So I am as dry as a raisin, maybe dryer. I live in Utah which is a massive desert. I used to live on the coast so my skin was used to getting some humidity and some moisture and then I moved here as a teenager with my parents. My skin has taken the biggest toll, that’s for sure. I have to exfoliate at least once every other day or my skin gets so dry it flakes. But my lips have had the hardest time of all because breathing in this bitter cold, bone dry, winter air? Well it takes a toll on them. Throw on the fact that I wear liquid lipstick 5 out of 7 days a week and you’ve got some pretty dry lips.
I have tried a hundred (okay a hundred is excessive but a lot) of lip scrubs and exfoliants. I always find that they are to waxy or the exfoliant is to rough. I hate when they leave a residue, and I hate when my lips feel sore after. So it was time to get into the kitchen. I noticed most lip exfoliants either used salt, sugar, crushed seeds or crushed peppermint for the exfoliant. I began to mix using ingredients I liked to smell, as well as ingredients I knew were nourishing and hydrating. I now have two dynamite lip exfoliant recipes! I purchased some little 50 gram plastic containers to put my scrubs in. I usually keep two on hand and I will detail those recipes below. However here are a few container options I like. If you want to give these as gifts Amazon has tons of great options for containers too. 5 Basic Containers for $4.40, 12 Rounded Containers for $9.99, 1 Fancy Frosted Bamboo Container for $9.48. DON’T FORGET that these scrubs need to be followed up with a lip balm! So now onto the scrub recipes!
COCONUT MOJITO LIP SCRUB
Ingredients:
Coconut Oil
White Granulated Sugar
Mint Extract or Mint Oil
Instructions:
This recipe has zero measuring and I am sorry about it.
First you want to put your sugar into a mixing bowl. I feel like 1/8 of a cup is a good place to start if you are just making enough for yourself. Add a spoonful of softened Coconut Oil and mix them together with metal spoon. You will want to continue to add more softened coconut oil until all of the sugar and coconut oil are incorporated together into a consistent paste.
Then comes the mint. You can use a mint extract (
like this one), or a Eucalyptus Essential Oil (
like this one), but do not use a warming oil or a an oil made for aromatherapy. While many essential oils are used for aromatherapy, many are filled with unsafe fillers that could even dry out your lips. The Eucalyptus Oil I recommended is the one I use, and it is 100% pure and all natural. Now you want to add 21 drop at a time. This stuff is STRONG. I add 1 drop and then stir it in. I smell the mixture and try a little out and decide if I want more based off of that. Once you are done with your mixture put it into containers and seal them up!
WARM VANILLA SUGAR LIP SCRUB
Ingredients:
Brown Sugar
Olive Oil
Vanilla Extract
Menthol Oil
Instructions:
This recipe also has zero measuring and I am sorry about it.
First you will start with your brown sugar. Put it into a bowl and then use your fingers to break up any chunks or clumps. Then slowly add olive oil a little at a time and mix until it is a consistent paste.
Next you will add a half a teaspoon of vanilla (look there is a little measuring!) You will want to stir that in until incorporated. Now smell your mixture and add a little more if you want the vanilla stronger. The vanilla is purely for scent, so that is all that matters here. You don’t want to add to much or your mixture will smell fake and overwhelming, which is why I recommend only a little at a time. Next comes the
Menthol Oil. This can be replaced with a
Eucalyptus Oil and a
Peppermint Oil, but not a mint extract. Only 1 drop at time (like with the previous recipe) and then smell and test to see if you want one drop more. Then seal it up in your containers.
DIY LIP SCRUB GUIDE
if you want to make your own lip scrub, here are some of the things I used that you might like to try combining and using to make your own scents at home.
for the Scrub the things that worked best were white sugar and brown sugar, but finely crushed candy canes did a decent job too. They were a little rougher, but if you really got htem into a fine powder they were fine.
for the Oil Base I had good results with olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and Vitamin E oil.
for the Cooling Treatment the only things I got good results with were the Eucalyptus Oil, Peppermint Oil and Menthol Oil. I did get okay results using Mint Extract (although it was more for smell than treatment), and I did get good results using the Menthol lip gloss from Bath and Body works too, although that deviates from the all natural aspect of the lip scrub and can get pricey.
for Scents any extract works great including vanilla, orange, lemon, almond, rose, basil and maple.
Some Things You will want to Steer Clear of are waxy substances, shortening, butter, citrus fruits, bananas, freshly mashed avocado, lavender oil and tea tree oils.
