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Winter is now well established, and with it its many inconveniences. Lower temperatures, and even more their variations, are the sworn enemies of soft and hydrated lips, causing dryness and cracking. If the lip sticks do not always manage to counter this effect, the ‘lip basting’ would be, in the opinion of tiktokeurs, the infallible method to remedy it. Explanations.
It’s impossible to miss dry, dehydrated or even cracked skin in the middle of winter, unless you were born under a (very) lucky star, or live in a country in the southern hemisphere. From the first negative temperatures, if not flirting with 0 degrees, the epidermis hard pampered throughout the summer turns into an unattractive crocodile skin. And it is not the only one to suffer from the misdeeds of the cold, the lips also metamorphose to become at best chapped, at worst punctuated with sometimes (very) painful cracks. An effect that lip balms do not always manage to counteract, especially if you have got into the habit of passing your tongue over said lips to try to moisten them.
Lip irrigation to the rescue
How to make lips silky and perfectly hydrated in the middle of the winter season? This is the puzzle that the most valiant tiktokeurs have tried to solve, always in search of the trick that will change the daily lives of ordinary mortals. The answer lies in two words: the ‘lip basting’. We already see English speakers getting scared when they read these two terms which refer us, it must be said, to the kitchen. Because ‘basting’ simply means ‘basting’ in the case of cooking a turkey or a chicken, or ‘cooking in its own juices’. Tantalizing? Not really. Still, it sets the tone for the beauty routine to which you will have to submit to benefit from lips as soft as silk.
Dr. Shereene Idriss, a dermatologist based in New York and known as PillowtalkDerm on social networks, is responsible for this method discovered by the greatest chance while she was looking for a way to put an end to his own chapped lips. Shared on Instagram and TikTok, the ‘lip basting’ technique has already been seen tens of thousands of times, now delighting this community in constant search of good beauty tips. Experimenting with it does not require much, except for two beauty essentials that you already (necessarily) have in your bathroom: a chemical peel and the richest possible nutrient cream – or an emollient.
Exfoliate and nourish
Once you have these two must-haves in your possession, all you need to do is spring into action. The first step is to apply the chemical peel – based on glycolic acid or lactic acid (in low concentration) – to exfoliate the lips without damaging them, while the second and final step is to water them ‘ of cream to feed them. Do not be afraid of having a heavy hand, the objective being to have white lips and to let the product penetrate for a good ten minutes (or even all night for those who wish). In her video, the dermatologist leaves the cream on for the duration of her beauty treatment. Sufficient time, according to her, to hydrate them enough for the day.
You will no doubt have noticed that this method is modeled on the one that everyone – or almost everyone – applies to the skin of the face and body. It’s about getting rid of dead skin, then nourishing the skin – or the lips – deeply. For the cream, it is preferable to choose one with different benefits, nourishing and regenerating for example, just to put the odds on your side to find soft and perfectly hydrated lips.