Natural oils are not just great for cooking but also for skin care. I only started using natural oils a few years ago after I bought argan oil as a facial oil. I started putting argan oil on my lips and noticed an immediate plumping and moisturizing effect. This effect was temporary however and required frequent re-application.
Aside from natural oils I have found that drinking a lot of quality water is the most effective and long-lasting way for me to moisturize my lips. For example, I started drinking Fiji water a few years ago and found that it helped with my dry lips! When I went back to drinking other bottles of water my dry lips returned, which has led me to believe that water with a lot of chemicals, salines, or chlorine in it may do little to help with dry-lips.
Many people seek out ways to effectively ward-off dry lips and try lip balm. I have tried lip balms as well and have found that even the brands with the most natural ingredients don’t seem to get absorbed into my skin like oils do. Try them out for yourself and you should be able to find most, if not all, of the oils on this list at your closest natural foods store.
1. Coconut Oil
I remember hearing a few years ago how amazing coconut oil was for cooking. When I tried it myself I was disappointed and that feeling continued with me over the years. I was not really planning on trying it on my hair or skin because of that until one day I used an all-natural hair mask with mostly coconut oil. I really liked the hair mask so I thought I would try just coconut oil. Since then coconut oil has been my favorite oil to use as a hair mask and incidentally also as a lip moisturizer!
Some of the benefits of coconut oil is that it is relatively cheap and easy to find. Of all these natural oils, coconut oil has had the most dramatic results for me so far, my lips seemed plumper and more moisturized. I did notice however that this may induce the top layer of skin to peel.
2. Shea Oil
Shea oil is my second favorite oil to use as a natural lip moisturizer. I started using shea butter on my lips when I went to L’occitane for my favorite soap and almost bought the shea butter lip balm stick. I decided against it though because there were too many ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce. I then found a little tub of 100% shea butter and decided to buy that instead.
I LOVED it. This little tub of shea butter kept my lips moisturized for a significant amount of time and had only natural ingredients listed! Later, when I was looking at other oils at a natural foods store I saw a bottle for shea oil and bought it to try it out. In my opinion the oil penetrated deeper layers of my skin but may not have lasted quite as long as the butter. I have had a great experience trying shea as a butter and as an oil and definitely recommend it.
Overall, Shea oil was very moisturizing and seemed to last for a longer time than the other oils in this list. The cons are that shea oil is relatively expensive and hard to get a hold of.
3. Argan Oil
I was first introduced to argan oil by an employee of Sephora who recommended the product to prevent scarring. The product was very helpful and very expensive. A few weeks later I noticed that Trader Joes started selling argan oil for under $10! From that point on I usually try to always have argan oil on hand for all kinds of skin and hair care needs.
Argan oil smoothly and thickly coats lips for relatively sustained moisture. For those reasons it is one of my favorite oils for lips. I also use it frequently for any scrapes or scratches to prevent scarring.
4. Avocado Oil
I bought avocado oil to see how it would help with my hair and lips and ended up using most of it for my cooking recipes! Despite it’s tastiness it does come in handy as a helpful lip moisturizer similar to olive oil (# 5). It has a buttery feel to it and a little “avocado-y” smell.
5. Olive oil
Olive oil may be a common household item for many people and the easiest to try. It has a buttery feel and a slight “olive-y” smell to it. This oil helped me the most with lip-peeling, it didn’t seem to plump as much as it healed the top-layer of skin. Each application of olive oil to the lips will last about 10 to 15 minutes and will slightly improve your lips dryness each time. It is important to try consistent and frequent application for long-term benefits.
Disclaimer
This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subjects addressed in the publication. It is provided with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering any kind of personal or professional services in this publication. The reader should consult with a competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this publication or drawing inferences from it. The author and publisher specifically disclaim all responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal, professional, or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of use and application of any of the contents of this publication.