Scrubbing and moisturising your lips before applying your lipstick is a very important habit.
This will eliminate the appearance of lip lines and keep your lips looking soft and supple, suggests Asha Hariharan, education director, Enrich Lipcare.
The skin on your lips is more sensitive than any other area of your body.
However, summer brings in more challenges than ever and when you don't care enough for your skin, it takes its toll.
Most of us are aware that sunscreen is an essential piece of protection that should not be overlooked.
While we all aim to have full-looking lips, having healthy lips is more important.
If your lips aren't healthy, no amount of lipstick, lip gloss, or lip colour will help you achieve the ideal pout.
Unlike other parts of your body, your lips cannot defend themselves from the sun's rays, especially in the summer, because they have fewer oil glands and they can't create melanin.
As a result, they suffer from dehydration and chaffing.
Common lip problems
Some of the problems we encounter during this season are chapping, splitting, thin lips, and cold sore lips.
Chapping usually happens when the lips get dry and it's caused by changes in the weather, licking your lips, UV exposure, etc. It can occur almost in any season, but in the summer, it happens due to dehydration and other such reasons.
You get split lips when there are open cuts or sores on the lips. When they are not taken care of and kept in the presence of dry air for too long, they may lead to split lips.
Thinning of lips is another aging problem that occurs due to loss of collagen, elastin, and smoking.
Cold sore lips are caused by viral infections, and mostly appear as a blister on your lips that is filled with fluid. Using a cotton swab while applying lipstick is recommended while it’s visible.
How to care for your lips
The only remedy is to take care of your lips regularly. Follow these simple but effective lip care tips in summer:
1. Do not touch or lick your lips
Lips do not have any protection of their own, which means they get directly affected every time you disturb them.
It is not wise to hydrate your lips with your saliva. Doing so only dries them out. As saliva evaporates, your lips become dry soon after you lick.
It is also advisable to breathe while keeping your mouth closed to prevent dryness.
2. Follow a healthy diet plan
A good diet is essential for the overall body, skin and also your lips.
Vitamins and other nutrients reflect directly on the condition of your lips.
You must stay on a healthy diet to have lovely lips!
Moreover, drinking enough water helps in keeping the lips hydrated as well.
3. Keep your lips hydrated overnight
As we know that our lips get dry during the day, it is also important to take care and keep them hydrated during the night as well.
Constant exposure to fan, wind or air conditioning tends to make your lips dry, so using a hydrating lip cream or petroleum jelly before you sleep is a pro tip.
4. Scrub your lips
We frequently overlook exfoliating your lips in our skincare routine.
Scrubbing your lips helps to slough away dead skin cells, stimulate blood circulation, minimise discoloration, thus ensuring that your lips are exceptionally smooth, healthy, and nourished.
Additionally, utilising a lip scrub means that your lipstick will apply much more smoothly.
5. Lip massage
If you believe your body is the only one that requires a spa treatment, think again!
Massaging and caring for your lips is equally important.
Take some nourishing oil and gently rub it onto your skin for 5 minutes.
This promotes blood circulation on your lips and ensures that they receive all the necessary nutrients they require.
6. Use a lip balm
If you are someone who would like to keep your lips happy every time and you never know when your lips tend to start drying out, make sure you have a good creamy and hydrating lip balm with you even while you are traveling.
7. Clean your makeup
Never neglect your lips while removing your makeup. Let your skin breathe!
Remove your makeup with a damp cotton ball from your lips and keep it clean.
8. Brush your lips
Brushing your lips softly while brushing your teeth in the morning is something you can add to your morning routine.
Just like your face, you also need to exfoliate your lips using an appropriate scrub.
9. Avoid sun rays
Adding lipstick to your lips will prevent them from drying up and keep them hydrated throughout the day.
When you clear the lipstick, the external factors will get cleaned too.
Using lipsticks protects your lips from the sun, dry air, dirt, and other external factors.
10. Prep your lips before makeup
Scrubbing and moisturising your lips before applying your lipstick is a very important habit because putting a matte lipstick which is a dry lipstick, you might end up drying your lips even more.
This will eliminate the appearance of lip lines and keep your lips looking soft and supple.
Our lips need immense care and taking care of them is as important as taking care of the rest of our body.
