Lip Care Routine & Tips

Your lips need some special TLC whatever the season. In colder months, they can get chapped more quickly, and in summer months they can become dehydrated or sunburnt. But, if you have a good skincare routine, and follow a few lip care tips, you can have plump, soft and smooth lips all year long. 

3-Step Lip Care Routine

Your lip care routine doesn't need to be long or complicated. These three quick and easy steps are all you need to properly look after your lips.

Step 1: Exfoliate Your Lips

Exfoliation is an important part of a good skincare routine and it should be part of your lip care routine too. Apply a little exfoliator and massage it onto your lips – being careful not to swallow any – to buff off dead cells and dry skin. 

Exfoliation can be particularly beneficial for skin renewal when your lips are chapped as it helps to get rid of flaky, dry skin. Clearing off the damaged skin on your lips will help set them up to heal and become healthy again.

Aim to exfoliate your lips once a week and do it twice at most. Exfoliating your lips more often than that won't give your lips the time they need to rejuvenate, and could actually make them look and feel worse.

Step 2: Moisturise With A Lip Balm

Moisturising your lips, with a lip balm or moisturising lipstick, will add the much-needed hydration that keeps your lips looking and feeling their best. Moisturising should be done regularly, even if your lips don't feel that dry.

It is particularly important to apply a lip balm or moisturising lipstick after you have exfoliated. Once you've scrubbed off dead skin cells, you want to lock in some moisturise and restore that protective outer skin layer. 

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Step 3: Apply An Overnight Lip Treatment

Lip treatments are a great way to give your skin a little extra care. This will be particularly beneficial for your lips during the peak of summer and winter, and when you have chapped, cracked or more sensitive lips.

Lip treatments, be it a serum or mask, can be applied any time, but the best time to use one is before bed. This way your lip treatment can work overnight and you can wake up to restored, supple lips. 

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3 Top Lip Care Tips

Follow this trio of lip care tips and your lips will look plumper and feel softer than ever before.

Apply Lip Balm At Regular Times

How often should you re-apply your lip balm? You should aim to apply lip balms regularly, but not too often as it will interfere with your skin's natural rejuvenation process. As a rule, you should re-apply lip balm:

• When you wake up – or after washing your face/showering if you do so in the morning
• After eating each meal
• Before you go to bed – unless you are applying an overnight lip treatment instead

Read our review on the best lip balm for dry lips here!

Avoid Licking And Chewing Your Lips

If you aren't used to having lip balm on, you may, quite naturally, lick your lips. You should avoid doing this as it will remove the lip balm and dry out your lips, which will cause you to reapply and so on. You'll end up hindering rather than helping your lips.

You should also avoid chewing your lips. Chewing can remove the lip balm layer and if you have cracked or damaged lips, you can make them worse by chewing on them. 

During Summer, Use A Lip Balm With SPF

In the summer months, or when on holiday in hot sunny countries, SPF protection is a must for your skin. Sunscreen should be the final step in your face skincare routine, but you may not want to spritz your lips with sun cream. Instead, choose a lip balm with built in SPF. 

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