Are you ready to experience your most hydrated lips ever????? If so, you are in the right place.  For so long I've had to fight the struggles of dry winter lips.  But this year, things will be different.  That's because I've devised a 5 step plan that will eradicate all signs of dryness.  

In the past, my lip care routine only consisted of 1 or 2 steps.  That may have worked when I was basking in 100% humidity but it won't cut it now.  Five steps may seem like a lot but it barely takes any time.  Even if you skip a step or two, you'll still have more hydrated lips than if you only applied balm.  

Our lips don't have as much of a moisture barrier as the rest of our faces so it's nearly impossible for them to stay hydrated from lip balm alone.  Low humidity and wind only work to make it worse this is why we have to build a lip routine that can withstand the harshness of winter.  

STEP 1:  The Lip Scrubber

The first step on the road to soft, healthy lips is exfoliation.  If your lips are visible dry and flaky, you don't want to skip this step.  I was first introduced to silicone lip scrubbers by reality star Nikki Saint Claire.  This tiny scrubber was specially made for gentle exfoliation.  With lip scrubbers, your lips are instantly softer and ready for the next step of your ritual.  

 

Step 2: Facial Essence

Once you have been prepped, the next step will be to add hydrating essence to your lips.  Basically, we're going to follow a routine that's similar to what we would do with our skin.  Facial essence has the consistency of water without over-drying as it evaporates.  Plus it has some pretty nifty anti-aging properties that dry lips can really benefit from.  

Step 3: Moisturizer

Next, we move to the moisturizer step.  I first learned about applying moisturizer to the lips as a tip from a celebrity makeup artist.  Adding this extra step changed the game for me.  There is nothing like the feeling of happing truly hydrated lips.  The problem I have is that if my lips feel dry, I start to lick them. And we all know what happens when we lick our lips.  The saliva evaporates quickly making them feel even dryer than before.  I find that by using a moisturizer, that feeling of dryness is gone and so is the underlying urge to lick. 

Step 4: Facial Oil

Now we move on to a critical junction in this 5 step lip routine.  This is a step that I haven't included before.  Instead of jumping straight to lip balm, I urge you to nourish your lips with a couple drops of your favorite oil.   Unlike balm, oil is meant to be absorbed into the lip infusing it with yummy micronutrients and fatty acids.  It's also the first step that seals in all the work you've done so far.  Please do not use a high shine gloss for this step, you need to use an actual plant oil.  Preferably one that your skin already loves.  Lightweight oils like squalane work well but if you live in a particularly dry, cold area, go for a more nourishing option like vitamin E.

Step 5: Lip Balm 

Finally, we move on to the step that we all know and love.  Our winter lip routine is not complete until we break out the lip balm. I recommend thicker balms like Aquaphor, Vaseline, or Glossier's Balm.com.  These products are designed for optimal lip protection. Their job is to offer maximum protection for all the steps the preceded them.  A lot of people make the mistake of applying balm to dry lips thinking that all of their dry lip problems will be solved.  Unfortunately, they find themselves reapplying balm non-stop hoping to experience some semblance of moisture.   If your lips aren't already moisturized  (not with saliva) lip balm can only do so much. 

Try this 5 step routine for yourself and experience what truly hydrated lips can feel like.