Lips Care

Spending time outdoors does wonders for the body and mind but our sun has a shady side.

Ultraviolet radiation (UV radiation) is part of sunlight.

When UV rays reach the surface of the skin, our skin's melanocytes (the cells that produce our skins pigment) react and produce melanin to protect itself. This is otherwise known as a suntan.

Overexposure to UV radiation from the sun or artificial sources is a major contributor to Australia's high incidence of skin cancer. It can also lead to a painful sunburn, premature aging of the skin, wrinkles, spots and dry and leathery textured skin.

So it is important to protect our body from harmful cancer causing sun rays!

One area of our body that we may tend to neglect is our lips. The lips are not naturally shielded from the sun; harmful rays can easily burn our lips.

Lips have no protective oily secretions of their own and will need the added lubrication of waxy balms, during summer and winter. Licking the lips is not a solution since that practice will further dry the lips as the saliva evaporates into the air. Moisturizing the lips should become a regular part of your routine. Apply a lib balm or Vaseline to the lips several times a day.

We at Lips.com.au swear to provide you with all up-to-date information and recommend useful products which can effectively protect you from harmful UV rays.

Top 10 Tips for Younger Looking Lips

As we get older, our lips begin to change right before our very eyes. Luckily, there are a few little tricks we can use to make them look soft and as pouty as you might like them to be. Here are my top ten ways of making lips look younger.

1) Exfoliate the Lips...
A child's toothbrush does a great job of exfoliating lips followed by the nightly use a lip balm.

2) Chewing your lips...
This is a very common habit. Unfortunately,chewing the skin on your lips leaves an uneven surface and is especially noticeable when you apply your lipstick. To help prevent this habit, keep the lips well coated with lipstick or lipbalm.

3) Lipstick that Feathers...
To stop this from occurring, use a pencil not only to line your lips, but to completely color the surface. A touch of colorless gloss on top and you are done. Also be sure that you keep a powder compact handy for touch ups, especially around the mouth area. Any oil on your face is an invitation to start the feathering process.

4) Thinning Lips...
Here is a neat trick that I learned years ago. Right below your nose, the lips form a small "M" shape. Emphasize this by following the shape with a lip lining pencil. Paint over the "M" with your lip color and the penciled "M" completely disappears but the lips will instantly look poutier. No need for collagin injections.

5) Colorless Lips...
For some reason as we age, our lips seem to lose the color that they once had. That is why it is so important to carry a little compact of lip colors. Just a touch and suddenly you look refreshed. Colorless lips makes you look washed out and tired.

6) Show Him...
If you have decided to have your lips augmented, be sure to bring in a photo of what you would like your lips to look like. This will aid the doctor before the procedure takes place. No room for surprises after it's too late.

7) Protect the Lips From the Sun...
During the summer lips can burn, and while people are quick to apply sunscreens, most forget about their lips. There are lip balms on the market however, that have SPF factors. Chances are that you wouldn't apply lipstick to go out into the garden, but you can keep your lips soft, smooth and protected by applying a protective lipbalm every day. And did you know that cancer of the lips is one of the hardest to treat!

8) Drink Up...
Hydrate your lips from the inside out by increasing your intake of water each day. Having a bottle of water close by will help to see that it happens with little effort on your part.

9) It Could Be Your Toothpaste...
It has been known for some time, that toothpaste can dry out your lips. As soon as I finish brushing my teeth, I use a wet facecloth to remove any toothpaste that could be lingering and then apply a thin coat of lipbalm.

10) Foods that Irritate...
Certain foods can irritate the lips and it is different for each person. Personally, I find that kiwis can give me hives on the surface of the lips within 5 minutes of eating. Luckily the hives disappear just as quickly as they appeared, but at dinner parties, I'm sure to avoid this fruit.

Natural Lips Tips

Here are some natural tips for your lips:

Apply Vaseline or ghee every night before going to bed time.this keeps lips moisturised
Drink at least eight to ten glasses of water a day so your body is well hydrated.
Always use moisturizer lotion on lips during winter months to ensure soft lips.
To get natural pink lips apply beetroot juice before bed.
Massage your lips with lemon juice, to avoid the black colour of lips.
Apply mint juice or coriander leaf juice everyday to get rosy and smooth lips.
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Grind rose petals and apply on lips to get smooth pink lips.
Exfoliate your lips once a week. Wet a soft toothbrush and gently brush your lips with a circular motion.
Black lips have been caused by drinking too much tea, coffee or by smoking, so you try avoid this.
Apply a mixture of lemon and glycerine to your lips every night, before turning in. Leave it on overnight and wash it off in the morning. This should help lighten your lips.
Grate raw coconut and squeeze milk out of it.apply this milk on your lips.
Eat plenty of raw cucumber and carrot.it smoothen your lips and glowing your skin.