Our lips are among the most delicate and expressive features of our face, yet they often don’t receive the attention they deserve in our daily beauty routines. Proper lip care isn’t just for aesthetics, either.
Your lips do a lot of work and take more of a beating than you might think!
Think about it. From eating spicy foods, exposing them to the elements, and the constant stretching and pursing they perform for smiling, talking, yawning, and kissing—your lips go through a lot.
Taking better care of your lips helps protect them and keep them healthy and comfortable. So, if you’ve been neglecting this fragile area of your face, follow these simple lip care tips immediately!
Moisturizing: The Foundation of Lip Care
As with all skin, moisturizing is essential. Unfortunately, lips don’t have oil glands, unlike the rest of your largest organ. This lack of self-moisturizing makes them more prone to dryness, chapping, and splitting.
Good moisturizing starts with proper hydration. Drinking plenty of fluids (water is always best!) keeps your skin and lips healthy and strong.
Other tips to keep your lips moisturized from the inside out include:
- Use a humidifier, especially if you have central air/heat running frequently.
- Stop licking your lips — although it moistens the top layer for a second, it actually dries out your lips.
- Cut back on spicy and salty foods, caffeine, and alcohol, as these can dehydrate your lips and body.
- Add more hydrating, skin-healthy fruits and vegetables to your diet.
Staying hydrated doesn’t mean you should skip the lip balm, though!
Choosing the Right Lip Balm
The trick to using lip balm is knowing which ingredients are suitable for the delicate skin of your lips and which to avoid.
A healthy, beneficial lip balm will contain deeply hydrating ingredients that create a barrier to keep moisture in. Some of these ingredients include:
- Hyaluronic acid: Moisturizes and provides a natural plumping and smoothing effect
- Shea butter: Known for its rich, emollient properties
- Beeswax: Provides a protective barrier that locks in moisture
- Natural oils: Such as coconut, jojoba, and almond oil — all excellent for hydrating and nourishing lips
- Petroleum-based balms: The ultimate skin-protecting ingredient soothes, hydrates, and protects all at once
Another ingredient that is often ignored in lip balms: SPF!
Your lips are particularly vulnerable to the sun’s harmful rays. Choosing a lip balm with SPF 30 or more helps protect them from painful burns, premature aging, and skin cancer.
Products to stay away from or use only sparingly include those that contain:
- Added scents, flavors, and colors — these can be irritating and even cause allergic reactions
- Phenol, menthol, and other cooling ingredients — drying and potentially irritating
- Salicylic acid and other chemical exfoliants — can be too harsh and do more harm than good
- Allergens — check labels if you have reactions to common ingredients such as lanolin
How Often Should You Apply Lip Balm?
Some people think that chapsticks or lip balms make your lips drier. This is a myth, but one with a big “However…”
As mentioned before, some ingredients actually do cause more harm than good, leaving you with dry, peeling lips after consistent use. That’s why paying attention to the ingredients is so important.
But if you have an excellent, skin-friendly lip balm, there’s no specific rule for when or how often you should apply it. It all depends on your preferences.
For maximum benefits, consider applying it after eating, before bed, and whenever your lips need a boost. It is also a good idea to use an SPF-containing balm before swimming and other outdoor activities.
During the winter, feel free to layer it on more often, protecting your lips from environmental dryness. Fortunately, you can’t really overdo it as long as you have the right one.
Is Exfoliation Important for Lip Care?
Few skincare topics are more divided than lip exfoliation. Many dermatologists say it’s a healthy, necessary part of lip care; others advise avoiding it completely due to the thin, delicate nature of this part of your face. (Dr. Alpana Mohta Ranka and Dr. Dennis Gross are just two dermatologists who are mostly anti-lip exfoliation.)
If you choose to exfoliate, moderation and care are essential.
You should avoid using harsh scrubs or chemicals, as they can cause more damage than necessary for exfoliation.
Instead, lightly apply a gentle lip-specific scrub once a week or less.
You can make your own DIY lip scrubs using sugar or coffee grounds as exfoliators and honey and skin-healthy oils, such as olive and grapeseed oil, as moisturizers.
And remember, whatever type of product you use, be sure to follow it with lip balm or simple Vaseline.
Let’s Talk Plumping Glosses
Bigger, fuller lips have been a popular beauty goal for many years. And many products on the market have touted amazing lip-plumping effects.
Are they healthy for your lips? Do they work?
Most lip-plumping glosses contain ingredients that irritate the skin, causing the body to send more blood to that area, resulting in fuller-looking lips. These ingredients include cinnamon oil, capsicum, menthol, and even bee venom.
