How to care for your lips

First of all, why do you need to look after your lips?

Your lips take a lot of abuse and are constantly exposed to irritants like food and drink, the tip of your tongue, environmental pollutants, the weather – the list goes on.

Have you ever wondered why your lips tend to get dry and crack though? The skin on your lips is much thinner than on other parts of your body, which makes it easier for them to crack and split. Also your lips have less oil glands and don’t produce melanin (the pigment that protects your skin from UV rays) which means that they have little natural protection from the elements.

The weather and changing seasons have a lot of effect on your lips. They are likely to become chapped and cracked during the winter when its cold outside. Also throughout the year dry air, sun and wind will dry out your lips so it is important to care for them all year round.

When it comes to lip care you should believe that ‘prevention is better than cure’. It is always possible to restore the health of your lips but it takes time for the results to be visible.

Having a lip care routine will help to keep your lips smooth and soft no matter the season!

Here are some tips that will help teach you how to care for your lips:

1. Keep Hydrated

One of the most common causes of dry skin is not drinking enough water. Just as your skin needs to be kept hydrated from the inside, so do your lips.

Drinking plenty of water helps to keep your lips from drying out and also benefits your body in other ways. Start to care for your lips from the inside!

It is an easy and affordable task that is highly effective.

2. Protect your lips

Daily

Using a moisturising product every day will help to care for your lips, keeping them healthy and soft.
Apply a moisturising balm liberally over your lips, including at the corners.
Reapply lip balm at regular intervals throughout the day, whenever it is needed. Any time your lips feel dry is a good time to apply lip balm.

Suncare

Its common knowledge that the skin on your face is subject to damage from exposure to the sun.
Using SPF 15 or above, even on cloudy or cold days, helps slow the signs of aging. This can be either in your lip product or in addition to it.
Your lips can become damaged by UV rays from sun exposure so it’s important to protect them.
Reapplying sunscreen hourly to your lips will give you the best results.

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3. Exfoliate

Just like your skin needs exfoliation, the same goes for your lips as well. Exfoliating your lips can help to remove dead, dry, flaking skin that builds up and helps to restore the softness and smoothness that we all want.

It is recommended that you exfoliate only 1-2 times a week. Exfoliating too often could irritate your lips and cause them to dry out.

Apply a small amount of exfoliating scrub to your fingertips.
Gently rub over the lips in small circular motions for no more than 30 seconds.
Rinse with warm water.
Pat skin dry with a clean towel.
Apply a protective balm to lock in moisture and soothe lips.

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4. DO NOT LICK YOUR LIPS

It is something that we all do (often without realising) but it is a habit you really need to try and stop!

Whilst you might instinctively lick your lips to keep them hydrated, it will actually dry them out more! Lips do not have any protection of their own, which means each time you touch or lick them they are directly affected.

When the saliva evaporates off your lips, it will take moisture with it, leaving your lips drier than they were before. The enzymes in saliva are simply too harsh on your delicate lips.

You should also try not to bite or pick at your lips, especially if they are already dry. This will only irritate them and prevent them from healing.

These are all bad habits I had, but since writing this blog I’ve become more aware of these habits and I do them a lot less now! If ever I think about licking my lips I reach for the lip balm instead.

5. Breathe through your nose!

Avoid breathing with an open mouth and try to inhale and exhale though your nose as much as you can. It may seem silly, but excessive mouth breathing can dry out your lips. Air is being sucked and blown constantly over your poor lips, sapping moisture with every breath.

If you have a cold or allergies, breathing through your nose might not be an option for you. Be sure to hydrate and moisturise your lips as much as possible though to make up for your mouth breathing.

6. Keep your lips hydrated overnight

When you are awake you know when your lips are drying out, but it is more difficult when you are asleep. The air around you tends to dry out your lips while you sleep.

I never used to put anything on my lips at night and i did wake up with really dry lips. I realised I have a tendency to sleep with my mouth open which was actually drying out my lips and mouth!

Adding a humidifier in your bedroom can help to keep your lips moisturised at night, especially if you breathe through your mouth!

Some nights I just use a lip balm, but if my lips are feeling dry at night I will use BaahLM! Lip Mask which is a truly nourishing and intensive, moisturising overnight lip mask. My lips feel really soft when I wash it off the following morning!

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BaahLM! Lip Mask

in Rich Chocolate

7. Check the ingredients

Not all products for lips are created equal. The right ingredients can protect your lips and help prevent them feeling dry and chapped. Lip balms that contain shea butter, cocoa butter and coconut oil give your lips a natural barrier of protection from heat and pollution. However, other ingredients like camphor can dry out your lips.

All our lip balms contain shea butter and coconut oil, as well as the other lovely ingredients listed below:

BaahLM!

Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii)
Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera)
Apricot Kernel Oil (Prunus Armeniaca)
Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia Cerifera)
Castor Oil (Ricinus Communis)
Vitamin E Oil (Tocoperol)
Organic Flavouring Oil (Aroma)

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Blushberry Botanicals

Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil*
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) butter*
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Cera (Jojoba Wax)
Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
Citrus Paradisi (Pink Grapefruit) Peel Oil
Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin) Peel Oil*
Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Peel Oil*
(contains citral, geraniol, limonene, linalool)

*Organic Ingredients

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Pura Cosmetics

Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera)
Grapeseed Oil (Vitis Vinifera)
Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii)
Cocoa Butter (Theobroma Cacao)
Mango Butter (Mangifera Indica)
Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia Cerifera)
Castor Oil (Ricinus Communis)
Flavouring Oil (Extract Flavour)

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8. A few other points

Keep metallic items away from your lips.

Metal can irritate your lips if they are sensitive.
Try to keep items like jewellery, zippers, paper clips and pens away from your mouth as much as possible as they have the tendency to irritate lips.

Stop using tobacco products.

Cigarettes, chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes with nicotine are all bad for your oral health in general and can increase your risk of getting lip cancer.
Smoking cigarettes can also lead to more wrinkles on and around your lips.

Be careful who you share your lips with.

It might seem obvious, but don’t kiss anyone with infections or sores on their lips or face.
Viruses, fungi and bacteria can easily spread and enter any cracks on your lips too!

Lip Care Routine Round Up:

Keep Hydrated. Drink plenty of water.
Protect your lips and apply lip balm whenever needed. Remember to protect them from the sun too!
Exfoliate 1-2 times a week.
DO NOT LICK YOUR LIPS.
Breathe through your nose.
Keep your lips hydrated over night.
Check the ingredients.

Enjoy your perfect pout!

To help you achieve the perfect pout we have put together two lovely lip care bundles:

BUNDLE 1

A Pura Cosmetics Lip Scrub

A BaahLM! Lip Mask

The choice of 2 lips balms by BaahLM!, Blushberry Botanicals or Pura Cosmetics

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Featured in Vegan Food and Living Magazine

BUNDLE 2

2 Pura Cosmetics Lip Scrubs

2 lips balms by BaahLM!, Blushberry Botanicals or Pura Cosmetics

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As a thank you for taking time to read this, please use the code LIPCARE15 to receive 15% off your first lip care bundle to help start you on your journey to lovely lips!