A couple years ago, New York dermatologist Shereene Idriss, MD went viral for her chapped lip hack she dubbed “lip basting.” In search of an effective remedy for her dry, chapped lips, she came up with this technique and shared it with the world. “It’s not a perfect hack, but it works,” she says. And as a dermatologist and social media “dermfluencer,” she’s tried it all. Now that the temperatures have dropped for most of us around the country, chapped lips are wreaking havoc once again. The constant licking; the frantic searches for lip balm in the bottom of your purse. If you can relate, give lip basting a try.
How the Lip Basting Trend Started
“I was actually in Jackson, Wyoming where the air is dry AF in the dead of winter. My lips were constantly ‘falling off’ no matter what I did. I had a sugar scrub with me, and I was about to scrub my lips for the maybe hundredth time that day, when I realized, what am I doing? A physical scrub is going to mechanically break apart the top layer of your skin, but it’s not going to do it in a streamlined fashion. It’s going to do it haphazardly. So then I thought, why don’t I just exfoliate my lips with a chemical exfoliant that will evenly break apart the top layers of my lips. This allows them to slough off more evenly and deliver a smoother base.”
So, Dr. Idriss applied a chemical exfoliant (glycolic acid) on her lips and then followed with a thick ointment. “It delivered a buttery, smooth result that lasted hours longer than any sort of lip mask, scrub or Chapstick,” she says. “I thought, this is like basting a turkey on Thanksgiving morning.”
How to Do It
“My personal acid of choice is probably glycolic acid because it’s one of the most hydrating acids out there,” Dr. Idriss says. “You take a little dab and apply it evenly on your lips. Once that dries in about 30 seconds or so, take a nice little dollop of a rich, thick emollient and seal it in. This will restore hydration and seal the deal.” Dr. Idriss says her favorite glycolic acid serum to use for this is L’Oréal Paris RevitaLift Derm Intensives 10% Glycolic Acid because it has a nice slip. Then she applies Weleda Skin Food on top in a thick layer.
“You really want to look like a turkey that you’ve buttered completely,” she says. “You want that ‘butter’ to sit on your lips and melt in. This is the basting process. Then, over the next five to 10 minutes, you’ll notice that it becomes translucent and it’s going to deliver a beautiful, glowy, dewy finish to your lips.”
Like us, medical aesthetician Kristin Gunn is also a fan of the trend. “I think it’s great!” she says. “Your lips deserve as much attention as the rest of your skin. I also couldn’t agree more with Dr. Idriss saying how lip scrubs are not as beneficial for hydrating and preventing lips from cracking.” She recommends two options for the glycolic acid step: Halcyon Glycolic Renewal Gel and Typology L38 Resurfacing Lip Peel. For the emollient step, she likes Aquaphor. “It’s a staple! It’s great for hydrating, it’s fragrance-free and it will soften your lips.”
When to Do It
Dr. Idriss says she usually does it at the start of her makeup application. “By the time I’m done, the Weleda will usually have melted into my lips.” This is a good approach if you’re wearing lipstick. “A lot of lip products can be very drying, so it is essential to properly care for your lips before applying one that could amplify dryness,” says Gunn. “However, I recommend ‘doing this ‘lip basting’ during your nighttime skin-care routine. This is so that the product can continuously absorb into your lips throughout the night.” Essentially, whatever works best in your personal routine is the way to go.
