It’s the end of the year already and that means winter harmattan is coming.
We’re thankful that it’s the end of the year because it means there’s a new one right at the corner. But we’re not exactly looking forward to the harmattan that comes with the season and all its inconvenience. Your lips could be in bad shape because of the harsh weather. You’ll need to specially care for your lips during harmattan to prevent them from getting chapped, dry or sore.
Here’s how:
1. Drink Lots Of Water
Do you know that one of the causes of dry lips is dehydration? When you don’t drink enough water, your body is unable to moisturize your lips from within. So this is actually the most important tip, stay hydrated.
2. Exfoliate Your Lips
You’ll also need to exfoliate your lips to get rid of dead skin that can make your lips unsightly. You can do this with a simple scrub you can make from a combination of sugar and honey or coconut oil. Using a toothbrush, scrub your lips gently with the mixture for about a minute and then rinse off.
(Photo: 2ser.com)
3. Don’t Lick Your Lips
This is the really hard one. When your lips are dry, your first instinct is to lick them. But interestingly, saliva contains enzymes that irritate and dry out your lips. So the more you lick your lips, the drier they’ll actually get.
4. Use A Lip Balm
Lip balms are wonderful for moisturizing the lips and protecting them from the harsh harmattan weather. But when shopping for lip balms, Avoid those with camphor, eucalyptus and mint as they could actually be drying for your lips. Go for those with natural oils like shea butter instead.
(Photo: Evolutionofsmooth.com)
5. Avoid Matte Lipstains And Lipsticks
Matte Lipstains and lipsticks are very drying, they would literally suck all the life moisture out of your lips. Harmattan is really not the season for super matte lips, so it might be better to stick with lip glosses. If you must wear a lipstick, apply a light coating of lip balm on your lips first.
6. Don’t Peel Your Lips
As tempting as it might be to peel your lips when they crack, don’t. Peeling the dead skin before they’re ready to come off can cause sores on your lips. Instead just keep your lips moisturized with a lip balm or vaseline till it heals.
(Photo: Reddit)
Use these tips to care for your lips during harmattan, and dry and chapped lips will never be your portion!
Here’s how to also lighten dark lips at home.
(Featured image by goodhousekeeping.com)