The 5-Step Lip Care Routine Your Lips Need This Autumn

Well, I’ll have to concede it: the weather has definitely changed, and I can feel autumn on the horizon.

As much as I’d quite happily have summer continue for another couple of months, every season brings its own challenges when it comes to looking after our skin. Summer gives us heat, sunshine and dehydration to contend with, while colder days bring wind, dry air and, eventually, the return of central heating.

And our lips can be among the first to notice the change.

Cold weather, dry air, wind, sun exposure and dehydration can all contribute to dry or sore lips. That explains why the first proper spell of cooler weather can seemingly take them from soft and comfortable to tight, flaky and sore in no time at all.

Then there’s the almost irresistible temptation to lick them when they start feeling dry. Unfortunately, that doesn’t help either. Repeatedly licking dry lips can actually make the problem worse.

Suddenly, the lip balm that’s been languishing at the bottom of your handbag all summer becomes essential again.

The good news is that looking after your lips doesn’t require a complicated ten-step beauty regime or a bathroom cabinet overflowing with products. A handful of good habits can make a considerable difference — and now is a good time to start, before autumn really gets its claws in.

Here is our simple five-step routine for keeping lips soft, comfortable and protected as the temperature drops.

1. Smooth — But Don’t Scrub — Your Lips

Let’s begin by clearing up one of those beauty habits that can easily get taken too far.

If your lips are healthy but have a little loose, flaky skin, be gentle. You don’t need to vigorously scrub them into submission.

And if they’re already cracked, bleeding or sore, put the lip scrub away altogether.

Manual lip scrubs and exfoliators can irritate already compromised lips and interfere with their protective barrier. Picking, biting and pulling at flakes isn’t a good alternative either, as it can further irritate the skin and slow healing.

Instead, concentrate on softening and moisturising the lips and allow damaged skin to recover naturally.

If you’re preparing otherwise healthy lips for lipstick and there are a few genuinely loose flakes, a very soft damp cloth used with an extremely light touch is all the intervention you should need.

The aim is smooth lips, not scrubbed lips.

2. Put the Moisture Back In

Next comes moisture.

This is where it’s worth looking beyond the pretty packaging and paying some attention to what’s actually in your lip products.

Ingredients commonly recommended for dry lips include ceramides, dimethicone, mineral oil, castor seed oil, petrolatum and shea butter. Fragrance-free and hypoallergenic formulations can also be preferable when lips are already irritated.

What feels luxurious isn’t necessarily what your lips need, either. If a lip product burns, stings or tingles when you put it on, don’t automatically assume that’s evidence that it’s “working”. It can be a sign of irritation.

Likewise, a heavily fragranced or flavoured balm might be lovely when your lips are perfectly healthy but less welcome when they’re already sore.

Sometimes simple really is best.

3. Seal In Moisture With a Proper Lip Balm

This is when the trusty lip balm really earns its place back in your handbag.

A balm or ointment containing an occlusive ingredient such as petroleum jelly can help create a barrier and reduce moisture loss. The NHS specifically recommends lip balms containing petroleum jelly or beeswax for dry or sore lips.

Apply your balm whenever your lips start to feel dry rather than waiting until they’re painfully cracked.

And keep one somewhere you’ll actually use it.

I’m all for a beautiful beauty cabinet, but that’s not particularly helpful when you’re sitting at your desk and your lip balm is upstairs. Keep one in your handbag, coat pocket or desk drawer and another beside the bed if necessary.

There is also one habit worth trying particularly hard to break: licking your lips.

It provides momentary relief, which is precisely why we do it, but as the saliva evaporates, lips can end up feeling drier again. If you notice yourself doing it, reach for your balm instead.

4. Protect Your Lips Before You Go Outside

We might be packing away the summer wardrobe, but we shouldn’t be packing away the SPF.

UV exposure doesn’t disappear in autumn or winter, and our lips need sun protection too. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a broad-spectrum lip balm with SPF 30 or higher when outdoors, with regular reapplication.

That makes an SPF lip balm one of those products worth keeping in rotation throughout the year rather than relegating it to the holiday washbag.

As autumn progresses, wind and cold become another consideration.

Applying balm before heading outside can provide a useful protective barrier, while physically covering your lips with a scarf in particularly cold weather can also help.

In other words, don’t wait until you get home with sore lips to start looking after them. Protection before exposure is considerably easier.

5. Add Colour Without Undoing All Your Hard Work

Now for the fun bit.

Looking after your lips certainly doesn’t mean spending autumn wearing nothing but clear lip balm. In fact, this is arguably when lip colour becomes interesting again.

Berry, plum, soft brown, deep rose and classic red shades all start to come into their own as the season changes.

If your lips are prone to dryness, however, pay attention to how your lipstick feels as well as how it looks.

Some long-wear and very matte formulas may feel less comfortable on dry lips, so you might prefer creamy lipsticks, tinted balms, nourishing lip oils or glosses when your lips need a little more TLC.

If you adore your matte lipstick, there’s no need to banish it until spring. Make sure your lips are comfortable and well moisturised first, allow your balm time to settle, then apply your colour.

And remember the same rule we used for skincare: if a product makes already-dry lips sting, burn or feel uncomfortable, stop using it.

Soft, comfortable lips and a fabulous autumn lip are entirely compatible.

Give Your Lips a Little Extra Care Before Bed

I’m not turning a perfectly manageable five-step routine into six steps, so consider this the bonus round.

Before bed, apply a generous layer of a simple, non-irritating balm or ointment.

Dermatologists recommend applying lip balm throughout the day and before bed, with thicker ointments such as petroleum jelly particularly useful for very dry or cracked lips because they can seal in moisture for longer.

You certainly don’t have to buy something specifically labelled as an “overnight lip mask”. If you enjoy using one, lovely. But a straightforward balm or ointment that agrees with your skin can perform the job perfectly well.

Apply it before you go to sleep and let it sit undisturbed overnight.

Start Before Your Lips Feel Dry

Perhaps the biggest lesson is not to wait until your lips are cracked and uncomfortable before paying them any attention.

The seasonal switch is already underway. The days are getting shorter, there’s a definite chill creeping into the mornings and — whether I’m ready to admit it or not — summer is beginning to give way to autumn.

Our beauty routines naturally need to change with it.

Protecting your lips, keeping them moisturised, resisting the urge to lick or pick them and remembering year-round SPF are all simple habits, but collectively they can make a real difference as colder weather arrives.

And then all that’s left is choosing the perfect autumn lip colour.

I have to admit, I am rather looking forward to that bit.

Crave Magazine – inspiring modern lifestyles across the UK and beyond.