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The harsh winter weather can dry out the delicate skin of your lips to the extent of cracking, peeling, and bleeding. Dry and cracked lips are often medically described as cheilitis, and lip scrubs are a blessing for those who suffer from it.
The gentle exfoliation provided by lip scrubs removes the dead skin from your chapped lips so that your moisturizer can get properly absorbed into the skin. The scrubbing action also stimulates blood circulation in the lips to give them a healthy flush of color and volume.
The listed lip scrubs in this article are made with natural ingredients that gently exfoliate the lips and make them smooth and soft. Always apply a nourishing and hydrating lip balm after using these scrubs for best results.
DIY Lip Scrubs for Chapped Lips
Here are some lip scrubs that you can easily do in the comfort of your home:
1. Brown sugar and moringa oil scrub
The fine granules of brown sugar work as gentle exfoliants that help remove the dead skin accumulated on your chapped lips without further aggravating the sensitive skin.
Sugar is also a natural humectant, which means it traps airborne moisture and seals it into your skin. Plus, it is rich in antioxidants that help protect the thin skin of your lips from free radicals that cause cellular damage.
Moringa oil, on the other hand, is loaded with healthy omega fats that deeply hydrate the lips. It also contains plenty of antioxidants, including vitamin E, which helps promote cell rejuvenation for faster skin healing, reduces inflammation, and nourishes the underlying tissue.
How to use:
- Mix 1 tablespoon each of brown sugar and moringa oil to make a paste.
- Gently rub this paste all over your lips for a few minutes.
- Rinse your lips with lukewarm water or wipe them with a tissue
2. Rose petals and orange-peel powder scrub
Rose petals can help repair your dry, dull, damaged lips in more ways than one. They are replete with antioxidants with strong anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe your irritated lips by reducing skin peeling, swelling, and dryness. Rose petals also provide a natural rosy tint to pigmented lips.
Meanwhile, orange peels are a storehouse of vitamin C, which stimulates collagen production for new cell growth that is necessary for proper skin healing. Plus, vitamin C is credited with natural skin-lightening and antioxidant properties.
How to use:
- Dry out fresh orange peels under the sun for a few days.
- Grind the dried peels into a fine powder.
- Put 1 tablespoon each of dried rose petals and orange-peel powder in a clean bowl.
- Pour in a few drops of almond oil and mix all the ingredients thoroughly to make a paste.
- Apply the paste generously to your lips.
- Gently scrub your lips using your fingertips for a few minutes.
- Rinse the paste off with lukewarm water.
3. Honey scrub
Rich in glucose, proteins, amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, and other minerals, honey has natural hydrating and healing properties that can do wonders for your chapped lips. This natural humectant not only imparts moisture to your lips but also locks it in for prolonged hydration. (1)
Moreover, honey sticks to the dead skin flakes and removes them from your lips when scrubbed. It may also help naturally lighten your lips while making them soft and supple.
Honey can be combined with various other natural ingredients or used alone as a lip scrub.
How to use:
- Mix ½ tablespoon each of honey, coconut oil, and sugar in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of rice flour to the mixture and stir to make a paste.
- Apply the paste generously to your lips.
- Scrub your lips gently in circular motions for 3–5 minutes.
- Rinse the paste off with lukewarm water.
4. Coffee scrub
Coffee grounds are granular but soft, which allows them to exfoliate your sensitive lips without causing any further damage or irritation. Plus, caffeine is rich in antioxidants that help reduce and repair free radical damage while also curbing underlying skin inflammation.
This remedy combines the skin-healing properties of coffee with yet another nourishing ingredient, vitamin E.
Coffee exfoliates and moisturizes the lips, while vitamin E helps lighten and protect them from free radicals. Together they rejuvenate your rough, pigmented, cracking lips to make them smooth and supple.
How to use:
- Mix 1 tablespoon of vitamin E oil in 1½ tablespoon of grounded coffee powder to make a scrub.
- Smear it all over your lips.
- Gently scrub your lips for a few minutes.
- Rinse the scrub off with lukewarm water.
5. Strawberry scrub
Strawberries are more than just a tasty fruit. They are full of vitamin C, which triggers collagen synthesis for speedy skin repair. (2) They also impart a healthy pinkish hue to your pigmented worn-out lips.
How to use:
- Mix 2 tablespoons of mashed strawberries with ½ tablespoon of milk cream in a bowl.
- Generously apply the paste to your lips.
- Lightly rub the paste on your lips in circular motions for a couple of minutes.
- Then, let it sit for 8–10 minutes before rinsing it off with lukewarm water.
