Ramadhan special: Lip and Breath Care
My dear Muslim lady friends (and those who love to fast during Ramadhan regardless of their religion): How many of you actually have a problem with chapped lips and bad breath during the fasting month? Hmm... A lot more than who care to admit I bet. Having dry, chapped lips is one thing, but bad breath for me... is a definite no-no. I mean, yes, I know that there are a lot of us who believe that those who suffer from having bad breath while fasting (and who continue to fast on until the break of day, regardless of this) will have fresh citrusy breath in the Afterlife; BUT it can still help you, and those around you, save the trouble of having to feel nauseous because of the smell. And believe me, drowsiness and fasting - not a good combo.
But first I'll start with how to care for your smoochers during this Ramadhan:
Number one: Drink plenty of water (and you'll save more than just your lips) while you prepare for your fast before dawn. I would say a minimum of four glasses, but if drinking all in one go isn't an appealing idea, then by all means, take them after every few bites of your Sahur.
Number Two: Apply a flavourless lipbalm. Why flavourless, because the yummy smells (honey, chocolate or strawberry) will make you want to eat the balm off... (Not good). I recommend the any organic lipbalm with natural ingredients (also with SPF if you are constantly outdoors) or anything with shea butter. Some people swear by Vaseline, but if your lips are extremely chapped, I suggest avoiding ANY products with petroleum or alcohol as these ingredients may irritate the skin more. Therefore, if you have a personal favourite drugstore lipbalm, just check to see if it doesn't contain any of the above dehydrating ingredients.
Number Three: Exfoliate once or twice a week. You can use your usual exfoliating facial scrub or a soft toothbrush using gentle circular motions. My personal favorite product is the Any Balm from Etude House ($25.90), which you can use all over your body and it exfoliates, moisturises AND soothes insect bites. How cool is that?
Exfoliating is important because if you don't get rid of the dry skin on top of your lips, it tends to linger until it eventually cracks (which you don't want), also, the rough texture of the dry skin (which can feel a bit prickly) can rub onto other parts of your lips which are less dry. This may cause tearing and bleeding of the more hydrated part of the lip as it is softer.
Number Four: AVOID, by all means, licking your lips. Contrary to popular belief, saliva actually makes your lips dehydrate more as it evaporates faster than water, and hence cause lips to dry out even more.
Number Five: OTHER home remedies include eating food rich in Vitamin A, C and E (which is a duh for skin anyway); rubbing your lips with cucumber, aloe or honey (which I don't personally like because the smell of honey makes me want to eat all the time) and wiping lips with a wet tissue or handkerchief whenever it feels dry.
Now let's move on to the tips on breathcare, shall we?... (if it isn't daytime, you can go ahead and use your mouthwash if this is making you feel conscious):
Number One: WATER... Yes, it's good for your breath too. It washes away the bacteria that's living in between your teeth and underneath your tongue. Just imagine a tsunami wiping out those evil microbes. Mwahaha!
Number Two: Being Bruneian, I love my sambals... But for sahur, please avoid belacan and other mouthwatering, but also apparently highly mouth-odouring food e.g. garlic, petai, durian, etc. Because even if you brush your teeth afterwards, you'll find that the smell still lingers... Eww...
Number Three: Use a good mouthwash. Preferably something you aren't allergic to, because the bad breath you get despite using mouthwash could be a sign that what you are using isn't exactly good for you. Alternatively, you can use a more natural method that involves betel leaves (or Sirih, in Malay) is a good breath freshener. Brew a few of the leaves in cup of boiling water and leave to cool, then use as you do with your mouthwash. If you don't have betel leaves, use a bag of your favourite mint tea (No, NOT mint sauce, mint TEA). If you don't have that either, then it's a teaspoon of baking soda plus a teaspoon of salt mixed together in hot water and cooled down.
Well those are my tips. Please let me know if you have any comments, or alternative methods to the above. I'd love to hear your experiences.
Happy Fasting :D