Winter Skincare Tips: Lip Care For Winter

‘Tis the season for hot chocolate, walks in the snow, and...cracked, flaky lips. The cold, dry winter air can wreak havoc on your lips because, unlike other areas of the skin, your lips don’t have oil and sweat glands to keep them moist. Here’s how to keep your lips hydrated and smooth all winter long. 

Don't Lick Your Lips:

Licking your lips may moisten them temporarily, but you're actually making the situation worse. Any moisture you transfer to your lips from your tongue evaporates seconds later, creating a vicious cycle of licking and chapping.

Don't Breathe Through Your Mouth:

Passing cold, dry air through your mouth will leave your lips and throat feeling parched. When you breathe air in and out through the mouth, any existing moisture on your lips and throat evaporates— focus on inhaling and exhaling through the nose instead.

Do Exfoliate:

Dry lips often have a build-up of dead skin cells sitting on the surface. This build-up can prevent hydrating products from doing their job.  Dissolve dead skin cells with a peel like our HYDRATING LIP PEEL EXFOLIANT to reveal the soft skin underneath. Glycolic acid gently sloughs off dead skin while lactic acid hydrates and softens the lips.

Do Microneedle Your Lips:

Once you’ve created a smooth canvas with a peel, roll over the lips with our MICRONEEDLING TOOL to gently micro-exfoliate the skin and help hydrating actives sink in more effectively.

Do Add Moisture:

It might seem odd to use a face serum on your lips, but our HA HYDRATING SERUM is gentle enough for even your lip area. Hyaluronic acid draws moisture out of the air and deep into the skin. To lock in moisture, follow with your favorite balm or apply a thin layer of oil like our SHIUNKO BLUSH FACIAL OIL.

Do Choose The Right Lip Balm:

On their own, many lip balms don’t actually hydrate your lips because they contain only oily ingredients that create a barrier, but don’t add any moisture. That’s why you need to use a peel and serum first. Then, look for a balm with non-comedogenic emollient ingredients like shea butter or cocoa butter to lock all that moisture in.

Do Use SPF:

Balms and glosses, particularly the shiny ones, attract the sun's rays and may increase your risk of sunburn and skin cancer. Use a lip protectant with at least SPF 30. If you’re going outside, make sure you apply it underneath your shiny lip gloss or balm.