For the longest time, I thought I was the type of person who just couldn't "pull off" lipstick. It always looked dry and flaky no matter what brand I used, and I had no idea that a great lip scrub was the answer to all of my issues. After all, I was most likely to reach for a lipstick around the holidays, and it never even dawned on me that the dry winter air was zapping all the moisture from my lips, leaving them chapped and in desperate need of exfoliation.
It turns out that lips are way more sensitive than the rest of our skin. While the skin on your body can have up to 16 cellular layers, the skin around your mouth only has five. This means that lips are extra susceptible to changes in the environment. They also lack sweat glands, which makes them dry out and become chapped much more easily than other areas of the body.
And that's where lip scrubs come in. Not only do they effectively exfoliate the dead skin, but most of them are packed with super hydrating ingredients that help revive chapped lips. And these eight gentle, nourishing scrubs are some of the best out there.
1This Luxurious Polish With Rosehip Oil
French Girl Organics Rose Lip Polish, $19, Amazon
Made botanical extracts and natural oils, French Girl Organics rose lip polish is a hydrating, vegan option for smooth lips. Sugar crystals exfoliate the lips, which shea butter and coconut oil provide moisture, and reviewers say, " This makes it easier for me to wear lipsticks [in the wintertime], which I am so thankful for!" It also smells incredible — like sweet roses.
2This Korean Beauty Favorite That Exfoliates With Macadamia Seeds
TONYMOLY Kiss Kiss Lip Scrub, $6, Amazon
This TONYMOLY Kiss Kiss lip scrub uses macadamia seed scrub to exfoliate without irritating sensitive lips, and it contains honey rich in vitamins, minerals, and proteins to keep your lips moist. Reviewers say they use it before applying lipstick and gloss, and it effectively "gets rid of those unsightly cracked, dry skin bits!" It also comes in a cute, travel-friendly container.
3This Lip Revival Scrub For Those With Sensitive Skin
Beauty For Real Lip Revival, $14, Amazon
This Beauty For Real Lip Revival is one of the highest rated on Amazon. It's made paraben and cruelty-free, and it delivers long-lasting results with carnauba wax and cinnamon bark essential oil. "I am also rather sensitive to synthetic or very fragrant scents and this lip scrub does not bother me," says one reviewer. "There is just a slight sweet smell because of the vanilla."
4This Scrub Made With Sugar That's Sourced From Hawaii
Maui Sugar Lip Scrub, $14, Amazon
With Maui Sugar lip Scrub uses real Maui sugar crystals to remove patches of dry skin. Some people say it's "hands down the best lip scrub [they've] used," and it has a delightful scent that smells like candy and a shea butter and grape seed oil base that works like chapstick.
5A Gentle Scrub On One Side And A Sheer Color On The Other
Clinique Sweet Pots, $19-$26, Amazon
With a scrub on one side and a colored balm on the other, Clinique Sweet Pots create a two-in-one pampering treat for your lips, available in six colors. Each gently exfoliates with a sugar scrub, and the colors are all extremely moisturizing and sheer. Reviewers also say they smell amazing and give your lips an awesome shine.
6This Cult Favorite Lip Scrub With Just Six Ingredients
sara happ The Lip Scrub, $24, Amazon
The sara happ The Lip Scrub uses a short (but sweet) formula including molasses, grape seed oil, and jojoba oil to remove dry, flaky skin, leaving your lips feeling extremely soft and moisturized. Some reviewers even say that nothing (not even Lush, Sephora, or DIY formulas) compares to this.
7This Travel-Friendly Exfoliator That Looks Like A Tube Of Lipstick
e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator, $7, Amazon
The e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator comes in a convenient form that looks like lipstick. Instead of color, though, it's got sugar, Vitamin E, and avocado oil to buff away dead skin and condition lips. "This was the only company who was making one in lipstick form, which is preferable to me," says one reviewer who always keeps this on hand. "It works WONDERFULLY! Winter weather was leaving my lips very cracked and flaking and nothing was able to fix it until this arrived."
8An Organic Lip Exfoliator With Sugar And Essential Oils
This Naturally Organic Lip Exfoliator, $14, Amazon
Organic cane sugar scrubs and exfoliates while shea butter while jojobo oil soften and protect. That's why people are loving this organic lip exfoliator. It's also entirely natural and uses essential oils to make it taste like a gumdrop. "After using it a few times my lips were so soft and nice and plump!" says one reviewer. "Will definitely be buying again when I run out."
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