Tips to Have Healthy Pink Lips before Applying Lipstick

You have your skincare routine, you have your hair care routine — but what about a lip care routine? You want your lips looking their best. Nothing’s worse  than realizing that your lipstick doesn’t look quite right because of flaky skin or that your lips look wrinkly because of how dry they are. So here are our top tips for lip care: for lips so smooth and soft, lipstick stays on longer and looks infinitely better, and even with nothing on, you’ll make people look!

Exfoliate

Exfoliate your lips? Yup! You probably already exfoliate your face and body and know the benefits of doing so. But did you know that lips benefit from some exfoliation too? In fact, lips sometimes need it more since they tend to peel and get drier than other parts of the body. (Pro tip: When your lips are dry, resist the urge to lick them. Saliva actually dries your lips out!) The reason for this is that lips don’t have sebaceous glands like our skin does. These glands keep skin moisturized naturally, but since our lips don’t have them, they can need a little help.

You can slough away dead skin cells on your lips to prevent peeling in the first place by exfoliating with a lip scrub. A lip scrub will often be more gritty in texture than a face scrub since the lips need it more and can handle a bit more. Don’t worry; a lip scrub will contain gentle ingredients since lips don’t have the same needs as facial skin. Just scoop a bit of lip scrub on your pointer finger, stretch out your lips, and rub the scrub into your lips with a firm circular motion. Doing this at night (before the next step we’ll discuss below), is the perfect one-two punch against chapped lips!

Deep hydration

If you’re not already using a lip mask… Well, get on it! Lip masks provide INTENSE moisturization. For even better results, use it after exfoliating and before bed so you can wake up with kissably soft lips. Lip masks contain hydrating ingredients and are thick in texture, so it takes some time for them to be fully absorbed by your lips. You’ll wake up with super hydrated lips. You may even find that your lips look a little plumper being that they’re so well-hydrated!

Daily hydration

For day-to-day care, use lip balm. Lip balm provides a layer of protection as you go about your day eating and exposing your lips to different elements. You can also wear lip balm under your lipstick or other lip beauty product. Apply a thin layer of lip balm (a quick swipe over each lip) and give it a bit to absorb before applying lipstick. 

And with regards to daily hydration, make sure you follow it extra carefully in the winter! The dry air caused by heating systems (everywhere from your home to your car to work to stores) is especially drying to the skin all over your body, and the lips are no exception! 

Sun care

Do not forget protection from the sun for your lips! We tend to forget about our lips, but exposure to UV rays can cause signs of premature aging and bad health consequences. Use a lip balm with an SPF of 30 for optimal sun protection, especially when you’ll be out in the sun for extended periods of time or if you’re going out during peak sun hours (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)!