The Perfect Pout

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Why is lip care important?
Lips are an underserved area of the face because many clients are unaware of how vulnerable they are. They can easily get cracked or flaky due to a lack of care. Not to mention, they age faster and lose their shape due to the loss of collagen and hyaluronic acid which keeps them looking youthful, moist and plump!

Women’s lips stop growing at the age of 14. Once they reach their maximum thickness, they begin the thinning process. To prevent lips from aging sooner, it’s important that clients go beyond cleansing and moisturizing their lips in their everyday skincare routine.

Making sure their lips are properly hydrated prevents irritation and infections, especially for those who are prone to cold sores. Another huge selling point – flawless lipstick application! Who can argue with that!? Try recommending extra lip products and treatments to your clients to help them maintain a more youthful appearance.

Key Ingredients for Soft Lips
Contrary to popular belief, most chapsticks and lip balms don’t nourish the lips at all. Instead, they provide a coating to help seal in moisture. Products that contain humectant ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin extract moisture from the skin, making chapped lips much worse. This is because the moisture evaporates as it reaches the outer layer of the skin.

This doesn’t mean we should stop using chapsticks that contain humectant ingredients altogether. Instead, we need to use occlusive ingredients like beeswax, shea butter and hemp seed oil to prevent the moisture from escaping the skin. You should also recommend that your clients buy lip balms with SPF 30 or higher and ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium oxide to protect their delicate lips from the sun’s rays.

When your client’s come in for a good facial, make sure to exfoliate their lips with a gentle lip scrub that buffs away dead skin cells and deeply hydrates. You can add taste to the mix by using a scrub with edible ingredients like brown sugar or honey. Then, apply a moisturizing lip balm with beneficial ingredients like almond base oils and jojoba oils. This will relieve any itching or burning caused by dry lips, and leave their lips smoother than before.

Fun Valentine’s Day Add-Ons
Lip masks that contain nourishing oils like avocado and rosehip are also great for soothing lips. They can be a fun Holiday add-on to help you market your services for Valentine’s Day, and a great photo opportunity for Instagram.

Other Lip Treatments
You can also market other lip services like lip blushing and needleless hyaluron filler to your clients this Valentine’s Day. Lip blushing is a type of semipermanent cosmetic tattooing procedure achieved by depositing pigments in your lips using small needles. Lip blushing focuses on altering both color and shape to create younger-looking lips.

The Hyaluronic filler pen uses pressure to deliver hyaluronic acid into the skin. The ingredients rejuvenate and lift the skin, providing hydration and stimulating collagen production leaving lips plump and wrinkles filled in.

Tips to Share with Clients
When your clients come to you about dry, chapped lips, send them away with these tips.

● Hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate! Dehydration is the main culprit to dry lips.
● Use a humidifier, especially in those cold winter months.
● Exfoliate regularly!
● Use lip balms and scrubs with the right ingredients.
● Avoid licking your lips as saliva breaks down the skin.
● Include healthy fats in your diet, like avocado, coconut oil, and walnuts.
● Consider taking a multivitamin! You may be deficient in iron or zinc if your lips are dry.

Whether it be finding solutions for aging lips or dry, cracked lips, it’s time we start treating lip care like skincare. After all, our lips are essential to eat, kiss and smile. Oh, and for our duck-face selfies!

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