The Importance Of Creating a Consistent Lip Care Routine
You just washed and exfoliated your face, applied an active serum, and finished with a nourishing moisturizer right before bedtime (yes, we live in an ideal world). But what have you done for your lips? Have you ever considered applying a similar routine to your lips?
WHY YOU NEED A LIP CARE ROUTINE
Consider this… Your lips are exposed to the elements every minute of every day. They endure extreme heat, dryness, and frigid temperatures. Over and above this, the skin on our lips is thinner than on the rest of our bodies, leaving them in a more vulnerable state as is. Giving them the attention and nourishment they need will keep them looking healthy, plump, and hydrated. So yes, the road to luscious-looking (and feeling) lips starts with a specialized lip care routine.
Creating a targeted lip care routine is critical for maintaining full, healthy-looking lips while of course preventing irritation, dryness, and cracking.
We’ve asked some of the top aesthetic practitioners in California to share their winning lip care tips to help you choose a lip care routine that will keep your lips plump and puckered.
SHOULD YOU EXFOLIATE YOUR LIPS?
If you already exfoliate as part of your skincare routine, you know that it can help remove dead skin, and leave your face looking and feeling smooth and refreshed. Well, this goes for lip care too! You can apply a similar process to your lips to help remove flaking skin, prevent chapped lips, and even stimulate blood flow smooth, healthy, and plump-looking pout.
Lips are sensitive creatures thought, so when exfoliating, always choose lip-specific ingredients (avoid camphor, eucalyptus, and lanolin) and approach it with a gentle action. It’s also best to exfoliate your lips no more than twice a week as over-exfoliating can also lead to dry lips.
IS PETROLEUM JELLY PRODUCTS GOOD FOR LIPS?
We all know the brands that contain this ingredient, and some of us have become addicted to using them! There is a reason for that (which we’ll get to shortly). Firstly, it is important to know that petroleum jelly is a by-product of the oil industry and the result of the distillation of a waxy petroleum material that forms on oil rigs. These products are also marketed as affordable solutions for dry, chapped lips. Yes, these products have a place in the world, but it is imperative to understand how they work, to understand where (and when) it is best to use them.
Petroleum jelly is an occlusive substance, meaning it can hold moisture and hydration by creating a physical barrier on the skin. Applying it to your lips before they start to chap can help prevent dryness. However, if your lips are already dry and chapped, petroleum jelly-based products may not be effective at restoring lost moisture.
If you simply cannot ditch the PJ, some experts recommend using a humectant to pull moisture from the air into the lips before sealing it with petroleum jelly. Again, the humectant is what will do the job, the PJ will simply seal it in (not really necessary if the humectant was designed to restore lip moisture in the first place).
WHY DO LIPSTICKS DRY MY LIPS?
The reality is that unfortunately, lipstick formulas aren’t all created equally – while some may be super nourishing, others can leave your lips dry and chapped. Take matte lipsticks for example, we all love a majestic matte lip look, but conventional matte lipsticks can be uncomfortably drying due to a lack of oil inside the formula. Luckily there are some non-drying matte lipsticks (such as the range of Matte Liquid Lipsticks by ARMÉE; which contains candelilla plant wax extracts to combat dryness).
So it all comes down to the lipstick formula. Make sure you know your ingredients and that you invest in lipsticks that are as good for lips as they are gorgeous.
INGREDIENTS TO AVOID IN LIP CARE PRODUCTS
We cannot stress this enough, avoid lip care products that contain irritating ingredients as they can cause irritation and further dry out your lips and leave them looking deflated and dull. Here are the ones to look out for:
Artificial scents and perfumes
Salicylic acid
Alcohol
Menthol
Camphor
Eucalyptus
Lanolin
Petrolatum
SHOULD YOU USE A LIP HYDRATOR EVERY DAY?
Ask yourself this… Should you use a moisturizer every day? The answer is yes, always yes. And the same applies to lip care. As we now know, lips are exposed to the elements every minute of every day and need as much (if not more) love and attention as our skin.
The important factor to remember when choosing a good lip hydrator though is the ingredients. It always comes back to the ingredients! If your lips are feeling tight, dry, or flaky, some intervention is required and an intensive lip hydrator or serum (choose one that contains a humectant such as hyaluronic acid) needs to be incorporated.
As with facial serums, it also “cannot hurt” to apply it every day, or even twice a day as part of your standard skincare routine. The only side effect it will have (when using a good product), is plumper, softer, healthier-looking lips.
“NOT-A-PRODUCT” LIP CARE TIP
Did you know that the most common cause of dry, chapped lips is habitual lip licking? Saliva from the tongue can strip the lips of moisture, causing dryness to spiral out of control. So, if this is you, move this tip to the top of the lip care list and give yourself a head start.
LIP CARE PRODUCTS FIT FOR QUEENS
You’ve probably noticed that there are a ton of lip-specific products on the market which makes it difficult to choose your match. When you get to this point, just keep our top tip in mind. Know your ingredients, and you’ll make the right choice!
If still in doubt, consider opting for lip care not only designed by make-up artists, by also by a team of medical aesthetic experts working alongside each other in one of the most popular med spas in the world. They know their lip care, and they brought to us ARMÉE Cosmetics.
IN CONCLUSION
Whichever lip care habit or lip-loving product(s) you wish to embrace, make sure to make it routine. Look at your lip care the same as you do your skincare, and give your lips the love they deserve, every single day.