i generally get dry lips during winter and i find it hard wearing lipgloss or lipstick and having the flakies on my lips. here's a few things i do and they all work for me, hopefully you'll find something that'll work for you!
- i use various oils (olive oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil or vitamin e gel capsules) and apply either one on my lips, i like to go a little over the lip line too. i like doing this at night before going to bed and when i wake, i get a washcloth, wet a spot and gently rub that over my lips to scrub off the flakies. when that's done, i apply a lip balm or better yet, one of the oils. the best thing about this? it's not a fancy-shmancy lip treatment and it's real cheap!
- this is on the other hand is a bit expensive, but i use the lipfusion lip treatment and leave that on overnight or for at least an hour, then i get a washcloth and rub off the dead skin. this works great, but their lip stuff is expensive, but hey, it's lipgloss, you can obviously wear it for other things other than for this. i like using their lip products, but i don't find them to "plump" my lips. my lips are already plump, so i don't really buy products that claim they'll make them bigger. i already love my lips!
- instead of buying lip scrubs, i make my own!
in a small bowl or jar, i use one of the oils from above and add a touch of brown sugar to make a paste that resembles coarse wet sand. if your lips are real dry, i add a touch more oil. apply onto the lips and scrub gently, i like to smile widely kinda stretching the lips. this makes it a bit easier to exfoliate the lips rather than having the lips in a relaxed position. anyways, scrub until the dry flakies are soft and coming off the lips. i don't know why, but i like to leave the mixture on my lips for a couple minutes after scrubbing. gently rinse off the sugar scrub and apply some more oil onto the lips to hydrate and moisturize the lip or apply your favorite balm. be real careful not to scrub too hard when using any kind of scrub on the lips, especially when your lips are super dry and chapped. if you exfoliate too much, it can burn your lips or even crack your lips which will bleed a bit. i'm sure you don't want that! i have some other great recipes for other lip scrubs and some balms too, i'll post that later if you want.
the best thing is to keep moisturizing your lips with a balm or a moisturizing lipgloss/lipstick. i even like to apply some kind of oil, either one of the listed above, overnight, this will keep them hydrated to avoid dry lips. also, while i'm applying my makeup in the morning, i keep the oils on my lips. sometimes i'll apply lipstick over that or blot off with a tissue and apply some gloss. also, i like wearing balms with spf in the morning. afterall, the protection is great in the long run! treat your lips well, good luck!