6. Grounded coconut and coconut milk scrub
Grounded coconut has a mild abrasive quality that gently scrubs off the dead skin accumulated on your chapped lips.
Coconut milk, on the other hand, is easily absorbed into the lips to provide some much-needed skin nourishment and hydration.
How to use:
- Put 4 tablespoons of grounded coconut in a bowl and mix in 2 tablespoons of coconut milk to form a thick paste.
- Apply the mixture to your lips.
- Gently massage the paste on your lips in circular motions using your fingertips for a few minutes.
- Once done, rinse off the residue with regular water.
7. Chocolate almond lip scrub
Cocoa powder helps scrape off the dry, flaky skin from your lips due to its fine granular texture. It is loaded with antioxidants that help relieve inflammation and reduce the cellular damage caused by free radicals. Plus, its rich omega-3 fatty acids, which hydrate and nourish your dry, chapped lips to keep them soft and supple.
Almond oil also works as a lubricant and intensely hydrates your parched lips for a smooth texture and healthy appearance.
How to use:
- Mix 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder with 2 tablespoons of almond oil in a bowl. Stir them well until a smooth paste is formed.
- Moisten your lips with warm water, and then gently scrub this mixture over them in circular motions.
- Rinse off the residue from your lips with lukewarm water.
8. Shea butter and walnut
Shea butter owes its emollient function to the fatty acids that account for 60% of its total composition. These include stearic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, and oleic acid, all of which are readily absorbed deep into the skin to provide intensive hydration. Plus, these fats form a protective layer over the skin to keep the moisture from escaping and to ward off external irritants. (3)
Shea butter serves as the lubricating base, while walnut granules work as exfoliants in this scrub. Plus, walnuts are also richly endowed with omega-3 fatty acids that can further moisturize your dry, rough, cracked lips.
How to use:
- In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of shea butter with 1 tablespoon of walnut granules.
- Gently scrub your lips with the mixture for 2–3 minutes.
- Rinse off the residue paste from your lips using lukewarm water.
9. Sea salt scrub
The granulated particles of sea salt exfoliate dead skin cells from the lips. Sea salt is loaded with sodium, calcium, potassium, and other skin-nourishing minerals that can stimulate cell renewal to make your chapped lips heal faster and better.
Plus, sea salt helps lock moisture into your dry lips, giving them softness and volume.
How to use:
- Mix 1 tablespoon of sea salt and ½ tablespoon each of olive oil and rosewater in a bowl.
- Gently scrub the mixture on your lips in circular motions for a few minutes.
- Rinse off the residue with lukewarm water.
10. Sesame oil
Rich in linoleic acid, sesame oil aids in softening dry and rough lips by boosting moisture. Its ability to penetrate deeply into the skin cells helps fasten the healing process.
Plus, sesame oil is full of antioxidants that help reduce irritation and flaking by curbing the underlying inflammation. These antioxidants also neutralize the activity of free radicals to protect your lips from further skin damage.
How to use:
- Melt 1 tablespoon of beeswax over low heat and mix in ½ cup of sesame oil.
- Add ¼ teaspoon sugar and a few drops of lemon extract.
- Do not boil or overheat the mixture.
- Let it cool down to a warm temperature.
- Gently scrub the warm mixture on the lips using your fingertips for 5 minutes.
- Rinse off the residue from your lips using lukewarm water.
Self-Care Measures to Manage Chapped Lips
Here are some dos and don’ts for faster healing of chapped lips:
Note: Consult a doctor first to make sure there is no underlying cheilitis or cold sores. Avoid scrubbing if these conditions are present.
- Always scrub your lips gently. Over-exfoliation and harsh rubbing can make the lips sore, dry, and even bleed in some cases.
- Many people compulsively lick their chapped lips to lubricate them, but this only makes them even drier, so avoid the habit.
- Lip balms and pure coconut oil are your best friends. Apply generously throughout the day as needed, especially after washing your face, after eating, and before going to bed.
- Always moisturize your lips after using any of the listed DIY lip scrubs for optimal results. The removal of the dead skin after the scrubbing will allow the moisturizer to easily seep into your lips.
- Exfoliate your lips no more than twice a week, as overdoing it can further irritate them.
Final Word
Scrubbing your lips is an essential part of lip skincare. While lip balms provide moisture, lip scrubs help shed dead skin cells off the lips, promote cell rejuvenation, boost the healing process, and make lips supple and soft.
DIY scrubs are better than store-bought ones that often contain abrasive granules and harsh chemicals such as added fragrances, which can damage the delicate skin of your lips over prolonged use.
Plus, these homemade scrubs are also more budget-friendly as they are made with ingredients that are both inexpensive and easily available.
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