Habiba MedJust out of your session and want to do everything right? Lip blush aftercare is simple: a good moisturizer, a few precautions for 5 to 10 days, and no sun for a month. Here are the right habits, and when you can get back to your routine.
Key takeaways
- The best aftercare: Vaseline, in a thin layer all day.
- To moisturize: never a stick, not even a Vaseline stick. Go for a jar.
- For 5 days: no firm kissing, no water on your lips. For 10 days: no working out, pool or sauna.
- For 1 week: no spicy food, no coffee or red berries.
- For 1 month: no sun, then an SPF 50 lip balm stick afterward.
The best aftercare: Vaseline
For Habiba, Vaseline is currently the best moisturizer for lips: very affordable, available to everyone, and it delivers results. She has tested tons of moisturizers and repair creams from the pharmacy: Vaseline moisturizes faster and for longer.
In second place: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, an overnight mask balm with a glossy finish. It's very moisturizing and looks nicer during the day.
Vaseline repair
- Intense moisture
- Repairs the lip
- Affordable
Laneige balm beautify
- Very moisturizing
- Glossy finish
- Prettier during the day
How often? The goal is to have a little on all day, in a very thin layer.
To moisturize: never a stick
Sticks are off-limits for moisturizing
No lip balm sticks for moisturizing, not even Vaseline in stick form. Always go for a jar (or a tube).
Why? To stay solid and not melt, a stick contains lots of wax and few oils. It leaves a dry film on the lip that protects but doesn't soften. A richer balm in a jar nourishes the lip much better.
- 🧴 Irritating ingredients: many sticks contain camphor, menthol or fragrance. The lip gets irritated, dries out, you apply more… it's a vicious circle.
- 🩹 Friction: running a stick over peeling lips means risking pulling off the flakes too early.
- 🧼 Hygiene: the stick touches the healing lip directly, then goes back in your bag. A jar balm is applied in a thin layer, with a clean finger or a cotton swab.
That's actually the same reason people say lipsticks dry out your lips: they contain lots of wax, and often powders or long-wear ingredients that dry on the lip.
What about the SPF 50 stick?
It's not for moisturizing, but for sun protection, once the lip has healed (after 1 month). To moisturize, stick with Vaseline in a jar.
The first 5 days: what to avoid
- Don't get your lips wet for 5 days, except while brushing your teeth (even in the shower, that's the only time they can get wet).
- Drink through a straw.
- Avoid working out (because of sweat), the pool and the sauna.
- Avoid the steam room: the steam moistens the scabs and makes them fall off too early.
- Eat carefully: a hamburger is tricky, it gets all around your mouth. Nuggets and fries are much easier 😂
- When you wash your face, don't get your mouth wet: work around it.
- Avoid long, firm kisses with saliva exchange.
- To dry your lips after brushing your teeth: pat with a disposable tissue or a clean towel, without rubbing.
The only exception: brushing your lips
You're allowed to gently brush your lips while brushing your teeth.
Eating and drinking: the first week
- Spicy food: avoid it for one week. Let the skin of the lip rebuild, to avoid burning and contact with the pigment.
- Anything that stains (coffee, red berries…): wait one week as well.
Sun: off-limits for 1 month
No sun for a month. After that, protect your lips with an SPF 50 lip balm stick. Note: this stick is there to protect from the sun, not to moisturize. To moisturize, stick with Vaseline in a jar.
The result, once healed
Lipstick, lip pencil and gloss: wait 2 weeks. Once healed, you can wear them as much as you like. With gloss, you even get the most beautiful results.
Warning signs
See a doctor if
You have spreading redness, heat, pus or fever. It's very rare. Small, painful blisters suggest cold sores: call your doctor.
The day-by-day details are in our guide to the lip blush healing process.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it's actually the best aftercare, in a thin layer all day.
Enough to have a little on all day.
The rule: a thin layer, but all day long.
No, not to moisturize: a stick contains lots of wax, often irritating ingredients, and it rubs against peeling lips. Go for Vaseline in a jar.
Vaseline is still the most effective for moisturizing and repairing.
Yes, for the first few days.
Wait a week for coffee, since it's a drink that stains.
A quick, light kiss, yes. Firm kisses, not before 5 days.
Yes, without getting your lips wet for the first 5 days.
After 10 days, same as the pool and sauna.
Not for 1 month. After that, protect your lips with an SPF 50 stick.
Written by
Habiba Med
Permanent makeup artist since 2019 and trainer, I share what I see every day in my studio to help you make the right choices.
