How long should you leave lip scrub on?

Should you scrub flaky lips?

Skip manual exfoliation if your lips are dry, cracked or irritated. The skin on your lips is thinner than elsewhere on your body and has no oil glands, making it more fragile and prone to water loss. Lip scrubs get plenty of attention on social media, where even a pot of grit can enjoy a distinguished career.23

Let flakes come away on their own instead of picking, biting or scrubbing them off. That peeling skin protects the new cells underneath while they prepare for exposure to dry air and other irritants. Pulling it away early can cause irritation, dryness and infection.1

What if you mean a chemical lip exfoliant?

Chemical exfoliants loosen the bonds between skin cells rather than using grains to rub them away. The Ordinary favors gentle polyhydroxy acids, or PHAs, for lips and suggests exfoliating 1 to 3 times a week, less often in dry conditions. That is frequency guidance for its approach, not a leave on time for a scrub. Give dry or uncomfortable lips time to recover before exfoliating again.2

Do not substitute a toothbrush, lemon juice or baking soda for a lip scrub. These methods can damage the protective skin barrier. Glycolic acid can also be too strong for delicate lip skin.2

What should you do instead?

Choose a simple petroleum based balm to keep lips moist. Lip balm comes as sticks, salves and ointments, but keeping lips moist is still the job beneath the wardrobe changes.3

• Apply a nonirritating balm several times a day and before bed, including after exfoliation.
• For very dry, cracked lips, use a thick ointment such as white petroleum jelly. Ointment seals in water longer than waxes or oils.
• Before going outdoors, apply lip balm with SPF 30 or higher. For chapped lips, choose zinc oxide or titanium oxide and reapply every 2 hours outdoors.
• Avoid licking your lips. As saliva evaporates, your lips become drier.

When should you stop or get help?

Stop using any lip product that burns, stings, tingles or feels uncomfortable. Those sensations mean irritation, not that an active ingredient is working. While lips are chapped, avoid fragrance, menthol, camphor and cinnamon, citrus, mint or peppermint flavorings.4

With gentle lip care, chapped lips should noticeably improve within 2 to 3 weeks. If they do not, see a dermatologist rather than increasing exfoliation. Persistent dryness can have causes other than weather, including an allergic reaction or infection.4