Most people want soft, beautiful, moisturized kissable lips. The look of chapped, dry lips isn’t really what anyone wants. That’s why it’s so necessary to exfoliate and moisturize your lips on a daily basis, just don’t start exfoliating your lips too much.
You need to be mindful when you use the exfoliating products because they can be abrasive on your skin. If your skin is not ready to come off then don’t force it. This article looks lip exfoliation, how to do it and how to avoid doing too much of it.
Is exfoliating your lips good or bad?
Exfoliating your skin on your lips can be a very good thing if done correctly, this will remove the top layer of dead skin, revealing amazing supple fresh skin below. Note that when you over exfoliate this can be a negative thing. It can cause damage to your skin that can take a couple of days or weeks to heal.
Exfoliation is even more important if you are in winter and the cold and the dryness of the air gives you dry chapped lips. If you don’t moisturize and exfoliate the skin can crack and peel on its own, which does not look or feel good.
What happens when your exfoliate your skin too much
Your skin gets red: This isn’t the redness you get from having hydrated lips, this is redness showing that your skin is hydrated and needs to be calmed down.
Dry skin: You might find that the over exfoliating will cause your lips to get dry. You are damaging your skin so much that it can’t produce that natural oil your skin produces to hydrate the lips naturally. You will find that your skin might start cracking as well
Sensitivity: When too much skin is taken off of your lips you will find that it becomes much more sensitive to the touch and you might even wince when you touch it.
Swelling: Swelling happens when the skin is irritated, this means that your skin is hot nappy with the pressure you are applying or the product in general
Bleeding: This is a sure-fire way to know that you have punctured the skin or taken too much skin off. Stop the exfoliation immediately and tend to your lips.
Should you exfoliate your lips everyday?
No, you shouldn’t exfoliate your lips every day. Over exaltation can have a variety of negative effects on your skin. You should only exfoliate the skin on your lips around three times a week. Anything more than this can harm your skin. This rule applies to the skin on your face, body and on your scalp which are all areas that need to be exfoliated.
Exfoliation safety:
When you are exfoliating your lips never exfoliate on dry lips. If you try to exfoliate on dry lips your exfoliator will irritate the skin and cause redness and irritation.
Not all lip exfoliators are made the same, if your exfoliator has salicylic acid then it can irritate the lips if you use the product too often
As soon as you feel irritation you should stop using the product. This is a sign that the product is too harsh for your skin. Rather find a more gentle option.
You should only exfoliate your skin on your lips at night, this will allow the skin to heal before you get it into the sun.
Always use a moisturizing lip balm after you exfoliate your lips to prevent them from getting dry.
If you leave your lips dry to a point where they are peeling do not pick at the skin. This can cause bleeding and will pull more than just skin. Rather apply a thick layer of Vaseline before you sleep and in the morning your dead skin will remove itself from your fresh lips underneath.
I hope you enjoyed this article looking deeper into if you are exfoliating your lips too much, what the effects are and how to deal with it. If you enjoyed this article please share it.