How To Use A Lip Scrub For Optimal Results

As the cooler weather approaches and the heaters turn on, people begin to brace themselves for the dreaded seasonal chapped lips. Cracked and peeling lips feel awful and ruin lipstick, not to mention the fact that they're tempting to pick at, which only makes them worse.

Cleveland Clinic lists several factors that can lead to dry or chapped lips, including sunburn, cold or dry weather, vitamin deficiency, dehydration, and medical conditions such as thyroid and autoimmune disorders. But no matter the cause, there are a few proven ways to treat chapped lips. For example, the American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends drinking plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated, using a humidifier at home, and avoiding irritating ingredients, including eucalyptus and salicylic acid. The association also states that using non-irritating products on your lips can help to heal them. Enter lip scrubs.

A lip scrub is a kind of mechanical exfoliant that helps to remove dead skin from your lips and leave them feeling smooth and silky. Lip scrubs are great for those with chronic dryness but can be used by anyone to achieve healthy and rejuvenated lips.

Nivea explains that lip scrubs not only leave you with smooth lips, but they can also remove dry, dead skin, retain the moisture in your lips, even out lip color, help your lipstick to last, and reduce swelling and bleeding derived from chapped lips. In addition, the process of using a lip scrub is also cost-effective and fool-proof!

According to L'Oréal, the best way to use a lip scrub is to start with clean, damp lips. Apply a generous amount of scrub to your lips and rub it in gently. Then rinse the scrub with a wet soft cloth, using lukewarm water. Wipe the scrub away with the cloth, repeating this step once more if you feel like there are still granules on your lips. Finish with a light layer of a hydrating, non-irritating lip balm. Cleveland Clinic advises using lip balms that are hypoallergenic, sun protective, and fragrance-free for optimal performance. It can also help to use a humidifier in the room during the process, which will stop the air around you from drying out. You can use a lip scrub around once or twice a week, though people with excessively dry lips may benefit from using a lip scrub every day (via ChapStick). If you find that your lips are becoming more chapped after exfoliating, you could be using your scrub too much.

Now you know how to scrub your lips properly, it's time to find (or make) a good lip scrub.

There are a few things to look out for when in the market for an effective lip scrub, which is an important consideration when looking for optimal benefits. Vaseline advises searching for a lip scrub with an emollient base made from ingredients such as shea butter, coconut oil, coconut butter, grapeseed oil, or pure vitamin E oil — all things that help soften skin. Some lip scrubs may also have humectants like honey, aloe, and glycerin, which help your lips retain moisture. They'll also commonly have exfoliants like cane sugar, oats, or coffee grounds — which is what removes the dead skin. Meanwhile, Healthline recommends avoiding products with mint, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and menthol, which can be irritating.

Making your own lip scrub is surprisingly easy and effective and lets you know exactly what's in your products. DIY beauty blog Homemade for Elle lists a five-minute recipe for lip scrub that includes just coconut oil, sugar, and honey, and the internet is full of simple homemade scrubs that work wonders. According to Vaseline, you simply need an emollient such as a few drops of olive oil or petroleum jelly, a humectant, such as honey, and an exfoliant, like coffee grounds, and you'll have your very own scrub.