Lips are one of the most prominent features on a person’s face. We all want to be visually presentable and put together. As charming as the personality of a person can be, it is the looks of a person that is primarily noticed and creates the first impression.

Women have incredibly high beauty standards to put up with these days. While some of us are blessed genetically, it may not be easy on the mental health and self esteem of the less lucky ones. We have all consciously or otherwise experienced the appearance based bias in different arenas of life, some are subtle while others, hurtfully not.

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder

Even though each individual has their own perception of beauty, and general beauty standards and desirable physical appearances vary greatly from each other in every culture and region in the world, social media and entertainment industry have exaggerated and idolized certain beauty standards, which keep changing every few years. Now makeup and cosmetic industry is hugely influential in the everyday life of people in all parts of the world, involving heaps of money circulating in the world economy.

Unlike natural skin, skin on the lips is sensitive because it does not have sweat and oil producing sebaceous glands and hence, are more prone to dehydration, sun damage and wrinkling, especially in harsh climates. Here are some hacks to help and save your precious, delicate and kissable lips:

DO’s

  • Remove Lip makeup before bed
  • Drink enough water
  • Use Lip balms with SPF
  • While outdoors, apply sunscreen on your Lips
  • While indoors, apply lip balms or oils on your Lips
  • Exfoliate twice a week using Lip scrubs
  • Include fish in your diet
  • Use a humidifier
  • Moisturize Lips before bed
  • Listen to subliminal music for better lips
  • Include Shea butter in Lip care
  • Use Glycerin, Turmeric, Potato juice, Lemon juice and Milk to reduce discoloration of Lips
  • Exfoliate using toothbrush with soft bristles and a moisturizer
  • Moisturize outside of your Lip line
  • Use good quality Lip liner

DON’Ts

  • Do not lick your Lips
  • Avoid using Matte lipsticks frequently
  • Refrain from using old/ expired Lip products
  • Stay away from Chemical Lip cosmetics
  • Steer clear of Mint and Methanol content in Lip products
  • Refrain from peeling flaky dead skin
  • Do not bite your lips
  • Avoid cheap quality chapsticks
  • Steer clear of the smoking habit
  • Refrain from popping pimples around lip edges
  • Try to not get spicy food smeared on lips
  • Do not forget to keep Lip balms in your Car, Handbag and Workplace
  • Never avoid Lip corners during Lip care regimes

Makeup Tips

  • Experiment with Lip Colors
  • Highlight the Cupid’s Bow
  • Highlight the middle of your bottom lip for fuller look
  • Search the Internet for Lip makeup tutorials
  • Expensive Lipstick, cheap Lip Gloss
  • Tinted Lip Balms for casual makeup
  • Research Lip products and its ingredients before buying and using them
  • For sparkly lips, use Lip Balm/ Lip Oil with glitter Eyeshadow/ Highlighter
  • Slightly overline lips with a natural colored Lip Liner for fuller look
  • Lip Piercings will help draw attention to the lips

Lip Scrubs

Lip Scrubs are the most practical means of lip exfoliation. Homemade lip scrubs are a natural alternative to store bought ones. They are easy to make, use and store. They have a good shelf life and can be kept in storage containers. They can be made with readily available natural kitchen ingredients and are even delicious to taste. Here are a few Lip Scrub recipes for you.

The proportion of the ingredients can be changed according to your discretion and the quantity of the product you plan to make.

  1. Brown Sugar (1 tbsp) + Honey (1 tbsp) + Olive Oil (1 tbsp)
  2. White Sugar (1 tbsp) + Honey (1 tbsp) + Coconut Oil (1 tbsp)
  3. Brown Sugar (1 tbsp) + Honey (1 tbsp) + Peppermint Oil (2 drops) + Orange Oil (2 drops)
  4. Brown Sugar (1 tbsp) + Honey (1 tbsp) + Coconut Oil ( 2 drops) + Rose Oil (2 drops)
  5. White Sugar (1 tbsp) + Honey (1 tbsp) + Coconut Oil (2 drops) + Lime Oil (2 drops)
  6. White Sugar (1 tbsp) + Honey (1 tbsp) + Olive Oil (2 drops) + Lavender Extract (2 drops)
  7. Brown Sugar (1 tbsp) + Honey (2 tbsp) + Olive Oil (1 tbsp) + Cocoa Powder (1 tbsp)
  8. Brown Sugar (1 tbsp) + Honey (2 tbsp) + Coconut Oil (1 tbsp) + Coffee Grounds (1 tbsp)
  9. White Sugar (1 tbsp) + Honey (2 tbsp) + Coconut Oil (1 tbsp) + Turmeric Powder (1 tbsp)
  10. Brown Sugar (1 tbsp) + Honey (1 tbsp) + Coconut Oil (1 tbsp) + White Sugar (1 tbsp) + Vanilla Extract (1/2 tbsp)

Directions:

Mix the ingredients in a bowl, take a scoop of product for our lips.

Rub the lip scrub on the lips in circular motions, then let it sit on our lips for a couple of minutes.

Rinse off the scrub from the lips.

Like every other organ of our body, our lips also deserve to be taken care of and pampered. Since it has a major role in enhancing the overall look of our face and make an impact in our self-presentation to the world, we need to maintain it in its best form. While we can opt for Lip Fillers and Plastic Surgeries to enhance the appearance, they can be quite expensive and time consuming procedures. We can also learn to embrace and accept our natural lip look and find means to enhance them and maintain it. It is afterall, an act of self-care and self appreciation.