehydration, smoking, negligent lip care, sun exposure, allergies, etc., can all lead to gradual darkening of lips. However, if the discoloration is sudden, it could be because of an underlying health condition, and you must seek medical advice.

Which oil is better for lips?

Natural oils like jojoba, almond, avocado, and coconut are all good for healing, moisturizing, and nourishing your lips.

Is honey good for lips?

Yes. Honey has antimicrobial, wound-healing, and conditioning properties (1), which is good for maintaining healthy lips.

Is vitamin E good for lips?

Vitamin E provides hydration to the lips and boosts blood circulation, and therefore, may help generate new skin cells and ensure that lips remain soft and supple.

Illustration: Lip Care Tips: How To Take Care of Your Lips Naturally?

Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team

Discover the secrets to achieving plump and soft pink lips with this comprehensive lip care routine. Get tips and tricks to enhance your pout’s natural beauty. Check out the video!

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Dr. Reema Das MallikMD, PGDCC

     

Dr. Reema Das Mallik is a cosmetic physician-cum-entrepreneur with over 8 years of experience. She is the founder of Illumis Aesthetic Clinic, the first state-of-the-art aesthetic clinic in the northeast region with FDA approved devices.

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Jyotsana RaoBeauty & Lifestyle Writer

 

Jyotsana Rao is an engineering graduate from NIT, Nagpur, who discovered her love for writing during her undergraduate days. She is passionate about writing about everything related to beauty - makeup, fashion, hairstyles, skin care, or hair care and has 4 years of experience on writing in these genres.

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Subhrojyoti MukherjeeAssociate Editor

Subhrojyoti is an associate editor at StyleCraze with four years of experience. He has a master’s degree in English from Presidency University, Kolkata, and has also done a post-graduate certificate course in Editing and Publishing from Jadavpur University, Kolkata.

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Anu PallaviBeauty & Lifestyle Writer

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