Keeping your lips healthy and hydrated is key. Not only do healthy lips feel great, they look great too. Besides, dry, cracked lips can be a nuisance.The skin on our lips is much thinner than the skin on the other parts of our body. This makes them more prone to cracking and chapping. This is why it’s important to take extra care of our lips. Keep reading for Dr. Ben’s 5 tips to keep your lips healthy and beautiful.
How can you keep your lips healthy?
1. Exfoliation:
You can remove dead, dry skin on your lips by gently brushing using a wet washcloth or a toothbrush. Do this once a week, preferably on a weekend morning. Afterwards and in the days following, be sure to keep lips hydrated by regularly applying lip moisturizer or balm. Treat your lips with care right after lip exfoliation, because exfoliation may make you lips slightly sensitive.
2. Hydration:
Unlike other body parts, the lips tend to get dry and chapped easily as they do not contain oil-producing glands. Prevent your lips from becoming dry by drinking plenty of water. Also, avoid licking your lips as too much as this causes the lips to lose moisture as the saliva evaporates.
3. Protection & Using Moisturizers:
When you are outside, your lips are exposed to the sun just like the rest of your face and body – especially your lower lip. This means, they are quite susceptible to sun damage like tanning, sunburn, and even skin cancer. Hence, it is extremely important to have a lip care product that you use during the day that contains an SPF 15 or higher.
Even if you are wearing a mask you still need to protect your lips, just like the rest of your exposed skin. Regardless of weather conditions or the time of the year, your lips are still prone to damage from harmful UV rays.
Don’t forget to use a lip moisturizer before bed to hydrate and nourish lips and as you sleep.
4. Reapplication:
Reapply your preferred sun-protecting lip product every two hours, and after drinking or eating. Depending on the activity you are involved in, the frequency at which you reapply product may need to be increased. For instance, if you’re swimming or sweating you may need to apply your lip product more frequently.
professionals recommended keeping an SPF-based lip product in several places like your purse, your desk at work, in your bathroom and beside your bed. That way you will always have product handy and you are less likely to forget to reapply it. This is also a good way to test different products and find one or two that suit you best.
5. Choosing the Right Product:
It is best to use a lip care product that has been recognized by a reputable institution, organization, or research laboratory. This way, you can be sure that the sun-protecting product meets certain standards of quality, safety, and efficacy.
Your lips are just as important as other parts of your body and taking good care of them should be a priority. Incorporate these simple and effective lip care tips in your daily routine for naturally healthy, beautiful lips.
