Lips play an important role in our daily appearance. Unfortunately, we often forget how vital it is to take care of them. Healthy lips are not just about physical appearance, but also about comfort and overall health. Dry, chapped, or even dark-colored lips can be a sign that they need special attention. This can certainly interfere with our activities and confidence! Hence, today we will understand the causes of dark/dry lips, how to take proper care of your lips along with natural treatment tips.
Interesting, right? So, stay tuned!
Know the Causes of Lip Problems
Lips are a sensitive area that requires special attention to maintain optimal health and appearance. Why? Lips have thinner and finer tissue compared to other layers of skin, allowing the color of the underlying blood vessels to be clearly visible. In addition, lips contain melanocyte cells (Producing melanin: the substance that provides color pigment). This difference in melanin production can result in discoloration of the lips.
Lip color is also affected by a person’s skin tone. The lighter the skin tone, the lighter the lip color. However, excessive melanin production or hyperpigmentation can make the lips appear darker than they should. Various factors such as sun exposure, smoking, medical conditions, and the use of certain medications can also affect lip pigmentation.
Meanwhile, chapped lips can occur when the lips lose their moisture and start to flake off. While it may seem trivial, chapped lips can cause significant discomfort, especially when eating or speaking. Factors that can lead to dry and chapped lips include excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, illness, dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, and the use of certain medications.
Since the factors vary, it’s important to know the initial cause so that we can know how to take care of our lips according to our condition!
7 Ways to Take Care of Your Lips Serenitree
The key to lip care is a healthy lifestyle and the use of the right skincare products! If we regularly take good care of our lips, then we will succeed in preventing dark, irritated, chapped or dry lips! This is certainly better than having to find a solution, right? Here are 7 tips on how to take care of your lips from Serenitree, follow these steps:
- Reduce Consumption of Caffeinated Beverages
Caffeine is a substance that can cause dehydration. Too much consumption of caffeinated drinks can reduce the water content in the body, including the lips. Therefore, try to limit the consumption of drinks such as coffee and tea. These drinks can also damage tooth enamel and change the color of teeth and lips!
- Avoid Smoking
The chemicals in cigarettes can irritate the skin of the lips and reduce blood flow to the area, causing darker lip color and rough texture. In addition, this activity is also the source of all disease problems so it’s best to avoid it!
- Avoid peeling or licking your lips
We often think that peeling or licking our lips can make them more moisturized. In fact, this can remove the natural protective layer and cause dryness instead! Doing this frequently will also worsen the condition of your lips and make them more prone to irritation and chapping.
- Use Moisturizer (Minimum SPF 15) and Exfoliate Regularly
Using a lip moisturizer that contains a minimum of SPF 15 can certainly protect your lips from UV exposure! This is especially important if you are active during the day. In addition, we should regularly exfoliate with a special lip scrub to remove dead skin cells and improve blood circulation.
- Take Vitamin E
Vitamin E has antioxidant properties that can help keep your lips healthy and moisturized. Vitamin E can be obtained through supplements or eating foods rich in this nutrient such as avocados, nuts and seeds.
- Avoid Using Cosmetics with Harsh Ingredients
Some lipstick or lipbalm products contain harsh chemicals that can irritate or even cause allergies. Make sure to do your research and read the ingredients on the product packaging. Don’t let your intention to apply makeup turn into a risk of dark lips!
- Drink enough water (at least 2 liters or 8 glasses per day)
Hydration is the key to healthy, moisturized lips. By drinking enough water, we maintain water levels in the body, including the lips. This can prevent dry or chapped lips.
It turns out that how to take care of lips is quite simple huh? Trust me, you won’t regret doing the steps above because it can also provide positive benefits for overall skin health!
Natural Ingredients for Lip Care
Natural ingredients can provide a million benefits to our health. Not to mention, the side risks are almost non-existent. This is one of the reasons why Serenitree uses natural ingredients for all its products!
Sereni-Trees can also try some tips on how to care for lips from natural ingredients. Most of them use ingredients that we can easily get too:
- Honey
Benefits: Honey is an excellent natural moisturizer for dry and chapped lips. Honey also contains antioxidants and has antimicrobial properties that can keep lips healthy.
How to use: Apply a small amount of honey on the lips before going to bed at night or before outdoor activities.
- Almond Oil
Benefits: Almond oil is rich in vitamin E and can moisturize dry lips and prevent chapping.
How to use: Apply a small amount of almond oil on the lips and massage gently before going to bed at night.
- Sugar and Olive Oil
Benefits: A sugar and olive oil scrub will remove dead skin cells from the lips and improve blood circulation.
How to use: Mix sugar with olive oil and rub this mixture on the lips in circular motions for 1-2 minutes. Rinse with warm water and pat dry gently.
An important note before attempting to do a treatment with these natural ingredients is to test for sensitivity first by applying a small amount of the natural ingredients on a small area of the lips. The function is to ensure that we do not have an allergic reaction or irritation.
If Sereni-Trees are interested in natural skincare recipes, be sure to check out our social media! Serenitree often holds natural workshops specifically for skincare and bodycare. Don’t miss out and keep up with your skincare and lip care routine!