Easy-Breezy Routine To Keep Your Lips Happy This Fall

I originally wrote this post for blog.evestemptation.com. 

Every fall, the cold weather wreaks havoc on my lips. My lips dry out very easily, and I’m left with aching cracks and tears spring to my eyes whenever I smile. This year, I’m going to fight the cold weather and follow an easy routine to keep my lips healthy and chap-free all season!

Keep reading to learn my easy, breezy routine for healthy lips this season.

Pucker Up! 

1. Use a lip scrub 2 – 3 times a week

Lip scrubs will exfoliate dry, flaky skin from your lips and leave them soft and smooth. I’ve heard people say to use a dry toothbrush on their lips, but I think that’s begging for an infection. If your lips are chapped and you use your toothbrush to exfoliate, you are letting all sorts of germs into the cracks. Yuck! A better idea is to make a DIY gentle sugar scrub. Here is one of my favorite recipes:

• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 1 squirt of honey (or agave, to make it vegan)
• 1-2 drops of vanilla extract
• 1-2 drops of Vitamin E oil (this is optional, but it will make the scrub extra moisturizing)

Just put the ingredients in a small bowl, and mix.

A little bit of lip scrub goes a long way. This recipe will make enough scrub to last at least 4 uses. You can store it in the fridge for up to two weeks.

2. Drink Plenty of Water

One of the best ways to keep lips plump and hydrated is to drink lots of water. Aim for about 8 cups of water a day. This is enough to keep your entire body, including your lips, hydrated and healthy. Now, I know it can be tough to drink 8 cups of water a day. Nearly half of all Americans don’t drink enough water; in fact, many drink less than four cups a day! If you know you struggle with drinking enough water, I would suggest making a chart and keeping track of how much you drink. You will do much better when you can keep yourself accountable.

3. Up Your Vitamin A Intake

Did you know that Vitamin A is great for your lip health? It assists in your bodies production of sebum, which is a natural oil. One of sebum’s uses is to prevent your lips from drying out! So this winter, make sure to eat your fill of carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash – they are all chock full of Vitamin A!

4. Apply makeup wisely

When applying your makeup, consider opting for a light, moisturizing lip product as opposed to a drying matte. Matte lipsticks are gorgeous, but they will suck the life right out of your lips and leave them wrinkly and withered in cold weather.

I would recommend sticking with a tinted lip gloss, especially one that has hydrating ingredients. Right now, I am loving Eve by Eve’s Rose Honey lip lusters. They contain ingredients such as sodium-hyaluronate and Ceramide 3, which retain the water in your lips. They will keep your lips plump and supple all winter!

My three favorite shades are Golden Rouge, Berry Pie, and Amethyst Dream.

They apply smoothly and don’t feel sticky on the lips. Plus, I love that they have a high level of pigment, and contain fun shimmer.

Today, I am wearing Berry Pie on my lips. This is such a fun, autumn shade! I’ve gotten so many compliments from my friends on it.

5. Apply coconut oil to your lips before bed

The final step in my easy-breezy routine is to apply coconut oil to the lips as part of my nightly routine. This has incredible moisturizing benefits, and your lips will feel silky smooth the next day.

I like to use a coconut oil that is solid at room temperature, rather than a liquid oil. Liquid oil has the same moisturizing effect, but I find that solid is less messy to apply.

I have been faithfully following this routine for the last two weeks. Here are before and after pictures of my lips:

Before, my lips were shriveled and wrinkly, and I had a few painful cracks on the bottom lip. I had flakes of dried skin in the corners of my mouth, and I just had an overall crusty appearance.

After two weeks, my lips were plumper and hydrated, and all of my cracks were completely healed.

This is actually a great routine to use year round, not just during the winter. Healthy lips are fashionable any season! I hope you found this guide useful.

What are some of your favorite ways to keep your lips healthy during cold weather?