Brace your lips. Winter is coming.

Tis’ the season where dry, chapped lips seem almost inevitable. You swear you apply lip balm religiously, and yet you cannot seem to remove the flaking skin that masks your soft pink flesh. The dream of kissable lips during winter seems all but lost...until you stumbled upon this blog post, of course!

Oh, hi there! Feeling sad about cracked lips? Well, don’t! Because we have the ultimate lip care guide that will leave your lips smooth and juicy all season long. The skin on our lips is much thinner than the skin covering the rest of our body. Oil-glands and melanin producing cells are also sparse, which means our little lady lumps have virtually no protection of their own. This is why our lips are a lot more susceptible to drying out and cracking - *sad face*. We all know that no lipstick – not even the holy grail of all lipsticks – can mask the horrors of shrivelled-up winter lips. So if chapping, splitting, lipstick bleeding and cold sores sounds truly terrifying to you, then caring for your lips should be at the top of your to do list.

So without further ado, here are our top ten ways to create the perfect pout this winter - *mwah!*.

1. No lip-licking

As sexy as it seems, regular lip-licking or biting is actually one of the worst things you can do to your lips. Saliva contains digestive enzymes that erode the thin layers of skin, leaving them more vulnerable to the environmental exposures of dry air and winds. Does this mean kissing is a no, no? We are not saying that at all…

2. Eat your fruits and vegetables

The condition of your lips can reflect directly on your nutritional intake. Vitamins, minerals and all that good stuff are responsible for the constant restoration of new skin cells. Recovery from the likes of sun damage and dryness will be faster, which ultimately reduces the time spent hiding cracked lips behind hovering hands. Boost your daily Vitamin A and Vitamin C intake and your lips will love you for it!

3. Stay hydrated

Putting your best lips forward starts from the inside out! By now we should all be very aware that drinking water has a tonne of benefits for us living organisms. But, did you know that when skin is well hydrated, it becomes plumper, and more elastic. This means your lips will be more resistant to dehydrating and cracking. So drink H₂O, and your chapped lips will H₂-GO! (That was terrible, I’m sorry).

4. Remove makeup before you sleep

Removing all traces of makeup before you go to bed is essential for the restoration of your skin cells. Excess lip product will reduce your skin cells’ ability to respire, causing further dehydration to occur. So be sure to wash your face and lips thoroughly before you sleep, because we all know the horrors of not removing your makeup after a big night out…

5. Keep your lips moisturised overnight

Although us humans can sleep-talk and sleep-walk, unfortunately we have not yet evolved the ability to reapply lip balm several times throughout the night while we sleep – *sighs*. So, before you tuck yourself into bed, apply lip balm to moisturise and protect your mouth while you dream about Kylie Jenner’s pout all night long.

6. Massage your lips

When has a massage ever sounded like a bad idea? Massaging your lips stimulates blood circulation, causing your lips to swell lightly and appear fuller. The improved blood circulation also promotes cell repair, leaving your lips healthy and happy. Using a natural oil (i.e. coconut oil) to massage your lips will moisturise them at the same time. Note to self: repeatedly kissing a hash brown will not suffice.

7. Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate

Exfoliating your lips removes dead skin cells and exposes new, fresh layers of tissue. This creates a soft, smooth surface for your lipsticks and lip glosses to adhere. Continue reading for three deliciously vegan DIY lip scrubs that you can use!

8. Always carry lip balm

We’ve all had those face-palm moments where you’re kilometres away from home without your lip balm. An image of your loyal, lip-moisturising friend sitting alone on your bedside table enters your mind. With outstretched arms raised to the heavens you scream, “whhhy meee?!” The struggles. My advice – have multiple lip balms. Leave one in your purse, your car and have one at home – you’ll never be caught without!

9. Wear lipstick or lipgloss!

Some lipsticks (cough, non-organic lipsticks, cough) are filled with ingredients that are drying to your delicate lips. However, if you moisturise and exfoliate your lips regularly, then wearing lipstick is very beneficial. Lipstick can act as a protective barrier to your lips, shielding them from the sun, dry air, dirt and other environmental factors. So don’t be afraid to chuck on some red lipstick and make the boys cry.

10. Use natural, mineral products

With lipsticks going on and into our mouths each day, it makes it even more important to choose natural, non-toxic lip products. Many ingredients that are found in ‘mainstream’ lip products (i.e. alcohol) are actually very drying and damaging to the delicate skin on your lips. At Sugar Venom Eco Cosmetica we pride ourselves on using only natural, non-toxic ingredients that keep you and your lips healthy from the inside out! To find out more about using mineral products, please read our “What’s Wrong With Makeup?” article.

DIY Vegan Lip Scrubs

Combine all ingredients and softly massage the mixture into your skin. Use once a week only. Do not over-exfoliate as this can cause irritation and damage to your delicate lips.

Coconut Scrub

If you’re crazy for coconut, then this is the lip scrub for you. Coconut oil moisturises while the natural sea salt exfoliates your skin to smooth perfection.

• 1 tablespoon - natural sea salt
• 1 tablespoon - coconut oil

Cinnamon Scrub

This deliciously spiced scrub helps exfoliate and naturally plump your lips. The cinnamon will bring a subtle heat to your lips, stimulating blood flow for the perfect pout.

• 1 tablespoon - brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon - cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon - olive oil

Coffee Scrub

A delightfully scented scrub that is packed with minerals and essential oils for smooth, supple lips. It smells delicious, too!

• 1 tablespoon - coarsely ground coffee
• 1 tablespoon - olive oil

1 Response

Gale

July 11, 2015

Omg the coffee scrub sounds so good….trying this tomorrow!

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