The Benefits Of Lip Masks Go Beyond Moisturizing

Playing around with skincare and makeup is fun when new trends arise, and new products are released. Trying out a new makeup look, like following the finger eyeliner technique to nail a smokey eye look or creating a messy lip look with the lollipop lip trend, allows you to explore and use different makeup products. Skincare is the same — trying face, hair, and lip masks. We know that taking care of our skin makes our makeup application more manageable and creates a flawless look.

If your bathroom drawers are filled with sheet masks, peel-off masks, hair masks, etc., but sans lip masks, then you're missing out on its many benefits. You can use different lip masks and scrubs to hydrate and exfoliate your lips. Taking care of your lips is just as essential as the rest of your face and your hair. Various makeup products can dry out your face or cause you to become oily, depending on your skin type. So, following your skincare routine and implementing masks can help balance out your skin. Lip masks are ideal for moisturizing dry and cracked lips but offer a few other benefits.

Applying lip balm is everyone's go-to for treating dry and cracked lips, but sometimes they can make things worse by drying them out. Lip balm provides temporary comfort, so you might have to reapply every half hour. Once the balm starts to dry out, it can leave your lips just as dry or drier than when you first applied it, making healing your lips impossible. However, that's where lip masks come into the picture. They're meant to rejuvenate and hydrate your lips and keep them hydrated for much longer than lip balms with the antioxidant-rich ingredients they carry, like Vitamin C, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid. You can use lip masks that you place over your lips for 15 minutes or a lip balm mask that you wear overnight. Either mask leaves you with hydrated and softer lips.

Repairing cracked, dry, and peeling lips makes applying lip products much easier, like a matte lipstick. We've all seen lipstick commercials where the model has the perfect lip liner and lipstick application that makes her makeup look flawless, and we think about how we can step up our lip game. However, without proper hydration, your lipstick will look cracked, and your lips will feel dry, leading you to remove it or start over. Using lipsticks or tinted lip products can dry out your lips, so the more you keep your lips hydrated, the more you can use any lip product.

The one thing we all see on social media is celebrities getting lip injections to make their lips look plumper and fuller. When you think of celebrities with cosmetic work, Kylie Jenner might come to mind, especially when her makeup line first came out with lip kits. While lip plumping products, like lip gloss, give a similar effect to the aftermath of lip injections, they can sometimes burn when applied. Lip plumpers are supposed to tingle since they irritate your lips to get them to plump up. However, some can burn longer, so you want to test one before putting it on your entire lip. Regular lip masks can also plump the natural lips while hydrating them, and there are specific lip-plumping masks that include collagen that gives the lips an extra boost with a tingling sensation.

Lip masks also help to reduce hyperpigmentation by brightening any discoloration you might have from peeling or burns. In addition, if you have a bad habit of biting your lips, it could create sores that can leave behind bruises or marks, which lip masks can help heal. Look out for beetroot ingredients when purchasing a lip mask to help with hyperpigmentation. Lip masks have nourishing and healthy ingredients, but it's always best to test out the product on a small part of your lip to see how it will react.

We mentioned two types of lip masks, disposable and leave-on, which apply the same on your lips. The gel mask is lip-shaped, but it's designed bigger to cover your lips and some of your face to ensure you get every part of your lips. Disposable gel masks are usually applied during the day or right before you go to sleep for 15 to 20 minutes. They have a hydrating serum in them that allows them to stick to your lips. However, you want to be lying down or reclining in a chair so that the mask doesn't slip off and you don't have to adjust it. Once the time is up, massage the serum or gel into your lips for full use. You never want to reuse disposable masks on your lips or face because they carry germs you don't want to reintroduce to your skin.

As for leave-on lip masks, like the Laneige sleeping mask, they can be applied all day. They resemble a lip balm, so you can carry it in your purse or pocket and reapply it when you feel your lips dry. Leave-on lip masks are also perfect for applying right before you go to sleep; you'll wake up with full, hydrated, and soft lips. They often work faster than gel masks, but you can use both for a night you dedicate to every skincare product you have.