Is it Wrong to Constantly Apply Lip Balm?
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I noticed lip balms had become a staple for the beauty enthusiasts using them on a day-to-day basis. Watching my friends use it got me thinking: are there any adverse effects of continually applying lip balms?
Continually applying lip balm will eventually harm the layers of your lips. The Lip balm used gives temporary relief for dry lips. However, it also blocks the moisture that your lips get from the surrounding area. Once the lip balms evaporate, the lips again become painfully dry and chapped. They are causing a person to apply lip balm, also creating a vicious cycle.
You do not need to have a hundred different tubes or pots of lip balms. Try and invest in a Vaseline that is fragrance-free and has minimum ingredients in it. Excessive use of lip balms causes problems that can permanently damage the layers of your lips.
Why is Lip Balm Popular?
Quite a lot of us have to deal with scaly or chapped lips, especially during the winter season, when the weather is extremely dry and cold.
Lip balms generally provide you with temporary comfort as they cover your lips’ top layer, but as stated earlier, they block moisture.
What people do not realize is that it blocks the moisture. Once the lip balms evaporate, the lips become painfully dry and chapped. It extracts the water out of your lips. Thus, cause you to apply lip balm again, creating a vicious cycle.
What causes dry, chapped lips?
Please understand that your lips’ skin is different from the rest of your body, mainly because it is more fragile and sensitive. The skin of your face is quite thick and can be up to 16 cell layers. However, your lips’ skin is relatively thin and made up of only 3 to 5 cell layers.
This indicates that your blood vessels are more apparent, giving your lips their pink or red coloring. The topmost cells are dead, and the remaining two or three layers are called the epidermis and the dermis.
The epidermis and the dermis are quite sensitive and require a heavy dose of moisture regularly.
The cause of dry lips is when they don’t have moisture.
Addiction to the lip balms:
Before you try and reach for that small little devil on your side table, take note. While you won’t get addicted and obsessed with the original ingredients in a Chapstick or lip balm, it is likely to get addicted or accustomed to soft, greasy, and smooth lips.
You would naturally end up reaching for the lip balm or Chapstick more even if you do not want to. It ultimately becomes an addiction and a cycle that you cannot escape.
That is why specific beauty pros, enthusiasts, and doctors believe that some lip balms make things more damaging, leading to a vicious and unending cycle dependent on faux or unnatural moisture.
Cracked lips look unpleasant and unattractive; imagine having permanently damaged lips for the rest of your life. Cracked or chapped lips cause hindrance in the application of lipsticks. Hence, pay heed to what I am saying and save yourself from the trouble. We all want a perfect pout, don’t we?
How do lips get the moisture?
Lips are quite sensitive and do not have any hair follicles or oil-secreting pores on them. Lips get their moisture from the surrounding areas. For example, the outer part of your mouth generates oil. We usually get sweaty around our upper lip. The humidity transfers onto the lips.
Once you apply a lip balm layer, it blocks the natural moisture from seeping into the lips. That, unfortunately, results in extremely dry, damaged, and chapped lips.
Avoid harmful ingredients:
Lip balms that contain ingredients like phenol, menthol, and salicylic acid make your lips drier. The more you apply it, the more it damages your lips. They either cause inflammation or remove outer layers of the skin altogether. They are more like an exfoliate.
Naturally, if you have less protection on your lips, you become more receptive to the environmental factors, so you end up applying more products or lip balms to be precise. It is a vicious cycle that never ends. Hence, it is better to avoid products that contain the aforementioned ingredients.
Tips on hydrating and repairing dry and damaged lips:
Drink Plenty of Water
Staying hydrated is the key. Make sure you drink at least eight glasses of water in a day. It is incredibly significant to remember that the moisture (or lack thereof) on your lips is just a continuation of your general beauty cycle. Just like your lips, you need to keep the rest of your skin hydrated and supple. You’ll be surprised to see the outcome. Drinking water will enhance your overall skin health.
Substitute Vaseline for lip balm
Invest in a lovely petroleum jelly instead of a lip balm or gloss. Lip balms and glosses contain harmful chemicals. However, Vaseline is not detrimental to the lips and comes in multiple variations.
Try and eat plenty of fish
The omega-three acids keep your skin naturally hydrated. They also repair the skin’s natural oils and moisture. You can always opt for fish oil tablets if you are not a massive fan of fish in general.
Use brown sugar to exfoliate your lips
Why do we need sugar when there are thousands of products available in the market? Sugar’s a humectant, so it will naturally attract moisture. You can also incorporate honey in your homemade sugar scrub. It is an effective and tested homemade remedy with anti-inflammatory qualities and a store-bought feel.
Invest in a humidifier
Humidifiers are useful during the night. Some of us tend to sleep with our mouths open. A humidifier will purify the air and won’t extract all the moisture from our skin.
Take care of your lips at night
As I have stated multiple times above, Vaseline is perfect for your lips. Try and apply it before going to bed. You can add a small amount of lemon in it if you have dark lips. The lemon juice will enhance the appearance of your lips, and Vaseline will keep them moisturized.
Apply a Vaseline outside of your lips too
The area outside of your lips deserves some love also. The border of the lips becomes chapped and dry, so don’t ignore that particular area. It may not look immaculate, but dabbing a small amount just outside your lips’ natural line will work wonders. It will give you beautiful results in just a week or two.
Petroleum jelly as a topical ointment
Glosses are usually full of oils, whereas Vaseline is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons. You use it as a topical ointment because of its healing properties. Because it’s quick thick, it doesn’t let harmful rays pass through it. However, glosses are thin in consistency as compared to petroleum jelly. Hence, they allow harmful rays to pass. Harmful rays induce skin cancer.
Conclusion
All in all, you need to cease applying multiple lip balms. Throw some of them in the bin if you have numerous in your purse. They cause serious harm to your lips. Certain lip balms also make your lips dark. Hence, use a Vaseline or the aforementioned natural ingredients to keep your lips moisturized and supple.
The lip balms that are available in the market are generally cheap. They do not have the right ingredients in them. Even if you invest in a lip balm, try and find the one with the right ingredients. Burt’s bees have excellent products. They use natural ingredients to formulate their lip balms. I’d strongly recommend investing in them.
Remember, it’s always wise to use natural ingredients. For example, honey is very good for your skin and health. You can apply some on your lips for an hour or two. It’ll restore the moisture and leave your lips soft and healthy.
I like to use honey or coconut oil during the winter season. They work well for me. I apply some before going to bed. I also use sweet almond oil as a moisturizer. It naturally moisturizes my skin and leaves it looking healthy and luminous. Moreover, I use a homemade sugar scrub to remove any extra dead skin that builds upon my lips. It makes my lips smooth without extracting moisture from them.
Lastly, refrain from picking at your lips. Picking at them can trigger a cold sore or lead to bleeding. All of that looks unpleasant and stops you from wearing your favorite shade of lipstick.
Iqra
As the head artist of Farishta Beauty I was inspired by many young individuals who were just like me passionate about makeup.
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