Lips dry out faster and become chapped more easily, because they’re almost four times thinner than normal skin.
This is why under some circumstances they need a little bit of care..
Choose carefully
Look for lip care products with a blend of natural waxes, butters and oils in order to get the combined benefits they’re offering.
The five qualities we believe all lip care should possess.
REPAIR NOURISH HYDRATE MOISTURIZE PROTECT
REPAIR
When suffering from dry, sore or chapped lips, reparation is a must. Find ingredients with protein, antibacterial properties and antioxidant activity.
Protein
Hair, nails, skin, all made of this nutrient. Proteins are necessary for tissue repair and for the construction of new tissue.
Antibacterial properties
Needless to say cracked, irritated lips are more sensitive to bacteria. Ingredients with antibacterial properties slow down the growth of bacterial and fungal microbes.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are nutrients that help to prevent and repair damage done to your skin by free radicals. Antioxidants block the effects of free radicals and end up being oxidized themselves.
Free radicals
Charged chemical particles of oxygen. Free radicals break down the skin’s collagen. When they come in contact with organic substances such as proteins (collagen), they enter into destructive chemical bonds. The result is an oxidation.
NOURISH
For great looking skin and thus luscious lips, it’s important our cells are in optimal condition. Healthy cell membranes keep the goodies – like water and nutrients – in and allow waste products to pass out.
Essential fatty acids
If we were to compare our skin with construction work, essential fatty acids are the building blocks of cell membranes. These fatty acids (omega 3, 6 & 9) can’t be made by the human body, and thus must be taken in through your diet or topically applied.
Vitamins & minerals
Plant & seed oils and butters are packed with nutrition – vitamins and minerals – for nourishing your lips. Depending on their specific qualities vitamins and minerals act as antioxidants, support cellular regeneration and vitality.
HYDRATE
Lips dehydrate a lot faster than any other part of the body, due to their limited number of cellular layers. When this happens, they begin to crack and peel. This is where humectants – say what? – come in to play.
Humectants
Compounds in ingredients that are like water magnets. They pull water from the inside, and – if humidity is high – they can even draw moisture from the air. Humectants are extremely important in keeping skin plump and supple.
MOISTURIZE
Isn’t this the same as hydrate? Well, hydration increases the water content in lips. Think plump & supple. Moisturizing prevents the water content from evaporating. Think smooth and soft. Look for ingredients with emollient or occlusive properties.
Emollients
Latin for ‘to make soft’. Emollients allow better moisture retention by filling the space between rough, dead cells on lips with droplets of oil. In doing so, they reduce evaporation.
Occlusives
Occlusives prevent loss of moisture by providing a physical barrier. They coat your lips to trap the moisture in.
PROTECT
The four seasons come with different elements, but for lips it mostly comes down to the same problem: dehydration. Lip care in the summer however needs extra support against the sun. Search for ingredients with a natural spf in them.
Sunblock
There are natural oils, butters and waxes that act as a natural sunblock and are said to have the ability to absorb UVA and UVB light.