Are you looking for natural ways to take care of your lips? Fortunately, numerous natural products can help keep them smooth and healthy.
According to the folks at Argan Oil Shop, adequate lip care is essential because the skin on the lips is thinner and extra sensitive than other areas. Below are a few natural remedies for chapping.
Plants Oil
Many plant oils are safe to use on the skin, including the lips. Some of these are coconut, argan, and olive oils.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is known as an emollient, meaning it helps protect the skin by keeping it moist. This natural oil also has disinfectant and antimicrobial properties, which can help keep you from developing an infection if lips are cracked.
Coconut oil works well as a daytime lip balm, but can also be used overnight as a treatment mask. To use it overnight, mix equal parts of honey and coconut oil and apply the thick cream that results. Rinse it off when you get up in the morning.
Argan Oil
Argan oil has moisturizing properties that can help treat and prevent lip problems. It penetrates deeply into the skin, improving the lips lock in moisture.
Argan oil contains linoleic acid and vitamin E, both of which soothe and heal dry skin. It treats all layers of the lips, moisturizing lower layers while creating a protective barrier over the outer layers.
You can use argan oil to massage your lips. Rubbing your lips with this product for five minutes a day helps improve circulation.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is another standard oil, and you may already have it at home. It is easy to use alone as a lip balm. Just smear a few drops on your lips when they feel dry.
You can additionally combine olive oil with other oils like coconut oil and lavender essentials to create your custom lip balm. If you choose to use different essential oils, check whether they are safe to apply to your lips.
Butters and Waxes
Butters and waxes have a thicker consistency than most oils. However, they have the same moisturizing properties. Your choice of texture will depend on your individual preferences.
Cocoa Butter
Cocoa butter is another natural emollient known for its antioxidant properties. It contains vitamin E and Omega 3 unsaturated fats that are known for their moisturizing properties.
Cocoa butter can help protect you from extreme heat or cold that can dry and crack your lips. You can apply it as needed during the day or at night.
Shea Butter
Shea butter is often mixed with other ingredients in formulas for lips. It can also be spread directly to them if you like. Shea butter helps seal moisture inside to keep them smooth for longer.
This rich emollient contains several essential vitamins:
- Vitamin A – prevents dryness and soothes sore lips
- Vitamin E – soothes and lubricates
- Vitamin F – seals in moisture
- Vitamin K – stops and prevents bleeding that can arise with chapping
Beeswax
Beeswax is another popular component of lip balms. It helps retain moisture to prevent chapping and heal lips that are already cracked. This product also protects the skin from ultraviolet radiation, with a natural SPF factor of about 6.
Beeswax also has some other desirable properties for treating chapped lips. It is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, meaning it can also prevent infections. It has antioxidant properties that help preserve the health of skin cells.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is exceptionally known for its soothing effects on sunburns. Since it has anti-inflammatory and emollient properties, it is also an excellent treatment for chapped lips.
When you have an aloe vera plant, you can use fresh gel from its leaves. You’ll need to slice open the leaf and scrape out the gel, which you can store in a container. If you don’t have a plant, aloe vera gel is available to purchase.
Apply the gel to chapped lips as needed. Because aloe vera also acts as a mild exfoliant, you will want to use it no more than three times per day.
Lip Scrubs
Lip scrubs offer a natural way to remove dry skin. There are several benefits of exfoliating your lips:
- Leaves skin soft and smooth
- Keeps lips moist
- Helps prevent lip dehydration
- Makes your lipstick stay on longer and look better
If you search the internet, you’ll find many different recipes for lip scrubs. However, the basic recipe is an exfoliant agent plus an emollient agent to nourish the lips. You can use a recipe found online or invent your combination of exfoliant and moisturizer.
Regardless of the recipe you choose, you use the scrub by massaging it into the lips and leaving it on for about ten minutes. You can then wash the scrub off.
Sugar Scrubs
Sugar is one typical exfoliant used in lip scrubs, convenient because everyone has some at home. Either brown sugar or white sugar will work.
You may mix your choice of sugar with olive or coconut oil as your moisturizer. Another option is sugar plus a mixture of argan oil and cocoa butter. You can additionally make a scrub by combining two parts with one part honey.
Coffee Scrubs
Coffee grounds are another mild exfoliant used in several different lip scrubs. Some people use a mixture of coffee and olive oil. If you’d like a sweeter option, you can mix your coffee grounds with honey.
Acidic Scrubs
Natural acids found in fruits can also take care of exfoliating your lips. Some common choices are lemon or lime juice or mashed berries. Combining your selection of acidic fruit with a natural moisturizer can be a gentler way of exfoliating them.
Conclusion
There are many natural ways to keep lips smooth and free of chapping. Applying emollients like plant oils, butter, or beeswax can keep them moist. Aloe vera gel also helps moisturize and protect lips.
Lip scrubs exfoliate your lips to keep them as smooth as possible. Some common natural exfoliating agents are sugar, coffee grounds, and acidic fruits. By mixing one of these exfoliants with moisturizing agents you have at home, you can create your own go-to natural lip care routine.
