Lip care for a natural plump pout
Take your Reset Barrier Balm to go and protect all day long as you enjoy our beautiful outdoors.
The eyes and the lips can say a lot about how one cares for themselves, internally and externally. And just like the skin around your eyes, the skin on your lips is quite different to the rest of your face and a lot more delicate.
Lips do not have sebaceous glands – meaning, unlike other areas of our skin, that in-built natural moisturising system that produces sebum to protect & moisturise is not there for our lips.
Lips have fewer layers of skin – made up of about 3-4 layers compared to the approximate 15 layers elsewhere!
Lips lose fullness as we age – for the same reason our skin elsewhere loses suppleness, collagen production in our lips also declines.
And, as delicate as they are, they're constantly exposed to irritants and stressors, including the air from our breath drying them out.
To keep them in best health, looking full and vibrant, they need and deserve a little special care. And with whatever you apply to your lips being easily ingested, it's important to use products that are safe and effective.
Top tips for healthy lips
Exfoliate – but no more than once a week. Just like the skin on our face, our lips too can get a build up of dry, dead skin cells. A gentle, weekly exfoliation will help to smooth the surface, encourage regeneration and allow any lip care you apply to be more effective. Steer clear of acidic facial peels and harsh exfoliants you may use on your face or body – they'll be way too harsh for your lips!
You can use Liberation, our Botanical Enzyme and Minerals Masque, to do this step for you – after you've applied the masque to your face and left it on for as long as you had planned, during the washing off/massaging stage extend this to go over your lips! With ingredients like pearl extract, coconut milk, Kakadu plum, pomegranate and papaya, Liberation can work as a very fine enzymatic exfoliant while also depositing nutrients.
Massage your lips – a gentle massage focused entirely on your lips and mouth muscles can greatly increase the blood flow to them, improving colour and supporting collagen production, as well as tone, strengthen and plump.
A simple routine is to start with mini circular motions with your ring fingers on the top and then bottom lip, moving from centre to sides, which will warm them up. To massage, pinch your lips between your thumb and index finger, creating that ol' duck face, and begin kneading your lips. Move along from side to side, extending off the corner of the lip to grab the muscle on the side of your mouth and hold. Make sure you are not pulling the skin down from your cheek.
Hydrate, soothe, soften and firm – after you've exfoliated, massaged and as often as you can, indulge your lips in our Reset Barrier Balm for the ultimate treat in lip care! The creamy, pliable formula works wonders on our lips just as it does in other areas in need of deep care, such as our hands, elbows, knees, cuticles, or any dry or flaky skin.
The rich botanical butters, oils like sea buckthorn that contains high levels of four essential fatty acids and a plethora of vitamins including A, C and E, and our slow-infused botanicals like Calendula that is not only a super weapon for inflammation but also collagen support, means your lips will be treated with the very best nourishment. Don't forget to apply an extra thick layer before bed and wake up to softened lips reborn!
Take a collagen supplement – while this doesn't just give you straight collagen into your skin, hydrolysed collagen peptides can assist your body's natural production by supporting your cell's fibroblasts (that create collagen and elastin).
Protect from extrinsic factors like UV and smoking that only accelerate aging.
Keep internally hydrated – drink plenty of water as well hydrating food such as apples, pears, cucumber.
Eat a well-balanced diet that keeps inflammation at bay and feeds our skin cells with the right nutrients for a full dermal layer – lots of avocadoes!
The tips we put together in our previous winter skincare post and to say goodbye to dehydrated skin also applies to our lips.