It’s 2024, and it’s about time to upgrade your lip-care regimen. Like the rest of your skin, your lips require maintenance, nutrition, and protection to feel and look their finest, and delighting in a homemade lip scrub session is a fantastic place to start. Lip scrubs are an easy DIY, as homemade exfoliants can be easily crafted to suit your needs and tastes– actually.
A quick and mild lip scrub sloughs dead skin from the surface of the lip to expose its soft, glowy capacity. “Removing dead skin cells assists to increase cell turnover in the lips, which is excellent for keeping our lips young and healthy,” says board-certified skin doctor Georgina Ferzli, MD. “Increased flow from the rubbing and scrubbing likewise brings more blood and therefore more anti-oxidants and oxygen to the area, providing our lips with increased nutrition.
Your favorite lip products will wear much better, too. “By eliminating the accumulation of dead skin, lip scrubs can likewise enhance the absorption of lip balms and moisturizers, making them more efficient,” states skin specialist Kemi Fabusiwa, MSSB. And thanks to that abovementioned boost in blood circulation, she adds that exfoliation will “provide your lips a healthy, rosy appearance.”
“It is essential to moisturize after exfoliating, even if the exfoliant is moisturizing in and of itself,” says Dr. Ferzli, who advises lip masks like BYROE Mojito Lip Mask ($ 55) or Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask ($ 25). Still, when used with care, a lip scrub can take lips from sapped and chapped to plump and product-ready.
Here are 5 homemade lip-scrub recipes with ingredients that will fuel a smooth and beautiful pout.
5 Easy Homemade Lip Scrubs to Make
1. Honey Brown Sugar Scrub
Esthetician Shannon Lee suggests combining brown sugar and honey for a nourishing lip exfoliant. “Brown sugar uses mild exfoliation that assists to get rid of dead skin cells, is a natural humectant (indicating it attracts and maintains wetness), and is a natural glycolic acid (AHA), which helps with skin cell turnover,” states Lee. Include honey’s antibacterial, antioxidant, and similar humectant properties and you have the ultimate duo.
Ingredients:
Honey
Brown sugar
Gently scrub your lips with this mixture in soft circular motions. Follow up with lip balm to keep hydration in the lips.
2. Brown Sugar and Petroleum Scrub
” My preferred at-home lip scrub is easy: sugar and petrolatum– Aquaphor, Vaseline, or anything ointment-based,” says Dr. Ferzli. “I suggest using brown sugar rather of white sugar since it is softer and a bit larger, offering better exfoliation without being too abrasive. The sugar will exfoliate the lips, while the lotion will restore the skin barrier and hydrate.”
Ingredients:
Petroleum
Olive oil
Brown sugar
Add a drop of oil. Next, spray in brown sugar at a 3:1 ratio of petroleum to sugar. Exfoliate gently for 30 seconds, rinse with warm water, and follow with your preferred balm.
3. Pineapple Coconut Scrub
For a scrub infused with tropical notes, grab pineapple, “a natural fruit enzyme that exfoliates the skin, helps lighten up the lips, and has antioxidant residential or commercial properties since of its vitamin C material,” Lee says. Include that to coconut sugar (a gentle exfoliant rich in iron, zinc, and calcium) and hydrating coconut oil, and expect your at-home medical spa minute to seem like a miniature vacation.
Components:
Pineapple
Coconut sugar
Coconut oil
Mix one tablespoon of finely combined pineapple with one tablespoon of coconut sugar. Add a 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil. Gently massage it into your lips in a circular motion. Leave it on for five to 10 minutes before washing with warm water. Follow with your favored lip balm or mask.
4. Coffee Scrub
Your coffee premises are great for more than simply an early morning shock.
Active ingredients:
Coffee premises
Brown sugar
Honey
Coconut oil
Mix one teaspoon of coffee grounds with two parts both sugar and honey to produce a paste, adjusting amounts as needed. Add a tablespoon of coconut oil and mix well. Use on lips in a gentle circular motion before rinsing. Follow with your favorite lip balm or mask.
5. Cucumber Brown Sugar Scrub
The next time you slice a cucumber to depuff your eyes, conserve some for your lips. “Cucumber aids with hydration and [is] abundant in vitamins A and C, both of which aid promote general skin health,” says Lee.
Ingredients:
Cucumber
Coconut sugar
Grate half a cucumber and blend it with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Use the mixture to your lips, and carefully scrub in a circular motion.