Your lips are a small and beautiful part of your body. They help you to eat, talk and communicate your feelings. Your lips are so tender, and they don’t have natural protection like your other parts of the body. It’s no wonder that you find so many products are targeted towards keeping your lips moisturized and protecting them from harsh conditions such as dry weather, cold winds, and sun damage.
Moisturizing your lips is an essential part of taking care of your skin. When you smile, your lips must not crack or have a dull, dry appearance. Here’s where lip moisturizers come in. The best lip moisturizers add back the lost moisture to replace any natural oils that have been lost. They provide a protective layer to seal in the hydration and keeps your lips soft and supple.
Who needs lip moisturizer?
People who suffer from dry, chapped lips, dry skin, who live in cold climates, who get exposed to suntan and wind, need lip moisturizer. If your lips are mildly chapped, it may be due to dry indoor heating.
Severely chapped lips may result from dehydration, malnourishment, or dermatitis, a dry skin condition that gets exaggerated by irritation and the use of specific products.
If you have chronic chapped lips, you might suffer a condition called cheilitis and the herpes virus. So it’s in your best interests to apply a lip moisturizer and visit your dermatologist.
What is lip moisturizer?
Lip moisturizers are a great way to relieve and protect dry, cracked lips. The best moisturizer for lips may take the form of lip butter or lip balm. Traditionally lip butter has a slightly more luxurious and creamier formula than lip balms. Lip butter immediately melts into your lips to condition and soften them.
Lip balms help to protect your lips from dryness. They contain moisturizing ingredients such as shea butter, petroleum jelly, or lanolin that prevent water loss.
Types of lip moisturizers: There are a variety of lip moisturizers such as moisturizing lipsticks, moisturizing glosses, natural and organic lip balms, medicated lip balms, lip butter, balms with fruity flavors, and essential oils.
The first thing you have to decide is whether you want a lip moisturizer containing a little color. In that case, you have to look for lip glosses and lipsticks that have moisturizing agents such as glycerin. Please stay away from matte or long-lasting lipsticks, as they can be drying and make your lips look even worse.
Matte lipstick is formulated differently from its glossy cousin. Every lipstick has specific vital ingredients wax, oil, and pigment. The ratio of these ingredients indicates whether your lipstick will be matte or glossy.
Matte lipstick has more wax and pigment and less oil. So it gives you a creamy, opaque, and long-lasting finish. However, the loss of added oils tends to make it drier and more likely to settle in the cracks and crevices of your lips.
Lip butter: They have a texture that is full of moisture because of the addition of natural and organic oils, like extra virgin olive, apricots, avocado, and Jaco herbs, etc. Lip butter may contain allantoin, which helps to heal irritation, wounds, and sores. It also includes some unique, organic oils too such as peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender.
Lip Balm: It is considered a medicated ointment that can be used to resolve skin issues. Many varieties of lip balms are made up of organic ingredients to soothe your chapped lips or sunburnt lips. Some best moisturizing lip balms are made with infusions of natural herbs like mint, Calendula and also contain the antioxidant vitamin E. lip balms also come in a wide variety of flavored and nonflavored lip gels with varying amounts of vitamins.
Lip gloss: If you’re the one who wants a simple yet appealing look, then you must try a lip gloss. The essential ingredients in most lip gloss are aloe, glycerin, and vitamin E. Some products may contain natural oils to give a shiny look to your lips. During winter, lip gloss can protect your lips from getting dry and chapped.
How to moisturize lips
If you’re prone to dry lips, then moisturizing it may be a daily challenge. To keep your lips moist, apply a lip balm throughout the day. You can either use a moisturizing lip balm that is either petroleum-based or the ones containing natural oils or beeswax. Try to avoid lip balms that contain fragrances, flavors, or dyes because they might irritate your lips.
Gently apply the lip balm every time your lips feel dry. Avoid licking your lips because it can make them even drier. Select a lip balm with SPF since too much sun exposure can dry out your lips.
Go in for a lip balm that contains sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15. Choose moisturizing lipsticks and avoid matte ones. If your outfit demands a matte color, apply a dense layer of lip balm before applying your lipstick.
If you prefer natural products, you can use a natural oil or gel to moisturize your lips. Gently dab a few drops of oil or a pea-sized amount of gel onto your lips and distribute it evenly. Aloe vera gel, olive, and coconut oil are some of the best natural lip moisturizers.
Exfoliating is a great way to get rid f dry, flaky skin from your lips. This prepares a smooth base for your moisturizing balm. Gently run your toothbrush over your lips a few times after brushing your teeth. You can also apply a lip exfoliator to slough off dead skin from your lips.
Using a soft brush prevents the bristles from being too hard on your lips. Just move the brush around your lips, and avoid scrubbing it too hard. Rinse and pat dry your lips. Finally, apply some lip balm to moisturize them. Try using a lip scrub because it helps to slough off dead skin. Mix a teaspoon of brown sugar with a spoon of olive oil.
With the help of your fingertips or a soft bristle brush, apply the lip scrub to your lips.
Slowly work the scrub around your sides. Rinse away the scrub; your lips will feel smooth and moisturized once you’re finished. A wet washcloth can also be used to exfoliate or wipe away the scrub. Rehydrate your lips with a favorite moisturizing lip balm or moisturizing lip butter.
If you exfoliate your lips too often, it will lead to dryness. Avoid exfoliating your lips more than twice per week. If you find that this practice doesn’t work, then peel once per week. Keep yourself hydrated by drinking lots of water to ensure that your lips be moist from the inside out. Drink about eight glasses of water, increase your water intake if the weather is too hot.