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March 16, 2022 — 10:03 AM
If you needed a designated day to reevaluate your lip balm…well, here we are: Today is National Lips Appreciation Day. While these “holidays” can seem frivolous, we’re using it as the friendly reminder (or wake-up call) many of us need to prioritize the delicate skin on our lips.
You probably already know how important it is to keep a lip balm on hand to prevent cracking, chapped lips, but there’s so much more to keep in mind to achieve ultimate lip health. Ahead, we’ll discuss the best ways to take care of your lips, in honor of the completely made-up (but fun!) holiday:
1. Remember that dry lips happen for a variety of reasons.
When faced with dry lips, it’s common to reach for a lip balm to rehydrate the skin. Now, moisturizing is always a good idea, but don’t forget that dry lips can actually be a sign of something else entirely. Other causes of dry lips include things like inadequate hydration (fun fact: Lips are the first area to show when more hydration is needed), a sensitivity to foods or drinks, vitamin gaps, unprotected sun exposure, or opting for a less-than-stellar lip balm.
2. On that note, use a high-quality lip balm.
It’s important to check in with your skin and honor its health—your skin is the largest organ in the body and deserves to be treated as such! That being said, the skin on your lips is incredibly delicate and thus may need an extra layer of care.
See, many unsuspecting balms can actually cause your lips to feel drier due to irritating ingredients or an imbalance of humectants, emollients, and occlusives essential for long-lasting hydration. That’s why experts say having a lip balm full of antioxidants and a bounty of moisturizing agents is the way to go—mindbodygreen’s lip balm is a derm-approved favorite, as the ultra-hydrating formula benefits the overall health of your lips rather than providing temporary help.
3. Try your best to stop lip picking.
We know, it’s easier said than done. Lip picking is not a habit that can be broken in one day but can certainly be stopped over time. Some ways to work toward kicking this tendency include:
Keep your lips moisturized with a high-quality balm.
Use a lip scrub to buff away flakes.
Stop licking your lips—this makes them drier.
Find other ways to keep your hands busy.
If you’ve tried to stop your lip picking and have hit a dead end, it might be worth reaching out to a professional, as it may be a more complex, stress-induced tendency.
You’re likely familiar with regular exfoliation for the face (just make sure you don’t do it too often), but remember that your lips need extra love every once in a while as well. In the wintertime especially, your lips are more prone to drying out due to arid weather. If you struggle with dead skin on the lips, try an exfoliating lip scrub to get back that silky-smooth feel (instead of picking at the flakes, which as we noted above, can only make matters worse).
You can either opt for a market product, like our favorite Lip Scrubby by Kopari, or you can make an easy DIY sugar scrub at home—either way, just don’t forget to follow up with a hydrating balm after.
5. Support collagen production.
Remember when we said your lip area is one of the first to show hydration issues? Well, it’s one of the first to show signs of aging, too: Because the skin there is so thin, it can literally deflate when the skin’s structural integrity declines over time.
To help your body enhance its natural collagen production (aka, what literally holds the skin together and keeps it supple), research points to hydrolyzed collagen supplements.* Studies show that these collagen peptides are able to support skin elasticity, hydration, and dermal collagen density—which, in turn, helps your lips keep their volume.*
National Lips Appreciation Day might not be the most significant holiday on the calendar, but we can all use the friendly reminder to send the lips some love. There are myriad ways to take care of your lips, both topically and internally, but selecting a high-quality lip balm is a relatively easy place to start. Remember to look for naturally derived ingredients, antioxidants, and loads of moisturizing agents. Of course, we prefer the mbg lip balm, but you don’t have to take our word for it: Experts agree it’s one of the best no-fuss formulas on the market.
If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.
