If you and a loved one are planning a night out—or even a night in—on Valentine’s Day, you’re going to want soft, kissable lips. Even if you’re single, you may be planning a date, and want to look your best.
Unfortunately, the harsh winter weather can wreak havoc on lips. They’re made of thin, fragile skin and tissues that can easily turn dry and chapped in the cold weather. You may have been trying to take care of them these last few months, but if you were unlucky enough to come down with the flu, or if you faced some of the frigid temperatures that have been going around, your lips probably look a little worse for wear.
Never fear—we’ve got five tips below to help you whip your lips into shape. Give these a try and see if you don’t look dynamite by Valentine’s Day!
1. Exfoliate.
The first thing you have to do is to get that ugly, dry, flaky skin off. Exfoliating your lips is slightly different than exfoliating your face, though, because the tissues are more tender. You can simply use a toothbrush or washcloth, wet your lips, and rub gently to get rid of those dry flakes. But that may not do the trick.
If not, you should use one of the many lip scrubs available on the market today. There are now several that are made of natural ingredients like sugar crystals suspended in essential oils, moisturizing oils like jojoba and sunflower, aloe, and other moisturizers like shea butter. You can also make your own by mixing up some sugar with your favorite essential and carrier oils, then use it to gently rub the dryness off your lips.
2. Follow immediately with a balm.
Immediately after exfoliating and patting dry, apply a deeply moisturizing and healing lip balm. Be careful—many brands out there contain petrolatum products that can be more drying than hydrating over time. Look for natural butters, oils, beeswax, tryglycerides, and possibly propolis.
Note: Our award-winning Restorative Skin Balm doubles perfectly as a lip balm. It’s a 100-percent natural balm with no petrolatum ingredients, filled instead with healing sea buckthorn oil, soothing calendula, bee’s wax, protective vitamin E, and natural oils like castor and sweet almond oils.
3. Pamper lips overnight.
You probably already apply a night cream to help regenerate and restore your face overnight. If you want kissable lips for Valentine’s Day, it’s time to do the same with your lips. Have you checked into a lip mask? They are available out there now, and they can be very helpful in moisturizing and hydrating parched lips. Simply apply as directed and leave overnight.
You can also make your own lip mask if you prefer. Mix some honey with fresh pomegranate juice, or add some honey to a tablespoon of safflower (or other favorite) oil. One more option is to mix honey with Greek yogurt. With these masks, apply and wear for 30 minutes before bed, then rinse off and apply your lip balm before going to sleep.
4. Try a lip plumper.
If you are conscientious about performing the former three steps for a few days before the big day, your lips are likely to respond by becoming softer, smoother, and more attractive. But if you want a bit more oomph to your style when you go out, you may want to try a lip plumper. The good ones use natural ingredients to create a plumping action, like cinnamon oil, cayenne pepper powder, anise oil and clove oil.
You can make your own lip plumper with the ingredients listed above—just mix them with some honey or yogurt so they will stay on your lips for a few minutes, long enough to give you that plumping action.
5. Use a primer before your color.
Even if you don’t usually use a primer, you may want to for this special occasion. A good primer can work like your foundation primer, providing moisture along with hydration. It can keep your lips looking soft and smooth for longer than if you just use color alone. It can also give you more of that color that you want, as it can neutralize the natural color in your lips so the color you’ve chosen shows through more.
How do you prepare your lips for Valentines Day?
