So Christmas is out of the way and although the nights are slowly starting to draw back in, we are officially in the middle of the winter months. This means we still have a good amount of rain, wind, cold and maybe even snow to deal with before we can ditch all the layers and thick coats!
One thing many people are prone to at this colder time of year is chapped lips and dry skin. The low humidity in the air causes skin to dry out; whilst the high winds and rain pounding against us roughs and damages the surface.
The following five tips are easy to carry out, fit gently into your daily routine and, depending on how much you are willing to spend, don’t have to cost you more than a pound or two for lip treatment items at your local chemist! Read on to find out more…
Take your products with you everywhere!
Many cosmetics such as facial moisturizers get used once in the morning and once in the evening then left on the bathroom shelf for the rest of the day. This isn’t unusual as most women aren’t going to smear their make up 3 times a day to apply more!
Our lips are different as they take more of a pounding during the day as eating, drinking, talking and even breathing means specs, spots, crumbs and substances, good and bad, are constantly joining and leaving the surface area. The flexibility of our oral muscles also means skin is strained and worked a lot harder than areas like the skin on our forehead as an example. This can encourage dry skin to crack and cause pain as well as look unhealthy.
Carrying lip balms and healers to apply as regularly as needed will help keep your lips in supply of good supplements and provide a thin layer to protect bare skin from the wind and the cold.
Avoid Make Up!
Many women wear make up on a day to day basis, let alone when a problem needs covering up such as a spot or the dry skin currently in question.
In the short term make up may help it look better, but you’re actually filling what is essentially a type of skin wound with chemicals and covering the area to prevent it from breathing and healing.
If you are going to use make up or lip stick to hide damaged skin, try to use hydrating products that use natural ingredients. A good way to do this is simply read the back; if you struggle to pronounce certain words, do not know what said ingredient is or just see a list of numbers and compounds it’s probably best to avoid it.
You may want to go as far to include your lip treatment cosmetics in this list too. Just choose natural oils or organic products instead!
Don’t pick at it!
Much like a spot or any wound, picking at it is undoing all the hard work your body has done to fix the problem naturally! It may look hideous, be sore or just something you can’t help but poke way at but it’s there for a reason. Picking it off is only going to mean the area is going to have to heal again and makes the process last longer along with the visible damage.
Not only this, but you could end up with a nasty scar too.
Exfoliate!
Much like the rest of your skin benefits from cleaning off dead skin cells for the pores to breath, your lips are exactly the same. All the chap sticks and moisturising balms we apply during the winter months can gradually block the pores overtime and prevent any of the benefit of said products, not allowing any of the goodness to penetrate the skin deeper.
It’s easy to forget to clean your lips too, with soap not tasting so great it’s not really an area we bear in mind to give a good scrub. Using a wash cloth or soft/babies toothbrush soaked only with warm water in a circular motion every evening is a great way to exfoliate and clean your lips thoroughly.
Keep wrapped up!
And the final tip is common sense for anyone braving the cold weather! A scarf or high collar jacket zipped/buttoned up all the way will keep your lips warm and minimise exposure to windy, wet and harsh conditions.
This article was written by Rachel Thomas of BeFlattered Health and Beauty. Rachel helps to research and contribute to their helpful advice to help women over 30 look and feel great!
Leave a Reply