Tired of those chapped lips? I don’t blame you. Chapped lips are not only uncomfortable, but they can also lead to dark patches making your teeth look yellow. Not to mention that they’re unsightly and embarrassing.
When you think of exfoliating, your first thought might be the skin on your face or body. But exfoliating your lips regularly is just as important.
It may not seem like a big deal, but keeping your lips exfoliated is important for many reasons. Not only does it help to keep your lips smooth and moisturized, but it also helps them to heal better when they are dry or irritated.
Lip exfoliation can remove dead skin cells to reveal the softer, smoother surface below. It can also help fight blemishes and prevent lipstick from settling into fine lines and wrinkles on your lips. You should give your lips a little TLC by using this simple guide every other day for the best results.
How to Exfoliate Your Lips
If you’ve ever found yourself in a situation where your lips feel rough or dry, even after you’ve applied lip balm, then you know how uncomfortable it can be to have dry lips.
Many things can cause dryness on the lips, such as sun exposure, cold weather and, licking your lips. Eating certain foods such as oranges or grapefruits can also cause dryness. To prevent this, you need to make sure you’re taking care of your lips by exfoliating them regularly.
Exfoliating your lips is the process of removing dead skin cells and food particles that build upon your lips. This helps bring back their natural softness and enhances the color of your lipstick.
So what are some of the best ways to exfoliate your lips and keep them looking gorgeous? I’ll show you how to exfoliate your lips with these simple solutions.
1. Exfoliate With Toothbrush
The idea of using a toothbrush to exfoliate your lips might seem weird, but it’s actually safe and low—maintenance. Without proper care, dry flakes and dead cells can build up on the surface of the lips and lead to even more problems.
Using a toothbrush to exfoliate your lips is important to promote healthy skin growth on your lips by removing any sticky, dead tissue or stuck-on food particles. It is also a great way to naturally increase blood flow to your lips.
Exfoliating your lips with a toothbrush can be done using a toothbrush, toothpaste, and water.
To get rid of those annoying, chapped lips:
- Clean your lips with water first in order to remove any dirt that may be present on your lips.
- Wet the toothbrush with water, and then squeeze a pea-size amount of toothpaste on it.
- Scrub your lips gently in small circular motions.
- Rinse your lips with cool water and pat dry.
- Apply a lip balm after to keep your lips moisturized.
Toothpaste contains ingredients that help scrub away dead skin cells, leaving lips feeling smooth. Using a toothbrush with a small amount of toothpaste regularly will remove the dead cells from your lips and leave them feeling soft.
This technique is best used once or twice a week to avoid drying out the natural oil on your lips.
SEE: 13 Simple Home Remedies To Get Pink Lips Naturally
2. Exfoliate With a Ready-Made Lip Scrub
Lips are one of the most thin-skinned patches of skin on our body, so they can be prone to dryness and other issues. A good lip scrub can help with this and make your lips feel softer and smoother.
A lip scrub is an exfoliant that is used to eliminate dead skin cells from the lips. The purpose of a lip scrub is to remove the dry flakes that accumulate on the surface of your lips, which can cause them to look chappy and flaky.
There are different types of lip scrubs available in the market today, so try out a few to see which one works best for you. However, avoid lip scrubs that contain ingredients such as alcohol, parabens, or camphor. These ingredients can cause harm to your skin.
To exfoliate your lips with a lip scrub:
- Start by wetting your lips with water.
- Apply the lip scrub on your lips and gently scrub them in circular motions with your fingers.
- Scrub gently until there’s no product left.
- Rinse your lips with water.
- Apply some moisturizer to seal in the moisture and nourish your lips.
3. Exfoliate With a DIY Sugar Scrub
Hate to break it to you, but commercial lip scrubs may contain toxic chemicals that are harmful to your health.
Luckily, you don’t need to buy an expensive organic lip scrub to get rid of dead skin cells. A great alternative is to make your own lip scrub, using a few items like sugar and honey from your kitchen pantry.
Sugar scrubs create a gentle abrasion on the surface of your lips, helping to remove dead skin cells and any other particles that may build upon your lips.
Using a DIY sugar scrub twice a week will provide instant relief from dryness and help keep your lips healthy.
How to Make a DIY Lip Scrub
Ingredients
- Brown or white sugar
- Honey
- Coconut oil
Procedure
- Take two tablespoons of sugar and one tablespoon of honey into a bowl.
- Add one tablespoon of coconut oil and mix thoroughly.
- Apply the mixture onto your lips and scrub in circular motions for 2-3 minutes.
- Rinse off with lukewarm water and apply a lip balm to keep your lips moisturized.
SEE: 12 Easy and Natural Tips on How to Get Soft Lips at Home
Why You Should Exfoliate Your Lips
Lips are one of the most sensitive parts of the body and they need a lot of love and care. Your lips are also prone to bacteria, which can lead to them feeling dry, chapped, or irritated.
