PUCKER UP, BUTTERCUP
3 TIPS FOR HEALTHY LIPS
The eyes may be the windows to the soul, but your lips let people know how you really feel. A smile and a laugh invite warm conversation, whereas a sharp frown lets people know it’s not a good time to chat. Your lips do a lot of work, so make sure you’re taking care of them! Here are three rules to follow when it comes to maintaining good lip health. 1. Mind your own beeswax. Lip balm is a must, and not just for soothing chapped lips. Ensuring your
2. Make time to exfoliate. You know how your shower loofah sloughs away dead skin cells, keeping your skin soft and healthy? Your lips are also covered in dead skin cells that need to be gently removed. Don’t worry, you don’t have to buy a tiny loofah. Instead, whip up a DIY scrub to exfoliate your lips. Just mix 1 part honey with 2 parts sugar. Once a week, massage the scrub gently into your lips, let sit for 10 minutes, then remove with a gentle face wash. Regular exfoliation keeps your lips soft and smooth.
lips stay moisturized will keep them healthy and prevent chapped, split lips. But before you apply the lip balm that’s been collecting dust on your dresser, check the ingredients. A good balmwill have a base of beeswax, paraffin, and/ or petroleum jelly. These lock in moisture and don’t evaporate as quickly. When shopping for lip balm, avoid harmful ingredients. Salicylic acid, menthol, camphor, and silicone can dry out your lips, and while it’s fun when your lips taste like cherry, stay away from flavored balms. These can actually lead to chapped lips.
3. Don’t forget your sunscreen. Research from George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C., found that the No. 1 area people forget to apply sunscreen is the lips. We tend to forget that our lips are part of our skin, which is troubling because skin cancer around the lips can be very dangerous. If you’re going outside, be sure to protect your lips with lip balm containing SPF protection of 30 or higher.
Why Certain Foods and Drinks Are So Good at Staining Teeth Acid and Organic Compounds
We all know the effects that coffee, tea, wine, and juices have on teeth. Over time, these beverages lead to staining and discoloration. But why is that? Why do these and other drinks, as well as various foods, leave stains on our teeth? There are several reasons why this happens. The most common reason has to do with chemical compounds found within the food or beverage. Many colorful foods and drinks, like tomato sauces, curry dishes, red and green smoothies, teas, and wines, have compounds such as chromogens and tannins. Tea is a good example of a beverage full of tannins. These molecules are astringent and can bind together with other organic compounds. This includes the surface of your teeth. Over time, and if you drink tea regularly, the color of your teeth — particularly your front teeth — will become stained.
It doesn’t end there. Acids are another major reason why teeth become stained. Acidic foods and drinks can slowly wear down the enamel on the surface of your teeth. Teeth with a healthy enamel layer should look very smooth. As enamel wears away, the microscopic pits and valleys on the surface of the teeth become bigger. The bigger they get, the more susceptible to staining they become. Thankfully, there are steps you can take every day to reduce staining and protect your teeth from enamel loss. If you love beverages that stain, such as coffee, tea, smoothies, or juices, using lids and straws can help decrease staining. You want to put a protective barrier between the beverage and your teeth without losing the flavor and enjoyment of the drink, so straws can serve as your first line of defense.
As your second line of defense, always brush, floss, and rinse shortly after consuming a staining or acidic food or drink. This will help reduce staining and keep your teeth looking great. Finally, use teeth whitening kits, such as the Lumineux Oral Essential Whitening Strips, which are designed with tooth sensitivity in mind.
However, it’s not just these chemical compounds that are the problem. While in the mirror your teeth may appear smooth and shiny, the true extent of the problem can be found with a closer look. If you look at the surface of your teeth under a microscope, you will notice many minute pits and valleys. Staining compounds become trapped in these pits and valleys and the end result is discoloration.
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