How to keep your lips soft (and kissable) with cruelty-free products
It’s winter in Canada, which means it’s cold. Cold cold. Like, -40 degrees cold. And, where I live, our winters are extremely dry. After weeks of this brutal weather, my lips are always cracked and flakey…just in time for Valentine’s Day, the most kissingest day of the year. Perfect timing!
So, how am I planning on fixing this? Step 1 is the most important and also the most cliche and the least fun: Drink more water. You need to hydrate from the inside out. Not only will this help your lips and the rest of your skin, but think of your poor neglected organs who are just running on coffee and a prayer at this point.
Okay, you got your water bottle handy? Great! The next step is:
Exfoliate
Just like the rest of your body, you can exfoliate your lips to remove dead skin and flakes. I prefer a pretty intense, gritty exfoliation, so I love the LUSH lip scrubs. They update and switch the flavours every so often, but my current fav is the Cookie Dough (pictured above). It’s mostly just a sugar scrub, so you can just lick it away after.
If you want something a bit less abrasive, you can try the Bite Beauty Agave+ lip scrub. I find it has bigger particles suspended in a gel-like texture, so a lot less “sandy” feeling than the LUSH option. Keep in mind, this one is not meant to be licked off!
Although I haven’t yet tried it, this exfoliation stick by Red Apple Beauty also has great reviews.
You can also just make a scrub at home! Combine a bit of coconut oil with some granulated sugar, and you’re good to go!
Treat
After dead skin is removed, it’s time to give that pout some real love.
Something I’ve tried for the first time ever was a lip “sheet” mask. I have to say, this hydrating lip mask by Red Apple beauty felt incredible and super indulgent. I know it looks a bit silly, but it felt great (I put mine in the fridge so it was cold going on) and did leave my lips feeling soft and smooth. The only downside is that it’s one-time use, so it (and it’s packaging) are thrown out right away.
If you want to steer clear of a one-time use product, you can try out the AGAVE+ NIGHTTIME LIP THERAPY or the AGAVE+ INTENSIVE LIP MASK by Bite. I love that the mask is multi-use and can help with dry cuticles or elbows too!
Moisturize
Even with all that work to repair dry lips, you might need the occasional touch-up to keep them kissable! I have about 57 lip balms within reach at all times. But the two brands I find myself reaching for most are Rocky Mountain Soap’s Lip Butter, (local Alberta brand!) and my absolute fav, Hurraw lip balm. Hurraw has amazing flavours (chai spice! root beer! almond cardamom rose!) and the texture is super creamy and lovely.
Some other cruelty-free brands with lip balm options include Pura Anada (Canadian), Meow Meow Tweet (which comes in a biodegradeable paper tube) , Crazy Rumors (fun flavours like Banana Split), Green Beaver (Canadian, and one of my favourite overall brands), and All Good.
Do you have any other tips for treating dry lips? Or, any ideas to help dry knuckles and hands which I am also suffering from right now? Pop over to Instagram and let me know! I always love hearing from you.
Hugs and Kisses,
Kassia
Note: The red andblack ombre lip in the photos was created using KVD Nosferatu (since renamed) and NYX (appears to be discontinued, but similar, similar, similar).