4 Natural Steps To Healthier Lips

In this post, I’ll share 4 natural steps to healthier lips and provide some insight into ingredients that should be avoided in conventional lip care products.

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Now that the weather is cooling off, taking care of your lips is really important. Technically, you should be taking care of your lips all year long, but you want to pay extra attention to them in the cooler months. This keep your lips from getting dry, chapped, and your lipstick will apply better when you have a nice, smooth canvas. Just like exfoliating and masking your face to achieve better looking and healthier skin, you want to do the same for your lips. The process is quick and simple and I’m here to share 4 natural steps to healthier lips.

More often than not, lips tend to get neglected. Who has time for that, right? I know, I’m a busy mama as well. The best way to remember to take care of those kissable lips is to do your lip care on the same days you would do a mask… about once a week. This will help to avoid dryness and brittleness on your lips.

Ingredients to Avoid in Your Lip Care

What happens when your lips get dry? You do one of two things: you lick them or apply a lip balm, right?

Licking your lips only makes it worse because you need something more hydrating than your saliva to nourish them. Your saliva is to help breakdown food, so when licking your lips, you’re breaking down the skin around your lips.

Lip balms, if using a conventional brand, are filled with yucky ingredients (see below). When applied on your lips and you lick them, you’re also ingesting them.

So here are a few common ingredients you’d find in conventional lip balms that should be avoided.

Petroleum: Petroleum jelly, derived from petroleum, is often used in personal care products as a moisturizing agent. Petroleum is often not fully refined in the US, which means it can be contaminated with toxic chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Source 1 and Source 2.
Parabens: These can really mess with your endocrine system and are well worth staying away from. They’re surprisingly common in conventional lip balms, so be wary.
Artificial Flavors: Red flag ingredient in my book. Do you know what’s flavoring your lip balm? Who knows! Manufacturers don’t have to reveal individual chemicals when listing flavor ingredients, so there’s no way to know what you’re spreading on your lips.
Sunscreen: Chemical sunscreens show up a lot in lip balms with SPF. They are notorious for causing allergic reactions, which will just dry your lips out further. Avoid balms with oxybenzone, octinoxate, and homosalate.

4 Natural Steps to Healthier Lips

Step 1: Wash and take off your makeup. Apply a face mask (if it’s your mask night) or just wash face. I like to start my lip care with a clean canvas. Not necessary at all as you can achieve great lips without taking make-up off, but just a way to help you remember to add this to your daily evening routine.

Step 2: Exfoliate your lips. Exfoliation is KEY to getting soft, smooth, hydrated lips. This Henne Lip Scrub is my absolute favorite. It’s of course, a natural and non-toxic product. You can, of course, make your own lip scrub but again, who has the time?

To exfoliate your lips, simply take a small amount of the scrub and massage it into your lips with your finger in circular motions for a few minutes. Then take a warm towel and wipe away.

Step 3: Hydrate those lips with a mask. You want to add hydration back into your lips after exfoliating since your scrubbing all the dead skin off. Nothing worse the exfoliating and leaving them un-nourished. I love This Henne Lip Mask. It will last you forever. I’ve had mine for 8 months and still have a ton of product left. Made with sea buckthorn and evening primrose to help restore and soothe lips.

Step 4: Apply your lip serum. I use a lip serum both morning and night. It literally looks and feels like a natural Botox on your lips. Usually made with a blend of oils, plant extracts, and vitamins, they are made to help repair and restore hydration. They also protect lips from water loss, plump lips, and fight signs of aging. These are the ones I recommend: Fitglow, Henne, and Odacite.

Additional tips for smoother healthier lips:

Protect your lips: Always have lip balm on hand. It’s the one thing I can never live without. Your lips are vulnerable to sun and wind damage so protect them with a lip balm that contains SPF. Your lips will thank you. These are some great chemical-free options I love: Henne, Kosas, Cocokind

Do not lick your dry lips. Licking your lips might provide temporary relief, but it does more harm than good. The saliva will evaporate quickly on your lips and leave them even drier than before. For extremely dry lips, try spreading Aloe over them for the most effective healing technique or a lip serum.

Do not pick at your lips. This will only cause them to bleed, dry out more, and cause you discomfort! Instead, apply a moisturizing lip balm and gently exfoliate the area.

Stay Hydrated: Super simple tip, but also one that is commonly forgotten. Drink your water and keep your entire body hydrated. Bye-bye chapped lips.

There you have it…4 natural steps to healthier lips. I hope you found this super helpful for finding natural, non-toxic products at your fingertips.

XO,

Natalie