Tips for Hydrated Lips
In the winter, with cold, dry weather, our lips are particularly prone to becoming dry and chapped. You could have the most gorgeous smile with pearly white teeth. But, do you want chapped lips to be the first thing someone notices?
Chapped lips can be a pain not only because they look bad and feel uncomfortable, but they can also be so dry they can crack. The cracking at the corner of the lips is an infection called cheilitis. Lips don’t contain oil glands like other parts of the skin, making them more susceptible to becoming dry. While there are some things that can heal your lips, there are certain ingredients that can also irritate your lips.
Here are 8 Tips for Hydrated Lips to help them look and feel their best!
1. Exfoliate your lips.
When you exfoliate you remove dead skin cells, and you allow lip products to better absorb and hydrate your lips. Use an exfoliating lip scrub, soft-bristled toothbrush, or even a soft washcloth regularly. Be cautious to be gentle as you don’t want to crack or tear your lips. Looking for an easy at home lip scrub? Simply scrub brown sugar onto your lips until the sugar dissolves. To save time, do this in the shower!
2. Drink plenty of water.
Always make sure you are hydrating your lips from the inside out. When you’re dehydrated your body makes less saliva, and your lips feel drier. How much water you should be drinking varies based on your body weight, however, a good estimate would be about 12 cups a day for men, and 8 cups for women.
5. Always protect your lips with SPF 30.
3. Be mindful of ingredients in your lip products.
While some ingredients will protect and hydrate your lips, some will dry them even more. Using a thick ointment, such as Aquaphor or petroleum jelly, will help protect, heal, and provide intense hydration. Ointment acts as a barrier, seals water in, ad protects your lips against free radicals.
While you may think that all lip products are effective in healing your lips, think again. Many lip products contain colors, dyes, waxes, toxic chemicals, and ingredients that will not only dry your lips more but can cause irritation as well. Some products may initially feel good on dry lips, but overuse will make them feel more dry and you will constantly feel the need to re-apply. Don’t get in that viscous cycle. Try a new lip product!
4. Use a lip balm or moisturizer several times a day and an overnight lip mask.
With the ingredients mentioned above, find a lip moisturizer that you can use several times a day and use it liberally.
Using a nightly lip mask will give you a boost of hydration that will work while you sleep. The body repairs and regenerates overnight, so this is the best time to boost the natural healing process. You will love waking up to super soft, hydrated lips! My favorite is LANEIGE sleeping mask!
Regardless of what season it is, your lips need to be protected from the sun’s rays. The sun can burn your lips, dry them out, and trigger cold sores. Make sure your lip SPF includes titanium oxide or zinc oxide for full spectrum protection. While in the sun, like SPF for your face, this should be applied every 2 hours.
6. Avoid licking your lips.
I totally get it, when your lips feel dry, it’s an instinct to want to lick your lips and wet them, but this is drying your lips even more. As the saliva evaporates, your lips become drier. When you notice yourself wanting to lick your lips, resist the urge, and try applying a nourishing lip balm instead!
7. Get hyaluronic acid lip filler.
Lip filler contains hyaluronic acid which attracts water, hydrates, and retains moisture. When hyaluronic acid is injected in the lips, you may notice that your lips are less chapped. It can also lessen the appearance of lip lines by adding some volume.
8. Sleep with a humidifier.
Humidification helps add moisture to the air which helps hydrate your skin and lips. Humidifiers are particularly helpful during the winter when we tend to have our heat on. Dry heat causes the moisture in our skin to evaporate more quickly and can lead to dry, chapped lips. Humidifiers are especially helpful if you are a mouth breather.
A little effort goes a long way in taking care of your lips. So, kiss those dry lips good-bye, get ready to pucker up, and say hello to your newly hydrated lips!
XO, Pure Bliss Aesthetics
