How to take care of your lips during summer

Care of your lips during summer. Summer skin care is mandatory, as more and more research shows us that UV rays are a danger to our health. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, UV rays correlate with 90% of skin cancers. In the last years, we seem to have learned that sun protection is extremely important not only when we go to the beach, but also when we go out during the summer.

Unfortunately, if we are careful enough to use SPF products for our skin, we tend to overlook our lips often. Since they do not have their own glands for moisture and protection, we have to make sure they do not dry, flake, break, bleed, and so on. Moreover, we need to take good care of them to prevent sun blisters. Let us see a few tips and tricks on how to care for our lips this summer!

Intervention and Care Tips 

Our lips can suffer tremendous damage during the summer due to UV rays, dust, insects, allergies, and more. Let us see some of the best and most effective remedies for the most common summer lip troubles!

Itchy Burning Lips

If you feel the discomfort of itchy or burning lips, chances are they are dry, chapped, and swollen. Many causes contribute to this condition, sun and allergies being the most common ones. In terms of remedies, you should do one or more of the following:

•         Avoid licking your lips;
•         Use olive oil to moisturize your lips;
•         Use Aloe Vera gel to alleviate the itching and burning sensation;
•       Use an organic marigold cream to alleviate the swelling, pain, and itching sensation of your lips; marigold cream heals bruises and moisturizes skin.

Lip Blisters

In summer, our skin is prone to blisters, inflamed pores, rashes, and other skin conditions. You know lip blisters under many names – cold sores, fever blisters, or water blisters – but one thing is for sure: they produce plenty of discomforts, hurt, and need immediate attention. There are a few methods on how to treat sun blisters on your lips and face, but now we will focus on a few quick remedies:

•         Do not drain or pop the blisters;
•          Use intense hydration creams to keep the sun blister in check; marigold cream and Aloe Vera gel represent a good start;
•           Use an antibiotic cream to prevent the spreading of the infection to the nearby tissues;
•         You can take anti-inflammatory medicine to keep the pain and swelling at bay;
•         Apply a dab of raw organic honey on the damaged area, as honey has anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties;
•         Apply a few drops of celandine tincture on the damaged area to alleviate symptoms and treat the wound.

Chapped Flaky Lips

Chapped lips represent a direct consequence of dehydration and/or sunburn. Make sure you drink plenty of water to regain your hydration levels. Here are some other quick remedies you can use:

•         Do not lick your lips and use a medicated lip balm for dehydrated, chapped lips;
•         Apply olive oil a few times a day and before you go to bed;
•         Drink cool fruit juices for hydration and a boost of vitamins;
•         Apply ice on your lips and massage them with an ice cube – if your lips flake to the point of bleeding, ice will regulate their temperature and offer swelling and pain relief;
•         Use a cold compress with chamomile tea, marigold tea, or milk to soothe the itchiness and relieve the swelling/burning sensation.

Prevention and Care Tips

In order to protect your lips from sun damage, you have to keep them hydrated, moist, and smooth all day long. Two of the easiest ways to approach your lip health during summer is to use SPF lip balm every day and drink plenty of water.

When it comes to lip balm, keep in mind that the American Dermatological Association recommends we use sun protection for our skin and lips every two hours. Apply lip balm when you are indoors as well or even when it is cloudy outside. Your lip balm should have SPF 15 or more. In addition, when you are looking to buy some new products for this summer, make sure they come with a base of beeswax, petroleum jelly, or paraffin.

However, there are some other natural prevention methods to keep your pout luscious and healthy:

•         Massage your lips with a few drops of warm (not hot!) olive oil. The oil lightens the color of your lips and helps them stay hydrated and moist. You can repeat the process 15 minutes before you go out of the house, as the olive oil will protect your lips from sunburn and sun blisters.
•         Do not forget to use green tea on your lips as well when you pamper yourself with your green tea skin toner, moisturizer, and anti-aging treatment.
•         Apply some fresh Aloe Vera gel over your lips before you go to bed. Aloe Vera has healing properties and it will keep your lips hydrated and safe.
•         Exfoliate your lips with a natural exfoliator: mix a teaspoon of sugar with one of raw honey and some fresh lemon juice drops and massage your lips for a few minutes. The mixture will remove dead skin cells from your lips, hydrate them, lighten their color, and prevent them from burns.
•         Use almond oil and a dab of honey for lip massage. Almond oil contains vitamin E, an essential ingredient for skin care and beauty. The mix of almond oil and honey will make your lips soft and supple. Honey has healing properties as well, so you will have lush and healthy lips in no time.
•         Use pomegranate and beets to boost your lips’ vitamin intake and give them a natural rosy tint. Massage your lips with pomegranate or beets juice/paste for a luscious lip color and a healthy improvement in softness and health.

Preventing sun lips’ injuries and treating your lips with care and attention every summer day ensures you will have luscious, healthy lips all season long. Just remember, sunscreen is your best friend, together with water and a summer diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables! Now you have all the information on care for your lips during summer, make sure you use these ideas!