Having healthy lips is essential to your overall health. Not only does the skin around your mouth tell a lot about you, but it also functions as a protective barrier against germs and other elements.
The exfoliation process removes dead cells from the surface of your skin, which helps with dry, peeling, and cracked lips. It can also reduce the appearance of lines around the mouth and on the chin.
This makes it easier for your lips to absorb lip balm when you apply it. It will also allow the color of your lipstick to go on more evenly and last much longer than it would.
You should exfoliate about once or twice a week to get these benefits.
Tips for Healthy Lips
Hydrate
One of the most unpleasant experiences during winter is dry lips. Dry, chapped lips are a common side effect of low humidity and cold temperatures. But you can get rid of this problem by drinking more water.
If you’re not hydrated enough for an extended period of time, the natural production of oils in your body decreases, leading to dry and chapped lips.
Ensure to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day, as it will help your body produce a lot of natural oil because of H2O’s hydrating properties. This will help keep your lips well moisturized and healthy.
Use a Lip Balm
A lip balm is a cosmetic product that moisturizes the lips and contains ingredients such as shea butter, beeswax, cocoa butter, or lanolin. Lip balms are typically used to soften and smooth the skin of one’s lips.
They work by using emollients to soften the skin and seal in moisture, which can help keep them from cracking and drying out. They may also function as a type of sunscreen to provide SPF protection.
Lip balms come in many varieties; their specific formulation depends on the desired effect. For instance, you can achieve soft lips with a lip balm that contains Vaseline, jojoba oil, or coconut oil.
These oils have important health benefits too. A lip balm might also contain plant extracts for flavoring, such as peppermint or tangerine.
Wear a Sunscreen
The sun is powerful. Even more in this era of global warming. It can make your skin tan and give you a healthy glow. But it can also cause serious damage to your skin, like wrinkles and skin cancer.
Too much sun exposure can cause your skin to age faster, form wrinkles, and turn into leather. It can also make them look redder than they actually are.
That’s why it’s important to wear sunscreen when you head out in the sun – not just on your face, but everywhere. This includes your lips.
The skin on your lips is thin and delicate, which means that it’s more susceptible to damage from the sun. To achieve soft healthy lips, it’s important to choose an appropriate sunscreen that protects your lips from harmful UV rays.
Avoid Licking Your Lips
If you want to have healthy, moisturized lips, always avoid licking them.
Licking your lips too often and too much can lead to dry, chapped lips. This is because the lipids that hold moisture in your skin are constantly being depleted when you lick your lips. Licking your lips also spreads bacteria around your mouth, which can cause oral bacteria build-up.
I know licking your lips can be tempting in hot or cold weather. However, if you lick your lips often, it could lead to problems like chapping and sores.
Avoid Smoking
You’ve probably been told over and over that smoking will hurt your lungs and make you look old. But did you know it can also cause your lips to look dry, wrinkled, and unhealthy?
Smoking is a major risk factor for lip cancer, which could lead to your lips looking rough. And since the skin on your lips is thinner than the rest of your body, it has less ability to protect against UV rays, so they’re more likely to get wrinkles.
Smoking also makes your mouth and gums more sensitive, so you may find it more difficult to brush your teeth or eat certain foods. Avoid smoking for soft, moisturized, and healthy lips.
SEE: Essential Products You Need In Your Skincare Routine for Dry Skin
FAQs
Why do I have dry lips?
Your lips can get dry for many reasons, such as harsh weather, smoking, licking your lips, or using harsh lip products. To get rid of dry lips, it’s important to exfoliate your lips and moisturize regularly.
How often should I exfoliate my lips?
Twice a week. Over exfoliating your lips will remove moisture from your lips and cause them to dry out, thus leading to dry or chapped lips.
Can exfoliating make my lips pink?
Yes, it can. Exfoliating is a great way to remove dead skin cells and particles that can make your lips look dull. Removing the dead skin cells rejuvenates your lips, making them appear soft and pink.
Conclusion
Lips can get dry, especially during the winter months when there is less moisture in the air. It is very important to remove any dry skin and bacteria that may accumulate on the lips.
Some people make the mistake of exfoliating their face and neglecting to do so on their lips. But, this is not a good idea because your lips have a lower concentration of oil glands than the skin on your face, so they need more moisture than other areas of your face.
Exfoliating your lips is a great way to get rid of dry skin that can accumulate in the corners of your mouth. It will also give you a fresh-faced look that’s especially great for photos.
If you are experiencing problems with your lips such as cracking, bleeding, or other abrasions, then you should consult with a doctor before exfoliating your lips to ensure they are not infected.
Thanks for reading.
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