Recipe for Beautiful Lips
It's winter again, which means that our lips can suffer as they are directly exposed to harsh elements, extremes in temperature, and dry air.
As the mercury drops, lips often become dry and cracked. That's not too surprising if we consider that lips are one of the most exposed areas of our body and the skin layer on our lips is some of the thinnest skin! To add insult to injury, this very sensitive outer skin layer has none of the oil glands that are present and naturally protect the skin in other areas of our body. Added to this, indoor heating and whipping winter winds also take their toll on our lips.
However, dry lips may also be a sign of disorders that you would never expect; such as allergic reactions to flavorings and dyes found in your toothpaste, mouthwash and lip products, or adverse reactions to food, beverages, and medications. Cracks in the corner of your mouth may also indicate a deficiency of Vitamin B2. If dry, cracked lips are an ongoing problem for you, and these natural remedies don’t work, please consult your doctor.
Protect your lips this winter...
Tip 1. Lick the ‘lip smacking’ habit. Licking your lips damages the protective barrier and dries them out. Digestive enzymes and bacteria in saliva can also damage lips, leaving them in worse shape than before. Another bad habit that causes damage is biting off bits of dead skin.
Tip 2. Hydrate! Keep the body well hydrated by drinking ample amounts of water each day. This will moisturize your lips from the inside out. It’s easy to forget to drink enough in winter so try drinking warm water instead of freezing water from the tap or fridge. Your lips would also benefit from humidifying your home and office using a misting device or simply by placing a bowl of water in a corner of the room or on a heater. Indoor plants also help humidify your indoor environment.
Tip 3. The best way to kiss dry, chapped lips goodbye is with a gentle natural defoliant and moisturizer. Start by mixing a bit of honey and bicarbonate of soda. Apply this mixture to the lips and rub in gently, using fingertips or a soft toothbrush. Rinse off. The paste will remove the dead skin cells and peeling skin, leaving the lips soft and supple. Following this, apply lip balm. Honey or vegetable oils such as almond, olive or coconut oil, are very good natural lip balms because the ingredients penetrate the skin and nourish the lips.
Nourishing Lip Balm Recipe:
1 part olive oil (or other oils such as sweet almond, jojoba)
1 part coconut oil (or cocoa butter, Shea butter, etc.)
1 part beeswax
* Optional: honey, or a drop or two of essential oil
Gently warm the beeswax and oils together in a small saucepan. Once melted and combined, add honey or essential oil if you wish. Whisk until set and spoon into a small, airtight container.
While everyone loves to have beautiful looking lips, the words that fall from our lips can also be beautiful or ugly. Speak words that are loving, truthful, kind, encouraging and uplifting, and avoid words that hurt and destroy (think gossip!). Even the Bible has something to say about lips: "For he that wants to love life and to see good days, let him restrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile" (1 Peter 3:10). How will you use your beautiful lips?
For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others;
for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness;
and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.
-Audrey Hepburn-
Jana Meldt
Lifestyle Counsellor
