Most of us have a makeup routine, a skincare routine, and a haircare routine that we follow (fairly) diligently. What’s less common? A dedicated lip care routine. But we’re here to help you change that!
It’s worth investing time in your lips. For starters, the skin on your lips is delicate and can benefit from specialised care. But most importantly, lipstick and lip gloss just look better on smooth, soft, cared-for lips.
That’s why we’ve put together this step-by-step lip care routine guide, so that you can incorporate some lip TLC into your skincare ritual. Ahead, you’ll learn about why lip skin care is important, as well as discover how to take care of your lips for a hydrated, healthy-looking pout. Keep reading for the scoop!
Lip Care Routine: Key Takeaways
- A proper lip care routine helps keep lips smooth, hydrated and ready for lipstick or gloss.
- Lips are more delicate than facial skin, so they need dedicated lip skin care products.
- Gently exfoliating lips helps remove dry, chapped or flaky skin.
- Hydrating lip balms help soften and nourish the pout.
- Lip oils help lock in moisture while adding shine and comfort.
Why is Lip Skin Care Important?
Wondering how to get soft lips? Well, it all starts with top-notch lip care. The skin on your lips is much thinner than the skin on the rest of your face and doesn’t contain the oil glands that naturally help keep skin hydrated. That means your pout can dry out much faster, especially when it’s cold, windy, or you’ve been living your best coffee-and-matcha life all day.
Unlike the rest of your face, lips also struggle to retain moisture, which is why dryness, flaking and chapping can show up so quickly. Having a dedicated lip care routine helps lock in hydration and keep your lips feeling smooth, soft and ready for whatever lip look you’re serving.
How to Take Care of Your Lips: Step-by-Step Guide
There are a few things you should keep in your lip skin care kit: a lip scrub, a balm, and a lip oil. We’ll break down the importance of each below and explain how to use them in your lip care routine.
-
-
Step 1: Clean your pout
Before diving into your lip care routine, start with a clean slate. Remove any leftover lipstick, gloss or balm so your lips are ready to soak up all the goodness that follows. A damp washcloth works perfectly for everyday cleansing, or use micellar water if you’re wearing longer-lasting lip products.
Step 2: Scrub your lips
If your lips are feeling a little rough or flaky, a gentle exfoliation can help smooth things out. Because lip skin is delicate, keep things soft and simple: lightly buff your lips with our specially-formulated This Is Everything Lip Scrub.
How to use lip scrub? It’s easy-peasy. Simply apply a pea-sized amount of our exfoliating scrub onto your lips and massage using circular motions to smooth out any cracked or chapped lip skin. You don’t need to exfoliate every day. Once a week is usually plenty for dry lips, while twice a month can be enough if your pout is already smooth.
Step 3: Moisturise your lips
Now for the good stuff: hydration. Lip balm is the real MVP of any lip care routine because it helps lock in moisture and keep lips feeling smooth and comfy.
Looking for the best lip balm for pigmented lips? For soft, pillowy lips with added colour, you can’t go wrong with our Smushy Lip Balm. Thanks to its lightweight, hydrating formula that comes in 12 different shades, from subtle nudes to deep mauves, it leaves your lips looking and feeling super smooth. It’s infused with moisture-loving ingredients like mochi rice powder and ceramides, helping to keep lips hydrated while leaving them feeling cushiony-soft all day.
Step 4: Use nourishing lip oil
Okay, so your lips are now exfoliated, moisturised and looking pouty. Now it’s about locking in that extra hydration so your lips are moisturised from within and also protected from the elements outside.
One of our top lip care products from NYX? We love using our Fat Oil Lip Drip as the final step in our lip care routine. Adding lip oil boosts the lip skin care benefits in the previous steps. How? By being packed with FAT goodness to keep your lips dripping in hydrating ingredients like cloudberry oil, raspberry oil, and squalane for up to 12 hours of hydration… and that extra dose of glossy shine, ofc!
-
Lip Care Tips for a Healthy-Looking Pout
A proper lip care routine can help ensure your lips look (and feel) their best, but it’s not the only way to keep your pout in tip-top shape. Follow our expert lip care tips:
-
-
Tip #1: Stay hydrated
Just like the rest of your skin, your lips need plenty of hydration to stay soft and smooth. Using hydrating lip care products can be a great way to add hydration to dry lips, but it’s also important to ensure you’re drinking plenty of water each day. How much water you need may vary depending on the season and how active you are, so use your thirst as a gauge: if you feel thirsty, drink up!Tip #2: Don’t lick your lips
Licking your lips might relieve dryness temporarily, but the habit can actually leave your lips drier than they were to start. That’s because saliva contains digestive enzymes that break down food, which can also strip away the natural moisture on your lips as it evaporates.Tip #3: Avoid biting or picking your lips
If you bite your lips as a habit, try to stop. It may seem harmless, but biting your lips (or picking at them) can damage the delicate skin and leave it vulnerable to irritation. If you find it hard to break the habit, try wearing a bold hydrating lip gloss colour each day – you might be less tempted to pick at your pout.
-
