Lip care is an exceptionally important part of health and body care. How to get healthy-looking, smooth and hydrated lips? What makes the lips’ skin so different from other skin areas and why does it need special treatment? What products should you use to make your lips look lush and attractive? We’ll tell you right now.
What Makes Lip Skin Different?
Lip care is an important part of a daily beauty routine. So what are the things you should know about the skin on your lips to take care of it properly?
The number of sebaceous glands in the lips is significantly reduced with only a small number located in the corners of the lips. That is why in the absence of proper care dryness, peeling, and cracks are unavoidable.
Dry, chapped lips are uncomfortable and do not add neatness to makeup. Therefore, it is better to systematically maintain the health of your lip skin than to periodically restore it.
You should keep several lip balms, including sunscreen lip balm, in your makeup bag.
Why Do Your Lips Dry Out?
The skin of the lips is essentially more susceptible to the aggressive effects of the external environment since it has a thin epidermis and is almost devoid of natural protective lubricant.
The main causes of dry lips:
- a negative impact of environmental factors;
- bad habits such as smoking;
- constitutional peculiarity;
- age-related changes;
- vitamin deficiency.
Dry lips can also be caused by some of the decorative cosmetics, such as recently popular matte liquid lipstick. Its long-lasting clingy texture contains almost no oily components, so this kind of makeup implies enhanced lip care before and after putting on lipstick.
How to Take Care of Your Lips?
Seems like an easy task, doesn’t it? But wait, there are some nuances and it’s better to adhere to certain rules.
Make sure your diet is healthy
Beauty begins within. Lack of vitamins and fatty acids in your diet immediately affects the condition of your lips – and this is a compelling reason to reconsider your diet. It should include:
- fatty fish: mackerel, halibut, saury, eel, sturgeon;
- nuts (walnuts, peanuts), pumpkin seeds;
- vegetable oils: olive, flaxseed, sesame, rapeseed;
- vegetables and greens: spinach, parsley, pumpkin, Brussels sprouts.
Harmful habits such as smoking and eating spicy foods can also lead to dryness, cracking, and flaking. Gently exfoliate dead surface skin cells using a scrub with small organic sugar particles.
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The daily care algorithm involves several steps
1
Use lip balm
Before going out, apply a protective balm, before going to bed – moisturizing, nourishing, restoring.
2
Exfoliate your lips
Exfoliation is a very useful and beneficial procedure including for the skin of the lips. To get rid of your peeling lips and improve microcirculation try a lip massage using soft scrubs—for example, sugar-based.
3
Apply primer under your lipstick
Instead of a primer you can use a non-greasy balm. Apply it in a thin layer and use the tips of your fingers to gently dab the product into your skin or spread it over your lips with a brush.
4
Remove lip make-up the smart way
Don’t wash your face with soap. Apply your cleansing milk or micellar water to the flat cotton pad and gently remove makeup without rubbing the skin.
To clean the lips of long-wearing matte lipstick, use a nourishing balm. Apply a thick layer of balm on your lips and wait for 30 minutes. The balm will soften the pigment, making it easier to remove with a cloth napkin. This method will help keep the lips smooth and healthy, while regular use of aggressive cleansers will inevitably dry the skin.
Are there any questions left?
How to minimize vertical wrinkles along the contour of your lips.
There are two ways to do this:
- regularly use the menthol or hyaluronic acid-based lip plumper;
- perform a good thorough peeling for seven days in a row. Apply an intense hydrating moisturizer right after exfoliating with scrub.
Your Lip Skin Requires Different Care in Different Seasons
Changing our lip care routine seasonally is one of the incredibly important conditions that we should observe so that the delicate skin of our lips feels comfortable 365 days a year.
Apply primer before using lipstick, especially if it’s a matte one.
Summer
When it comes to summer lip care, everything is simple: choose lighter textures, in warm (but not hot!) weather you can do with just ordinary lipstick without additional nutrition in the form of balms.
Important
In hot weather be sure to use a UVB protection sunscreen balm. Within the city, the level of SPF 15-20 will be sufficient, but for travelling to warm countries choose products with an SPF of at least 25. And don’t forget to reapply sunscreen at least every 1,5–2 hours (and after meals because it wears off after you eat or drink).
Winter
In winter in addition to your normal and obligatory steps such as exfoliating, nourishing, and moisturizing, you can also add masks to your lip care routine. If you don’t have a ready-made face mask, apply a thick layer of regenerating cream on your lips and leave it for a few hours, preferably overnight. Sunscreen balm will be useful on vacation at a ski resort: snow reflects the sun’s rays no worse than the surface of the water, putting the skin at increased risk of photo-aging.
Important
When choosing a balm for the winter, carefully study the list of ingredients. Ingredients such as glycerin, oils and ceramides work as water-retaining agents and prevent the feeling of tightness and flaking. Natural vegetable oils (shea, olives, macadamia, coconut) are able to ‘lock’ moisture into the skin and have a protective and antioxidant effect. Hyaluronic acid and aloe extract instantly moisturize and refresh. You can use products that combine all types of ingredients.
Lip Care Products Overview
Essential lip care products — a balm for nourishing and moisturizing, as well as a smoothing cream designed specifically for this area.
Creams
Anti-Wrinkle Collagenist Re-Plump, Helena Rubinstein
Product with proxilane and collagen microspheres instantly adds volume to the lips and smoothes wrinkles along the contour of the lips.
Eye and Lip Contour & Menopause Skin Care Neovadiol, Vichy
It smoothes wrinkles, and plumps and tightens skin thanks to proxilane, epirulina, proteins and mineralizing water from Vichy thermal sources. With such a remedy even with hormonal imbalance the lips look fresh and well-groomed. With such a remedy the lips look fresh and well-groomed, even with a hormonal imbalance.
Balms
Him/Her Lip Care Balm, Giorgio Armani
Universal remedy that is suitable for both men and women. It has a melting texture that spreads easily across the lips, is odorless and gives a natural shine. The product is presented in a neutral range for different skin undertones: 6 shades range from colorless and pale pink to cool lilac-pink.
Nutritic Lèvres, La Roche-Posay Nourishing Deep Repair Lip Balm
Formula with ceramides eliminates the uncomfortable feeling of tightness, irritation, heals cracks and tightens the skin.
Smoothes the skin and cares for it, making the lips smooth and moisturized. Palette contains 12 shades and has two types of finishes: transparent Sheer and more dense, rich, and opaque Bold.
Aquasource Plump and Glow Lip Balm, Biotherm
This light balm smells like peach. Due to the presence of vitamins and vegetable oils, it quickly softens the lips. Adds visual volume to your lips and makes them look fuller. The sun protection factor SPF 8 prevents photo-aging.
