Let’s face it. We’ve all been guilty of lip picking once or twice in our lives. A stressful exam. That morning meeting. A fight with your significant other. Stressful situations trigger this not so great habit for quite a few of us. However, there is some hope to quit resorting to this habit to lead us to smoother lips and eased minds.
So what is this well hidden secret to stop picking lips? First and foremost, let me be clear that this isn’t a fool proof fix. You will still need to be disciplined to stop the habit on your end. However, implementing these tips will help the process run smoother and give you better tools to prevent yourself from continuing in this cycle of peeling skin off lips when you are stressed or bored.
Why Do I Pick My Lips?
Before we can dive deep into the solution, we need to establish why you feel the need to pick at your lips. Like I mentioned, for some, it can be a stress response or a result of pure boredom. However, while healthy lips are still capable of getting picked at, more often than not, the reason people resort to this habit is because of poor lip health.
Do you lick your lips a lot? Perhaps you don’t apply lip care enough or at all? If this is a big yes, then it is very likely that your lips are extremely dry, resulting in dry skin sitting on the lips asking to be picked at. Now, wait. Isn’t that a good thing? Isn’t it better to get the dead skin off your lips than leave it there?
The problem with this logic is that a lip picking habit results in peeling off more than just the dead skin, as it can be hard if not impossible to isolate the dead skin from the healthy skin. This means that you are ripping all of the skin off your lips resulting in waiting until the skin grows back. This is not only bad for your lip picking habit, but it can be an issue cosmetically and for the health of your lips!
Don’t worry. This is easily fixable! First and foremost, run to the store and grab a lip scrub. This is going to get rid of any leftover dead skin on your lips. I recommended using this once or twice a week to keep your lips fresh. Second, get a lip oil or lip balm that is going to restore nourishment back into your lips to help prevent dry skin from returning after you scrub the old away.
Another way to improve the health of your lips is to make sure you are staying hydrated. If you were to take a survey for every person, you’d be shocked how many people are dehydrated regularly. This means that whatever amount of water you think is good enough to stay hydrated, drink a little more. You can also add in more vitamins to your daily routine to keep your skin nourished to prevent dryness.
Alternatives
So, we’ve fixed the excess dry skin dilemma, but there still are the triggers of stress and boredom to deal with. The best way to combat unhealthy habits is to have alternatives on hand at all times to divert your focus towards. This means having a plan before the urge comes on, not waiting. Being prepared is 90 percent of the battle.
In the case of dry lips, I’m talking about something else to fidget with. For some, doing something with their hands works such as knitting, a fidget cube, or even a ring to mess with when they feel the urge to pick their lips.
However, some of us don’t feel satisfied unless we keep our mouths occupied. If this is the case, try chewing gum, getting something hard to chew on such as a straw or toothpick. Some people even chose to take that time to floss, which is extremely beneficial in stopping your habit and unkeeping the health of your gums, so I highly recommend this option.
For the other options, as time goes on, the goal is to slowly take these away to train your brain that you don’t need them afterall to relieve the feeling of stress and boredom. Don’t get ahead of yourself, however. It is much better to chew on a straw than to pull skin off your lips.
Conclusion
Like I mentioned at the beginning, stopping an unhealthy habit is not a quick fix or secret sauce solution. It takes dedication, discipline, and preparation to get a new habit implemented. However, when you do manage to train yourself, you can tap into this mindset in more than just picking lips. Train yourself to learn new habits for old ones that aren’t benefiting you.
Take a step with lip picking towards a more disciplined and successful version of yourself! Your lips and your mind will thank you later. After all, you deserve it!