How To Take Care Of Your Lips And Why A Lip Care Routine Is Important

When it comes to your skincare regimen, it’s all too easy to forget about your lips. But your pout is often first to suffer from stress, weather, lack of hydration, or exposure to the sun.

The skin on your lips is extremely thin, and lips have no sebaceous glands to secrete natural oils. For this reason, your lips need plenty of frequent TLC.

With aging, lips can lose their plumpness, giving a more thin and wrinkled appearance. Here’s how to take care of your pout with a proper lip care routine – to help keep them soft, kissable, and age-less.

How To Take Care Of Your Lips

Are you taking care of your lips on a daily basis? Chances are, your lips are getting lost in your beauty regimen. And yet a flawless face can be aged instantly if the lips appear dry and withered.

But by following these few easy steps, plump and supple lips are well within reach.

1. Exfoliate Your Lips

The most important step in any lip care routine is exfoliation. Just as with your face, dry, flaky skin may magnify the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. And when you apply your favorite shade of lip gloss or lipstick, the flakes could get stuck in the product. That’s not a good look.

Exfoliation gently removes dead skin cells to uncover the smooth, soft skin underneath. Plus, smooth skin reflects light – which may help create the appearance of supple lips.¹

Though you have very delicate skin on your lips, you can still safely exfoliate them using natural ingredients. For a gentle DIY Lip Scrub at home, here are two ideas:

DIY Lip Scrub #1: The Toothbrush

1. Start with clean lips.
2. Grab a soft toothbrush. One of the best tools for exfoliating your lips is truly just your toothbrush.
3. Wet the toothbrush, and gently buff lips in a circular pattern.
4. That’s it. Don’t exfoliate too much, as the lips are made of very sensitive skin. Once or twice a week is perfect.
5. Always moisturize after exfoliating your lips (see more below).

*Alternative Step: You can also add a slick of petroleum jelly to your brush. This can help to lock in moisture.

DIY Lip Scrub #2: Honey & Sugar Lip Scrub

Honey is deeply moisturizing because it’s both a natural emollient (softens the skin). It’s also a natural humectant (it draws water into the skin). So, it’s great for soothing and hydrating lips, while sugar acts as an exfoliant.²

1. Start with clean lips.
2. Mix a teaspoon of honey with two teaspoons of brown sugar.
3. Wet a soft toothbrush and dip it into the scrub.
4. Gently massage into your lips in a circular pattern.
5. Wipe lips clean with a wet face cloth.
6. Apply a moisturizing product.

*Alternative Step: You can use baking soda instead of sugar as a gritty exfoliant.

Fun fact: Buffing the lips may help support blood circulation. So, you may get a temporary natural boost of color right after exfoliating.³

2. Keep Lip Balm Handy

You really can’t beat trusty lip balm for instant relief from chapped lips (or just for keeping your pout moisturized).

A good, moisturizing lip balm should contain soothing ingredients that help peeling, sore, or cracked lips. Look for one in stick form, as this is more hygienic than sticking your fingers into a tub over and over.

You should use a lip balm with a high SPF if you’ll be going outdoors. Not only can the lips burn easily, but oily lip balm may actually attract the sun’s rays, potentially leading to skin damage.⁴

3. Anti-Aging Lip Enhancers

A lip enhancer is another way to help keep your lips plump, smooth, and deeply hydrated for a more youthful look.

These enhancers are the Rolls Royce of lip balms and come packed with powerful, active ingredients – such as hyaluronic acid spheres, ceramides, and peptides – to better help lips retain moisture. This, in turn, may help minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

4. Use Hydrating Lipsticks

Keeping your lips moisturized and healthy doesn’t mean you can’t also add a slick of color. Some lipsticks can be drying, but if you seek out a good protective lip product full of hydrating ingredients, your lips will pull focus all over town.

Look for lipsticks that offer the same active ingredients and benefits of a lip enhancer but with a burst of color.

The Importance Of Creating A Consistent Lip Care Routine

Whether your lips aren’t looking their best as a result of weather or sun exposure, natural aging, or lack of hydration because you’re just not drinking enough water, it’s important to take good care of them. Healthy lips are an asset for all ages, skin types, and tones.

And a smooth, clean lip surface encourages younger-looking lips.

Adding lip care to your beauty regimen won’t burden your time constraints. Lips only need to be exfoliated for mere seconds. Then, apply a hydrating product, and you’re done.

Finally, always protect your lips from sun damage. Apply sunscreen to your lips(and face) whenever you leave the house. You should use a high-quality mineral-based sunscreen for both your lips and face. UV rays are one of the greatest contributors to premature aging.⁵

Never forget your lips in your skin care routine, and you’ll be rewarded with a soft, smooth, and supple pout for years to come.

Learn More:
Why You Should Exfoliate Body, Face, Lips, And Hand Skin (Plus Exfoliation Tips For Softer And Smoother Skin)
Five Tips for Avoiding Chapped Lips From Cold Weather This Year
How To Take Care Of Your Skin For A Great Makeup Look

Sources
1.https://www.allure.com/gallery/get-glowing-how-to-revive-dull-skin
2.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24305429/
3.https://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/makeup/g2253/make-your-lips-look-bigger/
4.https://www.vogue.com/article/spf-lip-balm-sun-safe-shiseido-milk-summer#:~:text=Dennis%20Gross.,and%20increase%20radiation%20to%20boot.
5.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4344124/