Have you ever woken after a good slumber of 8 hours to find that while that beauty sleep has revitalized your skin, your lips have suffered greatly? Yes, I am talking about that feeling when you get up in the morning to dry and cracked lips. And this problem only gets worse with the changing weather.
While it’s certainly a lot of fun to play around with lip colors and get that perfect red pout, you wouldn’t be able to do so if your lips aren’t in mint condition, right? Because no matter how great a lipstick is, it can’t undo the damage inflicted on your lips by the elements.
And they do get damaged easily. Read on to know why.
Why Do Our Lips Need Extra TLC?
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You know how we have to take extra care of our skin, since it’s regularly exposed to harsh elements of the environment, right? We have to protect it from the sun damage, pollutants present in the atmosphere, and from the chemicals present in our food and cosmetics as well. Now, our skin comprises about 16 cellular levels, and even then, it requires a great level of preventive care. Our lips, on the other hand, are composed of only 3 to 5 cellular levels! Yes, you read that right. And they are exposed to all the same harmful elements as our skin (1). Now, you can very well imagine the need for that extra TLC. Thinner skin also means that any damage done to the lips becomes apparent quite easily.
Then there is also the matter of sweating. The function of sweating allows our body to regulate its temperature, and flush out the toxins (2). It also keeps our skin moisturized. But our lips don’t have any sweat glands, therefore, they tend to dry out faster than the rest of our skin, resulting in a chapped and flaky appearance (3).
Now that we have explained why your puckers needs that extra lovin, let’s have a look at the factors that affect their appearance.
Factors Responsible For Making Our Lips Dry And Pigmented
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- Dehydration
It can be as simple as you not consuming enough water. If your body is lacking in fluids, it can become apparent in the texture of your lips. You can avoid this by having plenty of water and avoiding alcoholic and caffeinated drinks.
- Smoking
Apart from destroying your lungs, smoking is also responsible for robbing your lips of their rosy hue. And not just that, smoking can also make your skin age faster, which can give your lips a very unsightly scowl (4), (5).
- Sun Damage
As explained above, lips are very susceptible to any form of damage. And if you aren’t protecting them with a suitable sunscreen, chances are that they might develop unsightly pigmented spots (6).
- Improper Diet
A diet which is lacking in vitamins in minerals can also affect the appearance of your lips. In extreme cases, it can also result in skin conditions like angular cheilitis that can cause discomfort and embarrassment to one (7).
Now that we have outlined the causes, let’s move on to the solution. To help you tackle these issues, we have created this lip care routine. Go ahead, read it and take it for a spin!
The Perfect Lip Care Routine
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We suggest you do this routine in the evening, just as you get ready to hit the sack.
Step 1: Remove Makeup
Just as with your face, you need to disrobe your lips as well. Remove all traces of makeup (primer, lipstick) from your lips. You can use micellar water for this step.
Step 2: Exfoliate Your Smackers
Use an all-natural lip scrub to scrub your lips and remove the layer of dead cells coating them. A number of all-natural lip scrubs are manufactured by leading skincare companies such as Forest Essentials, The Body Shop. You can also make your own lip scrub from the many remedies available on the Internet. However, this step is not to be done daily. Exfoliate your lips once or twice a week, not more than that.
Step 3: Hydrate
This is the last step of the routine. Just as you are done exfoliating your lips, apply a hydrating mask on your lips. There is a wide variety of them available in the market. Choose one which doesn’t contain a lot of chemicals. Brands like Laneige have some really great options. On the days you skip exfoliation, you can straight away apply the mask after cleansing.
To supplement this, you should also keep a lip balm with you at all times. However, make sure that the lip balm is composed of natural oils that would help lock in the moisture in your lips.
Along with this lip care routine, you should also make sure that your diet is rich in vitamins and minerals. If you check all these boxes, then we can assure you that your lips will retain their rosy hue and pillowy texture. Dry, chapped lips will be a thing of past!
So go ahead, try out this routine. Let us know how it worked out for you in the comments section.
The post Say Good Bye To Chapped Lips With This Lip Care Routine appeared first on STYLECRAZE.
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