Are you ready for a happier pout? Lip scrubs are a quick and easy solution when your lips feel rough and dry. In this post, we’ll explain how to use a lip scrub correctly for smoother lips that don’t feel tight or irritated. We’ll also cover a few common questions, like what makes lip scrubs so good, how often you should use them, and more. Are you ready to get scrubbing?
In this article:
- What Is a Lip Scrub?
- Lip Scrub Benefits
- How to Use a Lip Scrub Step-by-Step
- How Often Can I Use a Lip Scrub?
- Can You Lick off Lip Scrub?
What Is a Lip Scrub?
A lip scrub is a cosmetic product designed to exfoliate the lips, just like a face scrub! Lip scrubs usually have a balm-like texture but with grainy pieces (usually sugar) that physically slough off dead skin.
Aside from the exfoliating sugar, lip scrubs also include blends of oils, waxes, and flavoring. The oils help to moisturize the lips, while the sugar exfoliates. They can be a lot of fun to use, in large part because of their flavors and fragrances, as well as the sugar that gives them a sweet taste.
Lip scrubs leave the smoother and more moisturized, but overusing them can end up over-exfoliating and irritating the lips.
Lip Scrub Benefits
No one likes having flaky, dry lips! Here are some of the ways in which lip scrubs can help your pout.
- They remove dead skin, giving you smoother lips.
- Oils and other conditioning agents moisturize the lips.
- They help lipstick and other lip products glide on more smoothly.
- Depending on the formula, they can smell or taste great, which makes them a lot of fun to use.
How to Use a Lip Scrub Step-by-Step
The great thing about using a lip scrub is that it’s pretty simple! You can follow this process at night, before bed, or you can do it in the morning before your makeup.
- Exfoliate your lips when your face is clean or recently moisturized, but before you have any makeup or sunscreen on.
- Take a small amount of lip scrub (about half the size of a pea), and using your finger, rub it over your lips.
- If you really want to be extra, massage the scrub over your lips gently, with circular motions.
- After a few seconds of scrubbing, rinse the scrub off with water or use a damp cotton pad or face cloth to wipe it off.
- Finish things off with a layer of lip balm or a lip mask. If it’s daytime, apply a lip balm with SPF.
How Often Can I Use a Lip Scrub?
It’s easy to overdo exfoliation, and that also applies to your lips. You should probably avoid exfoliating every day unless your lip scrub is very finely-milled and not overly gritty. With stronger lip scrubs, two to three times a week is ideal. If you feel like you have to exfoliate more often than that, your lips might be too dry and in need of gentle care.
In some cases, a significant amount of dead skin build-up on the lips can also be a sign of a more serious skin disorder, so avoid exfoliating altogether and speak to a doctor.
Can You Lick off Lip Scrub?
Licking off a little bit of your lip scrub isn’t going to cause you any issues, but we don’t recommend making it a habit. Lip scrubs may smell delicious, and the sugar grains definitely hold some sweet appeal, but these are still cosmetic products, and they’re not meant to be ingested.
Some scrubs are made with food-grade materials, but not most. For the most part, they’re cosmetics made with texture-enhancers and preservatives that aren’t meant to be eaten. A tiny amount won’t hurt you, but it’s not food! Plus, the idea of licking off a mixture of oils, sugar, and dead skin is a little icky.
Additionally, a big part of the reason why the lips can get so dry is because of repeated licking, which dehydrates them. Licking off your lip scrub is only going to reinforce that bad habit that you’re much better off breaking.
Photos via @sarahapp, Instagram
