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Just as our skin requires a daily care regime, it is also essential to have a dedicated lip care routine since the skin on our lips is not the same as the skin on other parts of our face and body. While it can be said that the structure is the same, the skin is much thinner and more sensitive hence, our lips tend to get dry and dehydrated during the hot summer months and need to be constantly hydrated and replenished to ensure they don’t chap.

Our lips are exposed to all sorts of weather, pollutants and changes during the summer that tend to have a drying and damaging effect, which is also why a lip care routine is of utmost importance to keep your lips from being damaged. Lips can also get dry due to the absence of oil glands, lack of moisture, excessive licking of lips, medication and overall dehydration in one’s body.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dhruv Bhasin and Dhruv Madhok, Founders of Arata, shared, “It's easy to forget about taking care of your lips until they get super dry and chapped and considering your lips do not have oil glands, they dry out a lot faster than your skin — needing a little extra TLC. When combatting chapped lips, hydration is the name of the game. Infuse your lips with natural oils and moisturizing kinds of butter that softens your lips, protects them against dryness and damage and restores a natural, supple texture.”

According to Namrata Soni, Founder of Simply Nam, “The best way to care for your lips every summer is to scrub them at least twice or thrice a week in the shower. What I personally like to do is that after I have had a warm/lukewarm water shower I take some lip scrub, massage it onto my lips with my fingers or you can also use a soft bristle tooth brush and massage the product in and wash off the excess. While doing so do make sure all the dead skin and dry skin on your lips comes off. After this apply a lip mask or the lip oils. This step is an absolute must in your routine because it instantly adds hydration to your lips and allows them to get plumped and feel healthy and beautiful.”

She added, “Then before you sleep at night after a long day of work, if you are someone who wears lipstick everyday make it a habit to remove your lipstick with a cleansing towel as it is an exfoliant by itself and once you remove your lipstick, do ensure there is nothing on your lips. Post that, use a thick layer of the lip mask and have a good night’s sleep. It is extremely important to make sure your lips are well hydrated and then if you are someone who loves to wear liquid lipsticks, you can apply a touch of the lip oil on top of your lipstick to keep the lips extra hydrated. Most importantly throughout the day, don’t forgot to drink sufficient amount of water so that your body does not get dehydrated because if your body is dehydrated your lips too will get instantly dehydrated.”

Beauty experts insist that simply wearing a lip balm is not a long-term solution for your problem of dryness. Dr Taruna Yadav, Senior Ayurveda Doctor at Forest Essentials, asserted that your lips require a proper lip care routine so they can be at their most healthy, plump and soft state perpetually. She listed a few lip care tips that you can refer to, for achieving the perfect, hydrated and beautiful lips:

1. Exfoliate - Lip scrubbing can help in sloughing away the dead skin cells, giving way to renewed skin, improving blood circulation, and reducing lip discoloration. Not only does this improve the texture of your lips, making them soft, plump, and healthy, it also makes the application of your lipsticks easier and smoother. Sugar makes more a great natural exfoliator, and mixed with lemon juice – it creates a gentle granular paste which helps scrub of dead skin cells and reveals smoother, plumper and healthier lips.

2. Hydrate - It’s no secret that hydration can do wonders for your health not only externally, but also internally. Dehydration causes a lack of moisture which results in dry and uncomfortable skin, the first signs of which show on your lips when they become chapped and cracked. Drinking at least 1-2 litres of water, daily, keeps the blood circulation going and your skin glowing.

3. Moisturize - While lip balms are considered to be a necessity only during dry winter weather, it is imperative to incorporate nourishing and skin-replenishing lip care products like natural lip balms in your lip care routine for all seasons. The go-to product to heal dry and chapped lips, lip balm is a layer of protection that defends your skin against harmful environmental stressors and hydrates them with its moisture-boosting properties. Kokum butter, organic beeswax, vitamin E and honey are moisture-boosting herbs and oils that help to replenish and soften dry, chapped lips by sealing in the moisture. Lip serums are perfect to add in a pop of colour to your lip care routine – the lip serums are infused with moisture boosting serums and blended with emollient healing butters like pure cow’s ghee, shea butter and moringa oil to keep your lips moist, glossy and delectably scented through the day.

4. Protect - It is vital that we highlight one of the more underrated yet essential lip care tips – using SPF-infused lip care products. Sun exposure can cause damage by snatching away the moisture of your lips and can result in discoloration and pigmentation.

Dr Taruna Yadav revealed that DIY lip scrubs are another great way to exfoliate and hydrate one’s lips using ingredients easily available at home. She suggested some DIY recipes that can help to easily remove the layer of stubborn dead skin cells which are accumulated on the skin to reveal softer, plumper lips:

1. Coconut and honey lip scrub - Coconut oil is renowned for its antioxidant-rich and nourishing properties whereas honey is known for its moisturizing benefits. This scrub helps exfoliate and moisturize your lips.

2. Rose and milk paste - Rose is known for its cooling, healing, and moisturizing properties. Milk, on the other hand, deeply cleanses the pores for a smooth and clear texture. This nourishing paste naturally lightens, brightens, and reduces the discoloration of your lips.

3. Cinnamon lip scrub - An ingredient that is known to temporarily make the lips appear larger, cinnamon acts like a natural exfoliator that smoothens and softens the lips. This lip scrub is your go-to for a plump and moisture-rich pout.

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