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They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, but when it comes to looking your best, the lips are a pretty important stop on the face! They’re one feature that you can play up or play down and still make a huge impact on the way that you look. Here are some tips for healthy lips. Getting the best looking lips doesn’t have to be complicated!
Table of Contents
Easy Tips For Healthy Lips
1. Stay hydrated
Your lips can actually change size based on how much water you do or don’t drink. When they get dehydrated they can shrivel up a bit, as you might have noticed from being out in the cold or when you get a little chapped.
Your lips can actually be one of the first places on the body to start showing dehydration. while hydrating the lips is necessary from the inside out, aim to keep a protective lip product on as a barrier when you’re out in the elements and drink up the H2O all day long!
As another tip, stop licking your lips ASAP! Saliva contains digestive enzymes that can break down the lip barrier. Your best defense against mindlessly licking your lips is to keep a great moisturizer on them at all times.
Don’t really like drinking water? Try infused water for a more exciting way to hydrate.
2. Exfoliate
You know that your skin needs exfoliating to look its best, but so do your lips. When the skin doesn’t turn over fast enough it can look dull, so exfoliating speeds up this process. You can exfoliate with a wet toothbrush to stimulate blood flow and to scrub off any dry skin that’s been hanging out too long. This makes your lips look invigorated and can even plump them a bit.
3. Protect Them From the Sun
Your lips don’t have any melanin so they can actually get burned pretty easily, and chronic exposure to the sun can actually cause your lip pigment to darken which most people don’t find preferable. (Not to mention dry out as well!)
Luckily plenty of lip balms and even lipstick contain an added SPF these days to keep your pout safe.
4. Fake a Plumper Pout
To give your lips a little extra oomph without making any permanent changes to them, fake it with a little creative makeup application.
Get a lip liner pencil in a shade that’s slightly darker than your lipstick, and apply it a little bit outside of your natural lip line. You don’t want this to be blatantly obvious, but it should help create a slightly larger feel.
After you apply your lipstick, use a highlighter of some sort to dab in the center of your lower lip and give the illusion that light is striking your full pout at that spot. You can also use a small drop of foundation for a similar result, or just blend the two.
5. Treat Any Wrinkles
Wrinkles around the edges of the lips can occur from age, sun exposure, or habits like smoking cigarettes. First of all, get off the cigarettes and out of the sun!
Luckily a lot of the wrinkles that appear there can be treated pretty easily with similar ingredients to those you use to treat wrinkles else wear on the face. Get a lip treatment that contains retinol to help safely smooth them out again.
6. Only Use Lipstick When Necessary
NIVEA Lip Care Fruit Variety Pack – Tinted Lip Balm for Beautiful, Soft Lips 
Matte lipstick can be incredibly drying to the lips, and all lipstick can contain ingredients that can wreak havoc on them. Common ingredients include wax, pigments, fragrance, oils, and alcohol.
Look for products instead that contain natural oils like jojoba, vitamin E, and Shea butter. If you can’t find a healthy lipstick replacement, try using a hydrating gloss for the daytime and save the harsher lipstick for the nightlife.
7. Avoid Cold Sores
Although not the most fun thing, cold sores are nothing to be ashamed of. About 90% of people carry the herpes simplex virus type 1: they just don’t always get a breakout from it.
If you’re prone to getting them, you might want to cut out foods that can aggravate them like nuts, and add in supplements that might help reduce their occurrence, like the amino acid L-lysine. Stress, hormones, and sun exposure can all play a part.
In a pinch, if you feel a cold sore coming on, try rubbing an ice cube on the tingly area which can sometimes stop it in its tracks. This lemon balm ointment can help once one arises.
8. Find Your Perfect Color Shade
Finding the most flattering lip color for your face can take a little trial and error, but it’s worth testing out a few options. Depending on your skin tone, hair color, and other makeup habits your perfect shade can vary dramatically from your best friend’s, even if your tastes are the same.
It’s similar to how a fragrance can smell totally different on different people, your own chemistry can affect a lot.
9. Prep Your Lips For Color
If you have a hard time keeping your lip color in place, try prepping them with a bit of foundation to give them a base for the lipstick to hold onto.
Using a lip liner for this step is also going to help a lot as it can prevent the lipstick from feathering and moving around. Just make sure the colors match!
Will you be testing out any of these tips for great-looking lips? Let us know if you have any secrets or tips to add to our list!
I once made some lip scrub from a recipe I found online. It had sugar and a little cocoa powder mixed with honey. I could not believe how much smoother my lips were when I used it! And it was edible, too.
Honey and sugar scrubs are my favorite way to exfoliate my lips. It tastes great, and my lips are so happy afterwards. They feel amazing. I’ll have to try adding a little cocoa powder.