Chapped lips can be a big problem during any time in the year, making them unattractive and painful. Dry, chapped lips can cause bleeding, which is not only being painful, but can also harm your appearance making you uncomfortable. Chapped lips should be immediately attended to. Although the reason for dry lips is mainly due to extreme weather conditions, it can occur any time. Exfoliation is one process that can take care of dry chapped lips. It is a process of making your lips smooth by using simple but effective methods. You can do it at the comfort of your own home, without any fancy products. Follow these steps below to learn how to exfoliate dry chapped lips and get amazing, smooth lips.
Complexity level
Easy
Time required
2 to 3 minutes
Resources required:
1. Tooth brush
2. Sugar
3. Baking soda
4. Wash cloth
5. Petroleum jelly
6. Olive oil
7. Vaseline or lip balm
Instructions
1. Get an old toothbrush
Get hold of an old toothbrush with soft and straight bristles; apply some petroleum jelly on it and rub your lips gently with the tooth brush in small circular motions, making sure the petroleum jelly gets applied on your lips.
2. Remove dead cells with toothbrush
This will remove the dead cells from the lips re-hydrating them in the process; keep the jelly on your lips for a while and then wash or wipe it off with a wet cloth.
3. Make paste with olive oil and sugar
Pour some olive oil and sugar into a bowl and mix them well to form a paste like consistency; rub this mixture gently on to your lips using a soft cloth; massage your lips for a couple of minutes in circular motion to get rid of all the dead cells. Rinse off the mixture with some warm water once you are done, and then apply some lip balm or vaseline to smoothen and re-hydrate your lips.
4. Add baking soda
Take some baking soda in a bowl and mix it with enough water to make a thick, gritty paste. You can adjust the quantity as per your requirements.
5. Apply on a brush
To repeat the petroleum jelly exfoliation process, apply a generous amount of the paste on the brush. Gently brush your lips in a circular motion for a couple of times; rinse off with water once you are done, and apply lip balm.
6. Easy-to-do
This is probably the easiest of methods to exfoliate dry lips that you can do even in your shower: dip a soft piece of cloth in warm water and wrap in around your index finger, before rubbing your lips gently. This process softens the annoying dead skin which can then be washed off.
Some of the other methods used are: Sugar method; Baking soda method & Wash cloth method.
Frequently asked questions
Question. Is there any natural moisturizer I can use?
Answer. If you don’t have a lip balm at hand, then honey is a great substitute. Do any of the above exfoliation methods and then apply some honey on to your lips to make them smooth and supple.
Question. How do I make my lips look plumper?
Answer. If you want to give your lips a more pouty and plumpish look, then apply a lip balm that gives that effect. There are a lot of varieties in the market which give a pouty look. A natural ingredient however would be cinnamon, when added in restricted quantities to the above pastes would fetch you the desired look. But beware of using it too frequently as too much of cinnamon can cause further dryness or even irritate your skin.
Question. How often should I exfoliate my dry lips?
Answer. Dry lips should be exfoliated on a regular basis for it to be effective. Doing it a couple of times a week is apt.
Quick tips
1. Drinking sufficient amount of water daily can help re-hydrate lips, preventing them from chapping.
2. Avoid licking your lips as they tend to dry out your lips even more. Reach out for a lip balm and use that instead.
Things to watch out for
1. When doing these exfoliating techniques, make sure you don’t overdo it by scrubbing too hard as it can only make the situation worse. Using a tooth brush with hard bristles will only hurt your lips further.