Lip Care 101: Top Ways to Get Kiss-Ready Lips

Pucker up, folks, because romance is in the air! None of us want to move in for a kiss with our special someone and see them wince because our lips are dry or rough. Ouch, not a great romantic move.

Fortunately, you can rehab your lips rather quickly if you take the right steps. A simple exfoliation session followed by some hydrating lip balm will go a long way. Long-term, though, it’s important to maintain a care routine for your lips just like you do for the rest of your skin. Follow these tips and you’ll have some stunning smackers in no time.

Exfoliate with Care

You probably maintain a routine of exfoliating your skin a few times a week, and who doesn’t love the feel of soft, smooth, freshly-exfoliated skin? Did you know your lips can benefit from it too?

Just as you do for the rest of your face, exfoliate your lips around twice per week. While some facial exfoliants will work for your lips, it’s a safer bet to choose a specially-formulated lip exfoliant.

Hydrate from All Angles

What do you do when your lips feel dry? You reach for a lip balm, right? While lip balm helps to hold hydration in your lips, there needs to be hydration to hold in the first place.

That hydration comes from good, old-fashioned water. Your lips are among the first and most noticeable parts of your body to show the effects of dehydration, so if they’re dry, take it as a sign to up your water intake as well as using your favorite balm.

Block UV Rays

The skin on your lips is a bit different from the skin throughout the rest of your face, largely because it’s thinner than most areas of skin. That makes it more susceptible to just about anything, including sun damage.

We all know that sunscreen should be part of our morning routine, so make sure your lips get their due too. A simple sun-blocking lip balm can go a long way.

Give Your Lips Some Aftercare

Try as we might, there are simply times when your lips get put through the wringer and they end up with some damage. It might come from an afternoon in the sun, a walk through heavy wind, or some time spent in the harsh cold of winter.

Regardless of the cause, if your lips are feeling sensitive or looking worse for wear, treat them to a lip repair product. These formulas are designed to deeply nourish your lips, providing hydration while soothing irritation and repairing damage. Your lips will be back to their healthy selves before you know it.

Go to Sleep Make-Up Free

Honesty time! We all know we’re supposed to take off all our makeup before we hit the pillow. But I’ll be the first to admit that I sometimes eyeball it and say, “Eh, it looks like all my lip color is gone anyway,” and skip it.

That’s not a great strategy. Leaving makeup on overnight, even if you can’t see it, can cause long-term buildup or damage your lips’ delicate skin over time. No matter how bare your lips look at the end of the night, it’s worth a swipe of your makeup remover anyway.

Take a Needleless Approach to Lip Plumping

As someone who’s worked in the world of skincare and aesthetics for years, I know that lip fillers can be an amazing help to people who want fuller, younger-looking, or better-defined lips. And while that’s the perfect solution for many people, there are plenty of others who wouldn’t say that sticking a needle in their lips is their first choice.

If you’re just looking for a subtle, natural plumping for your lips and you’re not keen on needles, you might be surprised how much improvement you’ll see from specialized lip volume products like a lip plumping mask. These products are designed to heavily hydrate your lips in a way that volumizes them with no needles and no “Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge” either.

Take It Easy

As I mentioned, the skin on your lips is thinner and more delicate than skin in most other areas. That means it needs a gentler touch.

When you shop for lip products, try to focus on those made for sensitive skin, especially if you have lip irritation or discomfort often. Namely, this means avoiding artificial dyes and fragrances.

Revitalizing Your Lips

Lips are part of so many of the best parts of our lives. They let us form happy smiles, smooch our loved ones, enjoy a dinner or cocktails with friends, and so much more. So why not show them some appreciation by giving them a bit more dedicated care? Start putting together your lip care routine today and those smackers will thank you with many more years of fun ahead.