Your lips have some of the most sensitive and delicate skin on your entire body, so it’s very important to look after them as best as you can. Unfortunately, due to environmental factors, hydration issues, and other elements, your lips can get dry and chapped pretty easily.
So how do we solve this eternal problem, are lip scrubs the answer?
How lip scrubs work
Simply put, lip scrubs are an exfoliant. Their job, much like body and face scrubs, is to have enough impact on your lips to remove the dead and dry skin cells that plague them, before giving them a deep cleanse to make them look as good as new. Using a lip scrub regularly can really improve the feel of your lips and make it easier than ever to smoothly apply lipstick for that big night out you have planned.
Exfoliation is a very important aspect of skincare and can provide amazing benefits. If you want to give your skin the healthiest chance possible of fighting off potential breakouts, scrubbing away the excess skin that isn’t needed anymore is a great way to do it.
Consistency is key
As with many cosmetics, in order to get the most effective results and really improve the areas you want, you need to use products correctly and consistently. Just using a lip scrub maybe twice a week won’t give you the long-term results you want, so you need to get into a habit of daily usage, or a schedule of at least 4 times a week. Your lips will thank you.
Will lip scrub help with chapped lips?
This is the question you want to answer. The truth is, it depends. Sorry to be a fence sitter, but the effectiveness of scrubs for lips almost entirely depends on the current condition of your lips and the exact product you use.
Firstly let’s explore the potentially negative elements at play. As we said above, the skin on your lips is ultra delicate and sensitive and requires the best care. Sometimes a scrub can be too harsh. The hard particles in the texture may inadvertently scratch or tear little bits of your lip layers, leading to further dryness and irritation. Ever had a sore on your lip? It’s not great, so avoiding these things is for the best.
On the flip side, if you get particularly dry and chapped lips regularly due to your natural skin type or genetics, using a lip scrub may be your only real option. Sometimes your lips can get ultra-hard and need that level of strength from a product to sort them out. In this scenario, you’ll be grateful lip scrubs exist and are relatively harsh.
Final word
Like with many areas of skincare, the effectiveness of lip scrubs entirely depends on the individual using them. If you have a little bit of dryness on your lips, perhaps using a moisturizer would be better to reduce the risk of damage. However if you really suffer from super uncomfortable chapping and cracking, maybe a powerful lip scrub/exfoliator is your thing.
Evaluate the condition of your lips and make the appropriate call. Good luck.