Introduction
Winter is very harsh to our skin, but the lips are softer and more sensitive. Dry air outside and your heater indoors will take moisture away from your lips pretty quickly and leave them chapped, dry, and irritating. Read this article to have the best care of your lips for winter. It will show you how to prevent chapped lips and have smooth, hydrated lips throughout the cold season.
What Makes Lips Chills in Winter
It has no oil glands, so much more sensitive as compared to the rest of our skin on the face. This makes our lips very prone to dryness, especially during winter. Contributing factors towards dry winter lips are:
Cold, Dry Air: It is a cold weather, meaning low moisture. Such an arid climate dries out the moisture in our lips quickly.
Indoor Heating: Although central heating as well as space heaters reduce humidity within buildings, it further dries out the air.
Licking the Lips: We keep licking our lips each time they feel dry by trying to add moisture there. Saliva evaporates fast, thereby making lips even drier.
Dehydration: In the winter, we drink less water; dehydration is bad both for skin and lips.
Exposure to Wind: Can be pretty rough, the winter wind. This will only make the lips more chap and feel sore and tight
Knowing all these reasons, we are going to be better prepared to fight the effects of harsh winter on our lips.
1. Hydrate from Within
Hydration is the best way forward for the care of lips. Hydrate from inside by drinking gallons of water through the day in order to hydrate your body and, thus, your skin and lips. Hydrate a little more during winter to counteract the natural dryness coming along with it. Finally, hydrating foods such as fruits and vegetables will keep you hydrated as well.
Tip: Drink warm herbal teas or water with a squeeze of lemon throughout the day to make hydration easier and more enjoyable during the cold weather.
2. Lip Balm
Not all lip balms are created equal and winter demands a lip balm that will really lock moisture in and provide an impermeable barrier on the lips. Here's what you should look for in your winter lip balm :
Petroleum Jelly or Beeswax: Locks in the moisture by covering the lip.
Shea Butter or Cocoa Butter: Restorative rich butters hydrate deep into your lips, with a protective layer.
Hyaluronic Acid: Lip balm, where hydration is BFF; keeps lips plump and soft.
Vitamin E: This antioxidant will help you have delivery moisturization while helping heal crumpled, cracked lips.
How to Apply Lip Balm Effectively
Use lip balm two times at least in a day, especially just before stepping out into the cold or before sleeping. Exfoliate the lips weekly, gently, to remove dead skin cells. And that way, when you apply lip balm, it penetrates better. You should be quite liberal in application during winter as that will help your lips establish a stronger protective layer.
3. Exfoliation
Exfoliate your lip when dead skin cells are accumulating and appearing on your lips as flakes and dullness. Here's how you can do it:
Homemade Lip Scrub: Mix equal portions of honey and sugar to create a nourishing gentle lip scrub.
Use a Toothbrush: For quick exfoliation that would remove the flakes on your skin, rub a damp toothbrush over your lips in small circular motions.
Products: There are so many pre-made scrubs out there that have great moisturizing ingredients for the rest of your body.
Tips: Only exfoliate once a week because you do not want to dry out your poor lips.
4. Break the Habits: Lip licking and lip biting are terrible for the skin on your lips.
STOP IT NOW. DO NOT LICK AND DO NOT BITE.
You will end up licking your lip or even biting it once you feel that your lips are dry, and both only increase the problem. Evaporation is fast, and your lips are drier than they ever were before. Try to break the habit by always carrying a good lip balm so you can reach for that instead. A flavored balm may avoid temptation to lick your lips.
5. Protection against Sun and Wind
Yes, the UV rays from the sun can hurt you also in the winter when there is snow. Being a reflector of sunlight, it can be really harsh on you at times. Look for lip balm with sunscreen whose SPF is at least 15. Use this always if you expect to spend too many hours outdoors.
Tip: Use a scarf to cover your lips so that they will not get windburned. Windburn can really affect the bottom portion of your face that is wrapped in a scarf, thereby giving it another layer of protection against the cold and wind.
6. Lip Care Routine at Night
Our skin, which consists of our lips, is carried overnight into the state of repair and renewal. Apply a hydrating lip mask or balm abundantly before your sleep for sealing its moisture overnight. That's how to take care of your lips as you sleep.
Lip Exfoliation - Lightly exfoliate the skin on the inside of your lips so that there will be elimination of dead cells of your skin.
Moisturizing - Apply a thick emollient balm or lip mask which may contain honey, lanolin, and shea butter.
For extra oomph. Drip a few drops of your favourite hydrating oil in the presence of coconut and jojoba to your lip balm to impart additional moisture.
7. Take Care of Your Nutrition
By all means, a diet can play right on to skin and lip health. During the winter, supplement your diet with foods that have healthy fats, vitamins, and antioxidants, which will keep the moisture levels in your skin balanced. So here are some of the relevant nutrients for healthy lips:
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: The fatty acids found in fish, flaxseed, and walnuts help fight dryness.
Vitamin E: Nuts, seeds, as well as leafy greens are known to nourish the skin, hydrating it by means of vitamin E.
Vitamin C: It encourages the formation of collagen keeping your lips full and succulent. Include citrus fruits, berries, and leafy greens in your diet.
8. Avoid Irritating Ingredients
Some ingredients in lip products can make things worse for chapped lips. Be vigilant of the following:
Menthol and Camphor: They may give a cooling effect to the mouth on the skin but suck out moisture from the lips
Perfumes and Flavorings: The impulse purchases of ingredients and they can burn the sensitive lips, thus making the condition of dryness worse
Salicylic Acid: As an ingredient in some lip balms which are meant to exfoliate; thus sometimes causing irritation and dryness.
9. Quit Smoking
Not only does it dry out your lips but also ages the skin around it, creating fine lines. The warmth and toxic chemicals from the cigarette can further even exacerbate dry, cracked lips. So, if you are a smoker, winter might turn out to be the ideal season for quitting or cutting down sticks you smoke. It will do wonders for your skin, and for that matter, the rest of your body.
10. Keep an eye out for Indoor Humidity
You will really notice just how much of a difference having a humidifier in your house makes, but that can really ward off problems like chapped lips and dry skin. If you've got it installed in your bedroom, that will keep the air way more humid through the night, which sometimes makes all the difference in lip hydration.
Lip Masks for More Hydration Do It Yourself
Occasionally, if your lips are really chapped, you might want to apply a great lip mask once per week. Here are some of the DIY options that you could try at home:
Honey and Olive Oil Mask: You take equal parts of honey and olive oil, put it on the lips, and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Then, gently wipe it off.
Aloe vera and coconut oil mask : Mix aloe vera gel with a few drops of coconut oil, massage and mix well to leave on lips for smooth and hydrating mask. Avocado and honey mask: Take a small piece of avocado, mash it with honey, and apply to lips for rich nourishing mask with lock of moisture inside. Conclusion : Your winter lip care routine
With a little more care and the right products, you will have soft, kissable lips throughout the winter season. Don't forget about hydrating, applying balm, protecting your lip from atmospheric influences, and following a consistent routine for healthy, plump, and ripened lips. Preventing dryness and discomfort is the last step to adopting some lip essentials. Take on the cold months with confidence that your lips are healthy and beautiful.
Learn these habits for daily practice, so you find winter just a little more bearable and its cause is naturally remembered for healthy lip glow. Hopefully, the rest of the season will slide by with soft, hydrated lips that look as great as they feel!
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