The upside is that they are generally safe as long as you don’t have an allergy or sensitivity to these ingredients. Assuming it’s a good product, you will have plumper and probably even pinker lips.
Some non-irritating versions contain hyaluronic acid, collagen, and other skin-healthy ingredients that provide a plumping effect without the sting.
Unfortunately, depending on what you’re going for, there might be more cons than pros with plumping glosses.
- These effects are only temporary, usually lasting only 1-2 hours, if that.
- The effects are also fairly subtle. Some with higher concentrations of plumping ingredients will be more noticeable. Lower concentrations or non-irritating types might still work, but the results won’t be dramatic.
- The more you use them, the less they work. As your body gets used to reactionary ingredients, it realizes it doesn’t have to react anymore because it isn’t doing any real damage.
- Frequent use can also dry your lips the same way spicy food can.
- As previously mentioned, some of these ingredients can cause severe discomfort and even deadly reactions to those who are allergic to them.
In short, lip plumpers are a great solution for fuller lips on an occasional night out. But if you want a more noticeable pout every day, nothing beats lip filler.
Getting the Lips You Want With Lip Fillers
The desire for fuller lips is not new; surgeons began (unsuccessfully) performing lip augmentation around 1900. Through decades of trial and error, aestheticians and dermatologists can now safely and effectively give people fuller, more symmetrical lips.
Lip fillers are an excellent choice because they provide natural-looking yet dramatically fuller lips lasting up to a year or more.
But to help you get the most out of your investment, here are some tips for making your lip fillers last as long as possible.
Lip Filler Preparation and Aftercare
First, before you even arrive at your appointment, be sure you’ve followed all pre-procedure instructions provided by your injector.
For your comfort and to reduce swelling and bruising, these include:
- Discontinue using certain medications and products, especially those that thin the blood
- Avoid direct sunlight and use sun protection on the day of your appointment
- Stop using hair removal products a few days before your procedure to prevent irritation
- Make sure you’re hydrated
After receiving your lip filler, follow your technician’s post-care instructions.
- Do not rub, pucker, or apply pressure to your lips for the first 24-48 hours. This includes smoking, using a straw, and kissing!
- Gently apply ice packs to reduce swelling and discomfort.
- Avoid harsh or irritating glosses, peels, and scrubs.
- Wait two weeks before you have dental procedures, face-down massages, or other situations that may put your lips in a strenuous position.
Following these recommendations will significantly reduce the already unlikely possibility of having uneven or bumpy results.
Long-Term Lip Filler Maintenance
The ingredients in lip filler, typically Hyaluronic Acid (HA), are safely broken down and absorbed by the body over time. Therefore, they do not last forever.
More permanent solutions, such as fat transfers and implants, have some major drawbacks, including longer recovery times, high costs, and “over-inflated” lips. So, even though they aren’t permanent, lip fillers are still the better and safer option for many people. For one, they tend to be more natural-looking. Two, they are more affordable. And three, they can be reversed if the results aren’t what you expected.
Luckily, there are things you can do to make your dream lips last longer.
- Maintain proper hydration—Hyaluronic acid attracts and binds to water. Hydration is important for overall health and for lip fillers to work effectively.
- Moisturize — Keep lips silky, soft, and moisturized with lip balms containing HA, beeswax, or petrolatum-based ingredients.
- Sun protection — Avoid direct sunlight, use SPF 30 or more lip balms, and wear wide-brim hats to protect your lips from the sun’s harmful rays.
- Eat a balanced, nutritious diet — Maintaining overall health and eating foods with skin-supporting nutrients can contribute to longer-lasting lip fillers.
- Manage stress — Stress can cause a ton of problems in your body, including the quicker breakdown of your lip fillers.
- Set follow-up appointments — Make sure you see your injector at least every six months to assess the maintenance and look of your fillers. You may consider top-up treatments every 6-12 months (based on your injector’s recommendations).
With proper care for yourself and your lips, fillers can keep you happy with your smile for a long time.
Lip Care as Part of a Beauty Routine
Why is it so easy to neglect our lips when we spend so much time caring for our faces? Considering how much they do for us both physiologically and aesthetically, you’d think lip care would be routine, too.
The good news is they aren’t that challenging to take care of. Find dependable, skin-healthy lip balms, keep your lips moisturized, gently exfoliate when necessary, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! By incorporating these practices into your routine, you can enjoy soft, smooth, and beautiful lips every day.
Remember, your lips are as unique as you are, so tailor your lip care routine to meet your specific needs and preferences. Whether you’re dealing with dry, chapped lips or maintaining the results of a cosmetic procedure, giving your lips the attention they deserve will keep them looking and feeling their best.
