Winter Lip Blues

Is the winters cold affecting your lips texture? Dried, dehydrated and possibly cracked lips are usually a tell tale sign.

Weather exposure can cause your lips to dry out (cold weather) or become dehydrated (hot weather). If your the outdoors type in the winter, Sun exposure can affect lips as well. Just as the rest of your skin can be damaged by the sun, so can your lips. Leaving your lips unprotected in a strong wind can cause damage too. A major cause of most dry or cracked lips is simple dehydration. If the body does not have enough water the extremities, including the lips, will show that lack first.

So what can you do if you find yourself licking your lips just to keep them momentarily moist? Here are some simple home and store bought solutions.

Try gently exfoliating dry lips with a sugar scrub or toothbrush. Followed by a drop of Almond oil or Olive oil to lock in moisture and heal lips. Also, try using a lip balm that doesn't contain perfume or dyes. These elements can sometimes have an adverse reaction and continue to dry out lips.

LUSH has a Bubble Gum lip scrub that can gently exfoliate your lips. Follow that up with their None of Your Beeswax lip balm or try EOS lip balm to seal in moisture.

If your going to be out exposed to the sun, add a lip balm with sun protection SPF 15 or more if you can find it. Reapply often.

The most important thing to do is drink plenty of water. As this helps hydrate your entire body, especially your lips since they often show the first visible signs of dehydration. Reapply your lip balm regularly and exfoliate once a week depending on need.

Hope this is useful to some of you dealing with the harsh winter cold.

As always, Be Blessed, Be Healthy, Be Beautiful!

Homemade body oil spray

Moisten skin after shower

With the winter fast approaching my skin has been starting to dry out at bit. Plus, I am super guilty of taking the occasionally long hot shower. I know its horrible for my skin but sometimes my muscles are just screaming for it.

In any case, I like to lather on Coco or Shea butter or both sometimes. In addition to my normal routine, I wanted to use something while still in the shower or just after the water gets turned off. So I made my own oil body spray. It works great and is made with natural ingredients. Only problem is that it has a short shelf life. I remedied that by placing the product in a smaller spray bottle. The kind you use for the air travel. Only make small batches at a time.

1 part Glycerin
4 parts Grape seed oil
and 2-3 drops of any essential oil of your choice.
4 oz travel size spray bottle

Pour directly into bottle while making. You can eye ball really since it is only 4 oz or if you like to be precise, you can use a measuring cup to be exact.

Shake and spray directly on your body after showering or taking a bath. Or apply to hands and rub in to avoid the slippery tub. Pat skin dry. Moisturize as normal. It's just an added layer of moisture for your skin. It is really great to do especially after exfoliating using a scrub or luffa.

NOTE: Spray tub with a tub cleaner after spraying in shower otherwise, it can be slippery for the next person who has to use the shower/tub.