When the cold season ends, most of us tend to turn all our attention to repairing the damage caused to our now dull, lifeless hair and dry, ashy skin. However, in the process we forget about one of the most important features constantly in motion on our face – our mouth. Not only have we subjected our poor lips to the frigid gales of winter, but we torture them every day while drinking, eating, smoking, kissing and talking. Some of us even unwittingly bite or pull our lips with our fingers while we are stressed out or thinking about something. The result – a rough, flaky mouth. If you think you can cover it up with lipstick or gloss, you are doing yourself a disservice, because drawing attention to your lips is the last thing you want to do when they are peeling.

If you want to salvage your lips, you must exfoliate them before you use any kind of balm. Until you remove the dead layer of skin, no amount of chapstick or carmex is going to heal your mouth.

Here’s what to do:

- Apply either a little Vaseline or olive oil to your lips. If you feel this is not enough for how rough your mouth is, you can add a little sugar to the olive oil.

- Using a toothbrush (preferably not electric and not the one you are currently using for your teeth), gently start brushing your lips all over in small circles for about a minute. Be gentle – your lips are sensitive and they will be sore if you are too harsh!

- Wash off your lips with cold water and clean the brush.

- Apply lip balm and your lips will feel as smooth as butter!

- If you already have soft lips, some actresses and models also use a toothbrush lightly without any exfoliating product before they go out. This invigorates the blood flow to their mouth for a poutier look before they apply lip-gloss. (However, this is for purely aesthetic reasons, not as a remedy).

Remember: this is not just for after the winter season. It is important to keep your lips healthy year-round, so try to exfoliate your lips at least twice a month.

Photo Credits: http://wallpapers.jurko.net/pic/1074/
http://www.slipperybrick.com/2007/11/solar-powered-toothbrush-no-toothpaste/