Guest Post | DIY Lip Scrub by Sabrina

We hear a lot about exfoliation. It’s important. Don’t do it too often. It’s great for your skin. It will dry you out.

It can all be very confusing. The truth is, regular and gentle exfoliation is amazing for more than just your skin. It’s also great for your lips.

Just like your skin builds up dead cells, your lips need rejuvenation too. Lip exfoliation helps slough away dead cells that may be preventing your lips from retaining moisture. If you suffer from dry lips, this may be why.

When I first stumbled on the idea of lip scrubbing, I was nervous. I did in fact, suffer from dry lips and was worried about parching them further. A simple homemade scrub threw this fear right out the window. Immediately following the scrub my lips felt smoother, softer and looked plumper.

If you want a healthier looking pout, give this simple DIY a try. All you need is:

– your toothbrush
– 1 tablespoon brown sugar
– 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Step 1 – Brush your lips with your toothbrush. This is going to feel weird, but it’s a great first step in exfoliating your lips. Just dip your brush in a little water first.

Step 2 – In a small bowl, mix together your brown sugar and coconut oil. Stir it so that the oil liquefies and the sugar dissolves. This shouldn’t take very long.

Step 3 – Using a clean finger, massage the scrub over your lips gently. Do this for 1 minute. Again, be gentle. You don’t want to aggravate your lips, especially if they’re dry to begin with. Also, resist the urge to lick your lips. The smell of brown sugar and coconut is going to be intoxicating, but it doesn’t taste as good as it smells. Trust me…I’ve tried. Ooops!

Step 3 – Rinse off your scrub and apply a light layer of moisturizing gloss.

The consistency of brown sugar makes it great for exfoliation, while the coconut oil adds a little moisture to your lips.

If you are digging the plumper look of your lips, try giving it one added boost with this super simple lip plumping gloss as well. You will need;

– 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and ginger
– 2 tablespoons coconut oil
– 2 drops of peppermint essential oil

Just mix all your ingredients together until they form a nice gloss. Spot test on your arm before applying to your lips. Sometimes people have adverse reactions to peppermint and cayenne pepper.

If you don’t feel a burning sensation, apply a little to your lips and enjoy the tingle. You’ll have a pout to rival Angelina Jolie’s with the painful injections.

Next time you think about exfoliating, be sure to pay a little lip service to your mouth as well. Pucker up, baby!

Author Bio: Sabrina is a beauty blogging, DIY-loving, world traveller. When she’s not on the go she shares all her skin care and beauty tips and tricks over at TopBeautyBrands.com. Stay connected with her on Facebook and Twitter.