There is nothing more beautiful than a female smile. However, dry cracked lips can make smiling uncomfortable and painful. Besides causing pain, dry lips cause discomfort and they don’t look attractive. So find out why you get dry and cracked lips and make them soft, smooth and kissable.
Get soft lips – Causes of dry lips
Most people suffer from cracked lips. Dry lips can occur due to several factors, and most of them can be avoided.
Dehydration. The most common reason for the appearance of dry lips is very simple – dehydration. If the body doesn’t recieve enough water, that’ll show on your skin and lips.
Sun. The skin on your body can be significantly damaged by the sun, and your lips are no exception.
Wind. If you leave your lips unprotected in a strong wind, you risk to dry them out.
Constant licking of the lips. If you constantly lick your lips, you’ll strip them of the natural oils and they’ll get even drier.
Makeup. Some lipsticks and lip stains tend to dry your lips. Be careful when choosing makeup. Avoid lipsticks and lip tints that can dry your lips.
Lack of vitamins and minerals. You should have a healthy and balanced diet that will provide your body with all the necessary vitamins and minerals.. Lack of certain vitamins and minerals may be the reason for the appearance of cracked lips.
Breathing through the mouth. If you have a stuffy nose or you breathe through your mouth for another reason, then you’ll probably have dry lips.
Smoking. Most smokers know that this harmful habit brings many unpleasant consequences. Some of these effects are dry lips and bad breath.
Spicy food. Spicy foods and citrus juice, can cause drying and irritation of the lips.
Drugs. Although some drugs don’t come in contact with your lips they may cause dryness.
How to get soft lips?
Get soft lips with homemade lip scrubs
Exfoliation is a very important to make your lips soft and silky smooth. Your lips require extra care because the skin there is more sensitive than the skin on your face. That’s why it’s good idea to use gentle homemade lip scrubs 1-2 times a week.
You can make a quick DIY homemade lip scrub or you can do this exfoliating method:
Apply honey on your lips. Leave it for 2-3 minutes.
Take an old soft toothbrush and gently massage your lips with a circular motion for 2-3 minutes.
The toothbrush will exfoliate your lips and honey will moisturize and nourish them. Once you’re finished, rinse your lips and apply a lip balm. Make sure that you use natural and organic lip balm, like Sierra Bees lip balm for example, because it’s inevitable that we ingest some of the lip balms that we put on our mouth.
The toothbrush can be replaced with sugar or coarsely ground coffee . All you have to do is to mix them with some honey and you’ll get an easy homemade lip scrub.
Get soft lips with homemade lip treatments
Mix one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of coconut oil. Apply the mixture on your lips before bedtime. You can store the rest of the mixture in the refrigerator.
Everybody knows that honey is great for the lips. To get a soft and kissable lips, all you have to do is to apply some honey on your lips before bedtime. The next morning your lips will be soft and nourished.
Aloe vera gel is a great for moisturizing the skin. It’s also calming and healing and it can help you to get rid of dry lips. Apply some aloe vera gel at night before bedtime or during the day, just don’t lick your lips.
More useful tips to get soft lips
Forget licking. Saliva contains enzymes that are designed to start the process of decomposition of food. These enzymes can harm the thin skin of the lips.
Drink plenty of water. Drinking enough water doesn’t allow the body to become dehydrated.
Protect your lips from sun or wind. Use lip balm with high SPF if you plan to spend the day in the sun. Lip balms can also protect your lips from the wind.
Watch your diet. Consume enough vitamins and minerals, especially iron and vitamins A, B and C.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol and smoking. Alcohol and caffeine lead to dehydration of the body.