Are all scrubs created equal? It can be easy to get confused or overwhelmed by the sheer number of scrub products on the market, and sometimes it can be difficult to know which is suitable for what purpose. Today we’ll be looking at whether your run-of-the-mill face scrub is able to be used on your lips.
Here’s the deal with face scrub
Before we get to the lip issue, it’s always worthwhile to define what face scrub is and what it does. Face scrubs are exfoliating products that are designed to deep clean your skin in order to leave it looking as good as new. Unlike face wash or cleanser, they have a unique gravelly texture made up of tiny stone-like granules made from crystals, micro-plastics, volcanic rock, and nut shell, among others. When you rub this into your skin, these rough particles literally scrape away millions of dead skin cells from the surface of your face. This is an important task because if left unchecked these dead cells could clog your pores leading to breakouts, and just generally make your complexion look dull and worn out. Once these dead cells are removed, the vitamins and nutrients within the scrub clean your skin thoroughly, giving your face a youthful shine and glow. Face scrubs are truly impactful in the best way, and should be a staple of anyone’s skincare routine.
Sounds great, I bet it would do wonders for my lips
Hold your horses, cowboy! A common mistake people make with face scrubs and skincare products, in general, is they assume if something works well in one area it will work equally well in another. Just because your lips are part of your face doesn’t mean face scrub is suitable for them. The skin on your lips is very delicate and requires a bit more tender loving care. We’ve all experienced the torture of dry or cracked lips, it’s not very fun. Face scrub, more specifically the granules in the texture, is far too harsh for your soft lip skin and would probably lead to more cracks and irritation if rubbed into them. This is why we don’t recommend using face scrubs to clean your lips.
What can I use on my lips instead?
That depends on your needs. Do you want to give them a nice clean, or do you just want to hydrate them to minimize cracks and sores? From Chapstick, moisturizers, and powerful exfoliants, to even specialized lip scrubs, there’s no shortage of lip products on the market to choose from. We suggest sitting down and evaluating the state your lips are in and what you want to achieve before purchasing any products.
To finish off
There’s not really much more to be said. Unfortunately face scrubs, while excellent facial exfoliators aren’t constructive for lip care. They are too heavy in their texture and their rough granular elements will do your lips way more harm than good. A general rule of thumb for skincare and cosmetics is always use specialist products for individual parts of your body. Try and seek out compatible lip-only products to get the results you desire.