Adventures In Emollients

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Once upon a time, I only needed to look forward to chapped and peeling lips in the winter. And then in the fullness of time, it became a year-round affliction. At the same time that my problem expanded, the number of products that I could use to treat it decreased. Increasingly, “lip balms” just made my lips more irritated. These days, I have been reduced to using just one product, Reviva Lab’s Vita E Stick (you can get it here).

However, not that long ago, a friend of mine told me that her formerly chapped lips were now supple and happy because of her use of a lip scrub and a lip mask at bedtime. I bought the lip mask she recommended and decided to make my own lip scrub. Pinterest to the rescue (again). After perusing multiple entries, I adapted two recipes that I thought would suit and made them both.

And now, using my homemade lip scrub and the lip mask at bedtime, I too have happy, supple lips! I still use the Vita-E stick during the day, but I don’t need to apply it more than once or twice a day, as opposed to every hour or so, like I used to. Happy days! Also, this lip scrub makes a lovely gift.

I will provide both lip scrub recipes below, but first, I wanted to go into more detail on the evening routine. Before I wash my face, I take about a pea-sized amount of the lip scrub on a cotton swab and rub it over my lips for about a minute. I rinse off what I can of the scrub before proceeding to wash and moisturize my face as usual. Right before I go to bed, I take a tiny amount of the lip mask (I am using the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, you can get it here) and apply it to my lips. That’s it. In the morning, wash and moisturize as usual. It’s like magic!

I’ve made printable labels for both lip scrubs. They work very nicely with Avery #22807 2” round print-to-the-edge labels, which fit perfectly on the jars I used. And you can easily format and print them yourself at avery.com.

Vanilla Lip Scrub

(click here for PDF of printable label)

20 grams organic unrefined coconut oil

20 grams granulated sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla powder (you might be able to substitute vanilla essential oil, but I haven’t tried that)

Mash together all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and thoroughly combined. Store in a 2 oz. glass jar (I got these off Amazon) for up to a year.