To protect ears, we have earmuffs. For hands, we have gloves. But there’s no way to hide those lips from winter elements—which means that in the extremely taxing season of family dinners, kisses, and tons of chattering, lips deserve extra attention.
Lip Maintenance
There really are just three rules to healthy lips: exfoliate, moisturize, sun-proof.
A homemade mix of olive oil and sugar is an inexpensive way to exfoliate. Alternatively, you could gently buff your lips with a damp toothbrush or electric facial brush. An old washcloth does the trick too. Keeping up with gentle daily exfoliation will prevent your lips from building up that dreaded layer of dry, peeling skin.
After exfoliation, make sure to moisturize. Leaving lips exposed to the air after rubbing them is worse than not exfoliating them in the first place. Choose your lip balm wisely. Here’s where reading product labeling is key.
Petrolatum-based lip balms are a thing of the past. Petrolatum or petroleum jelly, which is what Vaseline and Aquaphor are, was first promoted as a topical cure-all in 1870. Its popularity was boosted by its relatively inexpensive cost of production. Because it’s a synthetic product derived not from plants or animals but from rocks in the form of petroleum, it’s not absorbed but instead forms a film on top of the skin.
The way petrolatum “works” is that it creates a barrier against moisture—it’s a hydrophobic substance. This means that if it is to work at all, there must be moisture on the lips prior to application. Users of petrolatum-based lip balms might experience the “treadmill” effect in which using the product creates the need for more of it. Little wonder, though, since petrolatum doesn’t improve the lips.
Opt instead for balms with top ingredients that are sebum mimickers, like jojoba oil. Glycerin is good, too. At the very least it’s hydrophilic, not hydrophobic. Many USDA-certified organic lip products have come on to the market in recent years, and many of them do the job quite well.
Lips are susceptible to the effects of the sun just as the skin is. And sun protection is just as relevant in winter months as in the summer. Choose a lip balm with some SPF. Pigment also helps to block out rays.
On to Color
Fall and winter is the season for lipsticks. Rich berry hues, reds, and plums are festive and lush, but they also require that the lips be well primed as deeply pigmented lipstick tends to feather and fade unevenly on cracked lips.
Avoid drying formulations, or wear matte lipstick over lip balm. To prevent feathering, make sure your lips are moisturized. And use concealer around the perimeter of the lips, rather than lip liner over the lip—this can be drying.
