Fashion

6 Natural Ways to Exfoliate Your Lips

by Jessica Willingham

Maybe you finally found the perfect tube of lipstick, or miraculously got your hands on a Kylie Jenner Lip Kit. But no matter how great the product is, it won't look top notch on dry, flaking lips. Here are few natural ways to exfoliate your lips, so they're baby smooth and ready for anything.

Plenty of companies have lip scrubs and exfoliants for your pout. Matte and liquid lipstick formulas are the most likely culprits of dry lips, but other factors like diet, hydration, winter weather, and indoor heating can exacerbate the problem. Dry, flaking, peeling or even bleeding lips are not uncommon this time of year, and when it happens, all lipstick goes out the window.

To regain your glam, you need to exfoliate. The skin on your lips is super thin, which is why they're so sensitive and easily damaged. The build-up of dead skin cells prevents the medication in your balm from penetrating the skin. This explains why you can keep slathering on balm without any real healing. Bummer.

Exfoliating will help heal, smooth, and repair your lips so your lip products can go on easily and stay on all night. Here are a few natural ways to exfoliate your lips.

1. Brown Sugar & Coconut Oil Lip Scrub

This mixture tastes delicious and does the trick. Organic sugar granules are bigger, so they sluff off dead skin.

Florida Crystals Organic Pure Cane Sugar, $13, Amazon

2. Vanilla Lip Scrub

Use oils, like coconut oil or olive oil, to make a creamy or thick lip scrub.

Pompeian Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, $12, Amazon

3. Jojoba Oil Lip Scrub

Jojoba oil is a great base for a slew of beauty products. You can mix sugar and oil to exfoliate and soften skin all over your body, not just your lips.

Desert Essence Organic Jojoba Oil, $13, Amazon

4. Grab A Toothbrush

Take a clean toothbrush and brush it in circular motions on your lips for 15 seconds. If your lips are hurting, rub some jojoba oil or olive oil onto your lips first.

5. Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub

Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub, $7.95, lushusa.com

This natural scrub uses sugar and sea salt and tons of other fresh ingredients to nurture damaged lips.

6. Sugar Honey Lip Scrub

Honey has tons of healing and antibacterial properties, so it's the perfect ingredient for a lip scrub.

L.R. Rice Pure, Raw & Unfiltered Clover Honey, $5, Amazon