• Personal Care

What Does Coconut Oil Do For Your Lips?

Coconut oil is classified as an emollient (a skin-softener) which is used in many products in the skincare industry such as in moisturizers because it helps to seal moisture into your skin. It has restorative and protective properties that can also help repair dry, cracked lips when it’s used as a lip balm throughout the day.

Benefits of Using Coconut Oil

In a nutshell (pun intended), coconut oil is a great product for your skin because it’s incredibly moisturizing and creates a thick barrier that keeps moisture in the skin while protecting your lips against the elements. Alternative medicine also uses coconut oil as a treatment for burns because of its moisturizing effects and its pain-relieving properties. These perks are also useful for healing dry skin and cracked lips.

Other benefits of coconut oil include potential disinfecting and antimicrobial effects. Such benefits may keep your lips germ-free, and subsequently, help protect any cracked skin from becoming infected, too. Further, coconut oil is an anti-inflammatory, which means it may also help reduce swelling.

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How To Use Coconut Oil For Your Lips

Daytime Skincare

For your daytime skincare routine, all you need to do is apply a few drops of liquid coconut oil to your chapped lips, making sure you tap the oil gently with your fingers into your skin to fully reap the benefits of the product. If your coconut oil product is solid, just scoop out enough to lightly coat the tip of your finger and warm it up between your fingers before applying it to your lips. You can reapply coconut oil to your lips throughout the day for consistent moisture retention and to help restore chapped lips.

Nighttime Skincare

You can use a touch more of coconut oil as an overnight mask for your lips, giving the oil plenty of time to condition your lips and keep your lips hydrated.

Note: coconut oil is very comedogenic, which means it can easily clog up your pores around your lips, plus it traps in dirt and acne-causing bacteria. So, if you have acne-prone skin or your skin falls under the combination-to-oily category, make sure you use coconut oil sparingly. If your skin breaks out or if irritation occurs on or around your lips, make sure to stop using coconut oil.

Another benefit of coconut oil is that its moisture means it makes a great carrier oil for many products. For example, if you wanted to exfoliate your lips you can create a lip scrub. All you need to do is add equal parts coconut oil and an exfoliator ingredient like sugar, ground turmeric, or both since turmeric has anti-inflammatory and skin-lighting properties (keep in mind turmeric does stain clothing). Mix these ingredients together to form a thick paste and gently massage into your lips to exfoliate any dead skin from your chapped lips.

Bonus: it’s completely edible, cruelty-free, vegan, and cost-effective compared to traditional lip scrubs, and it’s easily accessible!
If you wanted even more calming and cooling effects you can also add in aloe vera, but be sure the aloe vera is not a skincare product because they are not edible. If you still want aloe vera, make sure it’s as pure as possible (bonus points if you grow your own) because then you don’t have to worry about consuming it since it’s completely edible!

You can even use coconut oil as part of homemade lip balm to restore and protect chapped lips. All you have to do is add equal parts coconut oil and shea butter or cocoa butter, and beeswax or a vegan-friendly wax such as carnauba wax. Its benefits are endless!

How to Make Your Own Coconut Oil Lip Balm

You can make your own homemade lip balm products with coconut oil as its base, making for a moisturizing, protective and delicious skincare product for your lips. All you need is three ingredients: lip balm containers or tins, a glass bowl that can withstand direct heat, a saucepan, and a heat source.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp shea butter, cocoa butter, or mango butter
• 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
• 2-3 tsp beeswax pellets (or wax of choice)

Note: you can customize this recipe even further by adding in your favourite essential oils like chamomile or lavender for their calming and anti-inflammatory properties for your lips.

Instructions

• In a glass bowl, combine your shea butter/cocoa butter/mango butter, coconut oil, and beeswax pellets.
• Place the glass bowl on top of a saucepan partially filled with water over medium heat. Heat until the beeswax and butter are melted, stirring occasionally. At this point, add in a few drops of your chosen essential oil.
• Turn off the heat and remove the bowl from the pot.
• As the mixture cools, the lip balm will set, so it’s important to work quickly. Pour the mixture into lip balm containers (tubes or cases), and allow the balm to sit for a few minutes until formed. The lip balm will last for the life of the ingredients, generally 6-12 months.

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The Takeaway

Coconut oil has many amazing benefits and using coconut oil in your daily skincare routine can help restore your lips’ natural moisture while protecting it from the dry, cold weather of the winter. Coconut oil is beloved by so many around the world and for good reason. It’s a multi-purpose product, from culinary to cosmetic uses.

Furthermore, coconut oil is most loved for its ability to protect, restore and maintain your lips throughout the day. It’s also ideal for making your own lip products because coconut oil is so easy to find in nearly any grocery store or online. Its two-year shelf life means that you have lots of time to make as many lip balms as your heart desires, which make a lovely gift for friends and family alike. We are just starting to fully understand and appreciate the benefits of coconut and coconut oil.