5 tips for beautifully groomed lips

1. A gentle and careful exfoliation helps to get rid of annoying dead skin cells. Natural products, such as olive oil and sugar, or a soft toothbrush are also available for this purpose. Once the dead skin cells have been removed, apply a slightly moisturizing and nourishing lip balm or honey. If you choose honey, apply about a teaspoon of honey to your lips and leave it on for a few minutes. If you like it less sticky, you can use a lip balm. Also practical for on the go.
   
   
2. In everyday life, natural “aids” are not always to hand. It is therefore advisable to use take-away products with a moisturizing and lipid content and to apply them regularly to the lips. Care should be taken to use natural ingredients.
   
   These include, for example, high-quality natural oils such as safflower oil, jojoba oil or shea butter from controlled organic cultivation. In the past, Stiftung Warentest has repeatedly reported unhealthy product ingredients. Mineral oils, parabens and silicones should be deliberately avoided. Paraffins in particular have the property of covering the lips like a film and not being absorbed.
   The skin underneath is therefore rather sealed and not supplied with nourishing ingredients.

   It is therefore also important to ensure that the skin under the products used is sufficiently supplied with oxygen. Otherwise, this airtight layer creates an ideal basis for viruses and germs to multiply.
   Consequently, covering cosmetics or a lipstick should only be used if the products used support this.

3. Sometimes it is simply the daily routines that stand in the way of well-groomed lips. Drinking too little water, an unhealthy diet, smoking or simply repeatedly nibbling or licking the lips can already be the cause of dry and chapped lips.
   
   Because anything that dries out the sensitive lips or puts additional strain on them makes it difficult for the skin’s natural protective barrier to maintain itself. Ideally, the skin should be supported in its functions and not additionally stressed. This also includes taking in enough fluids spread throughout the day. Simple methods that don’t require much effort in everyday life also include exercise in the fresh air (don’t forget UV protection!), creating enough balance to stress and a healthy diet to strengthen the immune system.

   Because the natural protection provided by a strengthened immune system is the best protection against dry lips.

4. Whether in summer or winter, the sun’s UV rays must be taken into account at any time of year. Therefore, a sun protection factor in lip care should always be considered, because without sun protection, lips dry out quickly. Fine lip lines then become visible more quickly. Therefore, supplementation with collagen-promoting ingredients is recommended.
   
   
5. If the sensitive skin is cracked and brittle, bacteria and germs have an “easier time”. The reason is the disrupted protective barrier; pathogens can penetrate the skin more easily and cause an infection. Particular caution is required here. Many people are prone to herpes infections. And anyone who has had an infection once can be affected again and again. Risk factors such as sun, disgust, stressful situations or illnesses such as a cold can weaken the body’s defenses and thus reduce protection against possible viral entry. Usually at times when you really don’t need it.
   
   

A lip care product with protective and regenerating properties is recommended here. Ingredients such as the microalgae active ingredient Spiralin, for example, form a kind of protective film with a wide range of protective, nourishing and regenerating properties on herpes-sensitive lips. This prevents viruses from penetrating healthy cells and forming new viruses. A germ-inhibiting property also protects against bacterial infections (1,2). Spirularin HS lip care is based on plant-based ingredients, is colorless, tasteless and inconspicuous like a lip balm.

Any questions?

Feel free to email our experts at info@ocean-pharma.de or browse through our ocean pharma expert tips on lip care and skin care.

(2) Prof. Dr. med. Kristin Reich: Cosmetic Medicine, Volume 32, 2011, Issue 2.11