A comprehensive skin care routine should never ignore the lips. Moisturizing the lips can keep them from getting dry, flaky, or chapped, and there are tons of lip balm products out there designed specifically to target dry lips.
But while many of these products incorporate a number of natural ingredients, they often only provide temporary relief from chapping. Targeting the underlying issue of chapping and flaking may require something more effective, and the addition of cannabidiol (CBD) to lip balms may help. But what benefit can CBD bring to the table when added to lip balms?
Here are a few reasons why CBD is becoming an increasingly popular addition to lip balm, and why you should keep an eye out for the compound when buying your next lip product.
Protects Against UV Rays
It’s always a good idea to apply a little sunscreen to your face before you spend an extended period of time outdoors, and your lips shouldn’t be excluded. Your lips have less melanin — the pigment that protects your skin from sunburn — than the rest of your body.
Lip balm with CBD infused in it can help protect your lips against the potential damage from the sun’s rays thanks to the compound’s antioxidant properties. [1]
Moisturizes the Lips
It’s easy for the lips to dry out because of the lack of oil produced, unlike the skin on your face. That’s because the lips don’t have any oil glands.
In order to keep your lips moist, you’ll need to apply some sort of product, and choosing one that includes CBD may help to hydrate your lips and lock in the moisture. That’s exactly what a lip balm should do, and CBD may help enhance its moisturizing effects.
Alleviates Redness and Burning
When your lips are dry, you might be more likely to lick them in an effort to hydrate them. But the more you do that, the more you risk drying out your lips. Thanks to CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties, it may help to reduce redness, burning, and tingling when they’re inflamed. [2]
If you’re in the market to get yourself some lip balm, consider finding one with CBD on the list of ingredients.
Image source: silviarita via Pixabay
References:
1- Gęgotek, A. et al, “The Effect of Cannabidiol on UV-Induced Changes in Intracellular Signaling of 3D-Cultured Skin Keratinocytes“, Int J Mol Sci., February 2021; Vol. 22(3): 1501.
2- Atalay, S. et al, “Antioxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Cannabidiol“, Antioxidants (Basel), January 2020; Vol. 9(1): 21.
