Naturally Beautiful Lips

Your lips are one of the first things that people notice when meeting you. They are also one of the most delicate parts of your body. Unlike the skin on the rest of the body which has up to 16 layers, the skin on the lips is much thinner; only three to five layers deep. Here are some tips to keep your lips healthy, smooth and kissable:

Maintain Good Oral Hygiene. When you smile, you show off your gums and teeth as well, so nothing can improve or detract from your smile more than the condition of your pearly whites. Don’t forget to add a little gloss to those lips for a natural youthful glow to your pouty pout (all the while, this vitamin rich gloss will also protect those lips)!

Stay Hydrated! Hydration is the absolute most important factor in keeping your lips plump and healthy. To maintain those plump puckers, make sure you are drinking the recommended 8-10 cups of water each day. If your lips are dry or chapped, avoid licking or biting at them, as this will further reduce moisture and increase irritation. Use a natural and soothing lip balm or conditioner. hydrOtion lip conditioner is equipped with pomegranate and almond oils to provide essential fatty acids and anti-oxidants like vitamin E. Precious rosehip oil also provides massive amounts of vitamin C (which together with vitamin E) provide necessary protection against UV damage.

Stay Protected From the Elements. The common causes of dry, chapped lips are sunny, cold, windy, and/or dry weather conditions. Asides from being thinner, the skin of the lips also contains fewer melanocytes, which produce the pigment melanin and provide the skin with its color. Due to this transparency, the color of blood vessels shows through the lips and gives them the beautiful red glow. Unfortunately melanin also protects the skin against UV damage and lack of it makes lips more vulnerable to these elements. This is why it’s essential to protect your lips from these conditions and keep them luscious and healthy through daily use of moisturizing, alcohol-free lip balms. Try hydrOtion lip conditioner or lip salve to protect your lips or repair existing damage. If you have dry or chapped lips, the organic east African shea butter in our lip salve will heal, soothe and protect against further damage.

Shed the Gunk. Because the skin of the lips is so thin, the idea of exfoliating it has been controversial. We recommend that as part of your nightly beauty routine, you (very gently) wash your lips to remove any products, dirt or dead skin. Apply facial moisturizer or a moisturizing lip balm, such as hydrOtion lip conditioner or lip salve , before bed to help heal lips and maintain moisture while you sleep.

Applying these lip healthy tips to your daily routine will protect your pout and help keep your luscious, smooth lips smiling all day long.


--The hydrOtion team

Food Tips for Healthy Skin

We live in a society where everyone seems to be on a diet, but make sure you continue to eat foods that are essential for skin, hair and whole body health. For healthy skin and hair, eat foods that are high in antioxidants, essential fatty acids and don’t forget to hydrate! Here are some tips.

Anti-Oxidants:
Anti-oxidants prevent collagen breakdown and premature aging by fighting free-radicals that can damage your skin. What foods are high in anti-oxidants?

1. Fruits. Some delicious examples are Berries (blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, and cranberry), pomegranate, grape, orange, pineapple, avocado, date and plum.
2. Nuts. For example pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts and my personal favorite: almonds!
3. Vegetables. Artichokes, beans, spinach, broccoli, arugula, Radicchio, peppers and asparagus are high in anti-oxidant power.
4. Other. Cinnamon, oregano, clove, green or black tea, rice bran and last but not least, red wine.

Essential Fatty Acids:
These essential fatty acids are required (hence the word “essential” in the name) for proper health and must be ingested since the body does not have the capability to synthesize them. There are two types of essential fatty acids: omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) and omega-6 (linoleic acid ) fatty acids which can be obtained from a variety of foods and help skin retain moisture while strengthening skin cell membranes.

Essential fatty acids can be found in Flaxseed oil (very high), flaxseed meal, hempseed oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil, borage oil, evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil, chestnut oil, sunflower seeds (raw), cold-processsed, unrefined canola oil, soybean oil, wheat germ oil, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts, sesame seeds, avocados, some dark leafy green vegetables such as kale, spinach, purslane, mustard greens, collards, oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, and albacore tuna.

Hydrate:
Water, water and more water! It plumps your skin cells giving it a healthy and youthful look. It also flushes the toxins out of your body and is the major component of your body. The average person loses about 2 liters of water (or eight cups [8 ounce]) each day through urination, sweating, etc. You need to replace this amount daily. Soda, coffee, beer, wine and even tea do not take the place of water; in fact these are diuretics that dehydrate you. For more information about water intake, you can visit the Mayo Clinic website.