--- description: When it comes to lip care, you should never slack off. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’re sharing our best tips for getting healthy and kissable lips. title: 5 Tips for Taking Care of Your Lips - The Skin Cancer Foundation image: https://www.skincancer.org/wp-content/uploads/reglips-e1491316418234.jpg --- ![Sun \& Skin News]() # 5 Tips for Taking Care of Your Lips By [Becky Kamowitz](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/author/bkamowitz/) • Published On: February 14, 2023 • Last Updated: January 17, 2025 ![lips heart](https://www.skincancer.org/wp-content/uploads/reglips-e1491316418234-1024x748.jpg) I’ll admit it: I let myself go a little bit in the winter time. Despite my earnest moisturizing efforts, my hands and face are dry. I can’t remember the last time I had my nails done. The thought of going out in the cold for after work salon appointments when I can instead hurry home to my sweatpants and Netflix account…pass. But when it comes to my lips, I never slack off. I can’t stand having dry, cracked lips. That’s why I’m sharing our best tips for getting beautiful, healthy and kissable lips, just in time for Valentine’s Day! 1. **Exfoliate**. Remove dry, dead skin flakes by gently brushing your lips with a wet, soft toothbrush or washcloth. I do this about once a week, usually on a weekend morning when I’m not planning on going outside right away since it makes my lips a little sensitive. 2. **Hydrate**. Unlike the rest of your skin, lips tend to dry out and become chapped easily since they do not contain oil glands. Drink lots of water to keep lips from drying out, and avoid licking your lips (it took me years to break the habit!) which also saps moisture. 3. **Protect and moisturize.** Lips receive a lot of sun exposure – particularly the bottom lip. That means they are a common spot for skin cancers. So it’s SUPER IMPORTANT that your daytime lip product includes an SPF 30 or higher sunscreen. And yes, you still need to protect your lips, and the rest of your skin, even if you are [wearing a mask](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/ask-the-expert-do-i-have-to-wear-sunscreen-under-my-mask/)! At night I switch to a moisturizing product to help combat nighttime dryness. 4. **Reapply often**. Remember to reapply sun protective lip product every two hours, especially after eating or drinking. I find it helpful to keep my SPF lip balm in several places. I usually have one at my desk, in my purse, in my nightstand and in my bathroom, so I remember to apply right after I brush my teeth. The bonus of this system: you now have an excuse to experiment with different brands and products. Remember to reapply sun-protective lip products** at least every two hours**. 5. **Speaking of products: make sure you’re using the right ones**. Look for lip products that have been awarded [The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation](https://www.skincancer.org/prevention/seal-of-recommendation). The Seal is only awarded to sun-protective products that meet the standards of our Photobiology Committee (a group of top experts in how the sun interacts with skin), so you can be sure that if a product has our Seal, your lips will be soft *and* sun-safe. 5 Tips for Taking Care of Your Lips Happy Kissing! ##### Categories - [Ask the Expert](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/ask-the-expert/) - [Child Sun Safety](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/child-sun-safety/) - [Destination Healthy Skin](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/destination-healthy-skin/) - [Healthy Lifestyle](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/healthy-lifestyle/) - [Inside The Skin Cancer Foundation](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/inside-the-skin-cancer-foundation/) - [Monthly Newsletter](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/enews/) - [News & Research](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/news-research/) - [Skin Cancer Awareness Month](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/skin-cancer-awareness-month/) - [Skin Cancer Information](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/skin-cancer-information/) - [Skin Cancer Myths & Misinformation](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/skin-cancer-myths-misinformation/) - [Skin of Color](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/skin-of-color/) - [Tanning](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/tanning/) - [The Big See](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/the-big-see/) - [The Skin Cancer Foundation Journal](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/the-skin-cancer-foundation-journal/) - [This Is Skin Cancer](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/true-stories/) - [Why We Give](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/category/why-we-give/) ##### Follow Us [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/skincancerfoundation) [![x logo]()](http://twitter.com/SkinCancerOrg) [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-skin-cancer-foundation/) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/skincancerorg/) [Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/skincancerorg/) [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/user/SkinCancerFoundation) ##### [Sign up for newsletter](https://www.skincancer.org/newsletter-sign-up/)   ##### Popular Posts - [Ask the Expert: Does a High SPF Protect My Skin Better?](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/ask-the-expert-does-a-high-spf-protect-my-skin-better/) - [Why Does My Skin Peel When I Get Sunburned, and What Should I Do About It?](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/why-does-my-skin-peel-when-i-get-sunburned/) - [DIY Don’ts: Why At-Home Mole Removal Is a Bad Idea](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/diy-donts-why-at-home-mole-removal-is-a-bad-idea/) - [Amelanotic Melanoma: It Doesn’t Look Like Other Melanomas](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/amelanotic-melanoma-it-doesnt-look-like-other-melanomas/) - [Ask the Expert: Painful Moles](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/ask-expert-painful-moles/) - [How Dangerous is Melanoma? It’s All a Matter of Timing](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/dangerous-melanoma-matter-timing/) - [Sun Protection and Vitamin D](https://www.skincancer.org/blog/sun-protection-and-vitamin-d/) ![]() [![candid logo]()](https://www.guidestar.org/profile/shared/248c6aa7-9ca9-4489-81b8-69bd7ed2f3d5) Open menu Menu Close menu SearchSearch ```json {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/5-tips-for-your-lips\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/5-tips-for-your-lips\/"},"author":{"name":"Becky Kamowitz","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/person\/955777c6315118375d680e923ddd481f"},"headline":"5 Tips for Taking Care of Your Lips","datePublished":"2023-02-14T07:56:46+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-17T15:55:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/5-tips-for-your-lips\/"},"wordCount":457,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/5-tips-for-your-lips\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/reglips-e1491316418234.jpg","keywords":["Beauty","Holiday","lips","Prevention","Skin Care"],"articleSection":["Healthy Lifestyle"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/5-tips-for-your-lips\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/5-tips-for-your-lips\/","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/5-tips-for-your-lips\/","name":"5 Tips for Taking Care of Your Lips [2020]","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/5-tips-for-your-lips\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/5-tips-for-your-lips\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/reglips-e1491316418234.jpg","datePublished":"2023-02-14T07:56:46+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-17T15:55:35+00:00","description":"When it comes to lip care, you should never slack off. 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