Your lips are the next most noticeable feature of your face after the eyes.? Unfortunately, we tend not to pay much attention to it apart from swiping on a lip balm or lipstick. The beauty of it is that your lips do not need all that much care to look great, but the little bit they do need will do wonders for your overall look if you are regular with lip care. One of the main things you can do to make your lips really pop is exfoliate them.
It is quite worthy to note that you do not need to exfoliate your lips very often. The frequency of course, depend on factors like your age, skin type, the climate where you live, etc, but once a week is ideally enough.
Preparing to Exfoliate:
Although you can exfoliate your lips any time you want, you will notice that doing one or two things before you start benefits the process and gives you smoother, softer lips.
First have a warm shower, the heat from the water helps to loosen dead skin cells clinging to the new skin underneath and this in turn will lead to more efficient exfoliation. Since the skin cells are already loose, you will also not have to scrub so hard, which means there is a lower probability of damaging the sensitive skin on your lips.
If you cannot take a shower or simply do not have the time for it, then try other ways of introducing gentle heat to your lips before exfoliating. You can use a face cloth which has been dampened in warm water to gently dab your lips before you exfoliate. Do it for a minute or two until you feel your lips getting softer.
Exfoliate Lips with a Toothbrush
Using a toothbrush is one of the simplest ways to exfoliate your lips by gently scrubbing your lips in circular motions. The key word here is ‘gently’. The bristles of your toothbrush are actually quite hard for the soft skin on your lips and putting too much pressure can lead to sore lips and even bleeding.
If you know that you have a heavy hand then try using a baby toothbrush with softer bristles to reduce damage. Scrub for a couple of minutes. If you feel uncomfortable, stop immediately. Once done, apply a layer of petroleum jelly to moisturise.
It is suggested that you apply honey on your lips for maybe 10 minutes before scrubbing with a toothbrush.? Honey is a natural moisturiser, restorative and also helps to heal damaged skin.
Sugar Lip Scrubs
Brown or white sugar is a natural exfoliant that can be used on lips or even bodies. The problem with using sugar on its own is that it is too rough on skin and can lead to scratches. Mix it with water and it will dissolve, rendering its exfoliant properties completely useless.
So you have to have a medium of some kind which will buffer the sharp edges of sugar crystals for a smooth, damage-free scrub as well as hold the crystals together in a pasty or malleable form for easy application. What’s more, use the appropriate medium and you can moisturise your lips at the same time as you exfoliate them.
Olive oil and honey are two popular mediums used to create the perfect, homemade sugar lip scrubs. The recipe is simple. Take a spoonful of sugar in a small bowl. Add one of the ingredients above to the bowl in enough quantities to give it a consistency of a paste. Add too much and you could end up with a very messy lip scrub. Give it a short but brisk mix.
Apply this on your lips and rub in circular motions for a few minutes. Leave it on for a minute or two after so that the honey can do a good job of naturally moisturising your lips. Wash off with water or wipe off with a wet face cloth. Finally, apply moisturising lip balm or petroleum jelly.
Lemon & Sugar Lip Scrub
Lemons – like most citrus fruits – are known for their acidic content which benefits the skin tremendously. They are also natural astringents to help clean and refine pores. They also have natural bleaching properties. Cut a lemon in half and rub the open end in sugar.
Now scrub this sugar-encrusted lemon on your lips for about 2 minutes. It will sting, there’s no getting around it. Wash off with very cold water, preferably icy. Moisturise. Your lips will be soft and smooth and the lemon will also take care of any discoloration.
Post-Exfoliation Lip Care
Moisturise your lips once you are done with exfoliating them. Exfoliation will reveal the new skin underneath which needs to be taken care of to maintain the softness and will also create a layer of moisture to protect it from dust, environmental particulates, food – all of which are harsh enough to cause scratches on the surface of the new skin. You can use regular lip balm to moisturise, but petroleum jelly or Vitamin E is a better option.
The sun causes untold damage to skin in ways that are not immediately discernible. Many of us will use sunscreen on our face, neck and hands but we forget that our lips too are made of skin and are prone to sun damage. Use a lip balm with moisturiser and built-in Sun Protection Factor (SPF) to protect your newly-exfoliated lips.