In general, every girl adores wearing a lip color that is bright and vibrant. But if your lips are not taken care of properly, even the most vibrant hues will look dull and unflattering on your lips. Furthermore, no lipstick, lip gloss, or lip stain can help you create a perfect pout if your lips aren’t healthy. But what causes them to crack and dry up? Lips can not protect themselves from the harsh sun rays, especially in summers, because they have minimal oil glands and zero ability to produce melanin. So, they undergo dehydration and chaffing. Similarly, in winters, the cold wind breeze makes your lips chapped and dry. So, irrespective of climate, your lips get flaked whenever you have dry wind around or harsh sun rays. To prevent this, we need to use lip balm that acts as an instant remedy to treat chapped and dry lips. Lip balms are incorporated with oils, waxes, and sometimes even camphor or menthol to soothe your lips. In addition, lip balms infused with aloe or allantoin ensure speedy healing. Moreover, if you rely on sunscreens when heading out, ensure that the sunscreen formula is packed with zinc oxide, or titanium dioxide. By reading this article, you will be completely aware of the common causes of lip problems and how to care for your lips effectively. Keep scrolling!
Common Lip Problems and Their Causes:
Here are a few problems you may encounter with your lips:
1. Chapping
Chapping can occur almost in any season. To prevent and treat, apply a good lip balm daily. Do it in such a way that it slightly overlaps the edges of the lips. Look for a balm which provides sun protection and has elements like Vitamins A, C or E and AHAs (at night).
2. Splitting
Cracks often occur after sleeping in dry air. To prevent this, be sure to apply a good lip balm before going to bed Also try and use a humidifier as it will help retain the moisture in the air.
3. Lipstick Bleeding
This begins as the skin around the mouth loses collagen and elastic tissue with age, or is aggravated by smoking. Using a waxy lip liner to outline lips will help contain your lipstick within the line. When cosmetics no longer help, the more permanent (and expensive) solution is to have collagen or hyaluronic acid filler injection to fill the cracks. Or you could always not smoke and give up on that!
4. Cold Sores
Caused by viral infections, these look like blisters or open scabs. To avoid re-infection, use cotton swabs to apply lipstick while the sore is visible.
Now that you know the different types of problems that you can face with your lips and the causes that result in the same, let us look at the tips that will help contain the problem.
10 Simple and Effective Lip Care Tips
When it comes to lip care, you should firmly believe in the saying ‘prevention is better than cure!’ It is always possible to restore the health of your lips. But it takes time for the results to be visible and in the meanwhile, you will have to put up with the pain that lip problems cause. Here are some simple tips that will help you to take care of your lips:
1. Do Not Touch Or Lick Your Lips
Lips do not have any protection of their own, which means that each time you touch them or lick them, they are getting directly affected. It is essential that you do not do anything that will make the problem worse. Never lick your lips. It might feel good for the moment and also feel hydrating for your lips. But once the saliva evaporates, it will leave the lips even drier. The enzymes in the saliva are simply too harsh on your delicate lips. The next thing to never do is breathe with your mouth open. Imagine how much of the moisture must get stripped away with all that dry air blowing over it. And the last in this segment is but obvious. Don’t kiss anyone with any infections on their lips. For it takes absolutely no time for an infection to spread to any cracks on your lips too!
2. Follow A Healthy Diet Plan
A good diet is essential not just for your skin but even for your lips. Vitamins and other nutrients reflect directly on the condition of your lips. It is essential that you stay on a healthy diet to have lovely lips!
3. Stay Hydrated By Drinking A Lot Of Water
Staying hydrated is one of the most important things when it comes to healthy lips. Just as your skin needs to be kept hydrated from the inside, so do your lips.
4. Remove Makeup
Your lips need to be able to breathe by being clear.
Make sure you remove all traces of makeup from your lips before you sleep. Use a damp cotton ball and wipe your lips clean.
5. Keep Your Lips Hydrated Overnight
While we are awake we know when our lips dry out, but this could be a problem when you are asleep. The air around you tends to dry out your lips while you sleep.
Make sure you use a heavy or hydrating lip cream or some petroleum jelly before you sleep. You can also use cream or raw milk for the same or even ghee (clarified butter).
6. Massage Your Lips
You can use some nourishing oils to massage your lips for about 5 minutes every day. This improves the blood circulation in your lips and ensures that they get the nutrients that are needed.
7. Scrub Your Lips
Scrubbing your lips is important to ensure that they stay healthy and soft. Removing dead skin cells is a must to make sure that your lips don’t succumb to any infection.
Use any mild scrub that is available in the market for lips Alternatively, you can make your own lip scrub at home with some rock sugar.
8. Always Carry A Lip Balm
You never know when your lips tend to start drying out. Make sure you have a good creamy and hydrating lip balm with you even while you are traveling.
9. Use Lipsticks when Stepping Out
Yes, the good news is that it is good to use some lipstick before you step out. Since the lips have no natural protection, wearing lipstick will help you add a layer to them. Using lipsticks protects your lips from the sun, dry air, dirt and other outside factors.
10. Know when it is time to ask for help
Sometimes, despite all these preventive measures, your lips still need help. Why is my top lip brown? Hyperpigmentations could be one reason why the top lip is brown. In addition, factors like dehydration, smoking, negligent lip care, sun exposure, allergies, etc., can all lead to gradual darkening of lips. However, if the discoloration is sudden, it could be because of an underlying health condition, and you must seek medical advice. Which oil is better for lips? Natural oils like jojoba, almond, avocado, and coconut are all good for healing, moisturizing, and nourishing your lips. Is honey good for lips? Yes. Honey has antimicrobial, wound-healing, and conditioning properties (1), which is good for maintaining healthy lips. Is vitamin E good for lips? Vitamin E nourishes the lips, boosting blood circulation, and therefore, may help generate new skin cells and ensure that lips remain soft and supple.
