Tips for Dry Lips

As it would appear that summer is pretty much over in the UK I am starting to think about autumn and winter (jumpers at the ready!). One of the things which I tend to suffer from in the colder months is dry lips, so here are my tips for keeping your lips lovely and healthy.

Exfoliate!

I know it might sound a bit weird to exfoliate your lips but honestly this is a great way to get rid of any dry skin and make them feel lovely and soft. You can buy lip exfoliators, my favourite is LUSH Sweet Lips, which is vanilla and chocolate flavour.  Sadly, I think they have discontinued that particular flavour but they do still have bubblegum, popcorn and mint flavoured lip scrubs. The little pots contain large sugar crystals which buff away the dry skin and essential oils which soften and provide the flavours which mean you can then lick it off your lips. I have found these really useful to carry around in my handbag (especially in the winter months) for when my lips need an extra bit of TLC.

If you would rather not go to the trouble of buying some lip scrub, you can use your toothbrush instead. Simply buff your lips with the toothbrush if they are feeling a little dry and it will remove and dead skin, although obviously that doesn't have the added bonus of tasting nice or essential oils.

Choose Wisely

There are a number of lip products out there which don't actually help your lips (or even make them worse!). So it's worth making sure that you pick one which is going to protect your lips and keep them in good condition. You can't go wrong with good old petroleum jelly if you have sensitive skin and I am a big fan of Vaseline's Rosey Lips because it lightly tints your lips as well. I also like Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care SPF 15 and Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Original Ultra Moisturizing Lip Balm SPF15 because, as you all know, I love a good SPF (see here for my blog on moisturisers with SPF). Or if you want a really good quality lip balm and are willing to splash out a little more, I can really recommend Molton Brown Protecting Vitamin Lip Saver. I use this most nights before I go to bed and every morning my lips feel much better, the only thing I would say is that it does coat your lips in a similar feeling substance to petroleum jelly which can feel a bit weird when you're going to sleep but it's worth it!

As you can see, these are all very well-loved!!

Drink More Water

I'm sure you've been told many times that if you've got dry skin anywhere then you should drink more water but it's especially noticeable with your lips. If I'm a bit dehydrated my lips are the first to show the effects and to recover afterwards. I'm really bad at making sure I drink enough water during the day, so have taken to keeping a glass by the sink in my bathroom so that it reminds me everyday to drink first thing, then that's one glass out of the way and it sets me up for the day.

Hope these tips have helped! Do you have any lip-care favourites which you can't live without?

Much love,

Sasha Monday x