New Delhi, Apr 26 (IANS): Lip care is very important in summer. So, keep your lip balm handy to protect them, say experts.

Hema Sharma Datta, Head -- Skin Care and Cleansing, R&D, The Himalaya Drug Company, tells why it is important to protect lips in summer.

* Lips lack natural protective oil: Our skin contains sebaceous glands that secrete the natural oil called sebum which keeps our skin moisturised. However, our lips do not contain these glands and therefore, it is essential for us to keep them protected and hydrated through the day. Therefore, using a lip balm that is enriched with natural ingredients in this weather is a must.

* Harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun affect the lips: UV rays are extremely harmful for our skin, and our lips are no exception. Since they have fewer melanocytes in them, they are more prone to sun damage caused by UV exposure. It impacts the production of collagen in our lips in the long run thus damaging their health and appearance.

* Sudden changes in temperature can make your lips dry: The sudden and drastic change in temperature is quite detrimental to the health of our lips. For this reason, carrying a lip balm that nourishes and soothes our lips is extremely essential.

Datta, Shikhee Agrawal, Head Training, The Body Shop, Geetika Mittal Gupta, Founder and Medical Director at ISAAC (International Skin & Anti Aging Centre), Sham Kumar, Education Manager at Kiehl's India, give tips to protect the lips.

* A lip balm enriched with the essence of oranges is the best bet for you to protect your lips from the sun, owing to its natural photo protection and skin conditioning properties.

* We have a habit of licking our lips when they feel dry, instead use a hydrating lip balm, switch to lip balms enriched with bees wax. Use SPF protected lip balms to reduce the harm.

* Exfoliation is as important for the lips as it is for skin, apply a sugar scrub using a toothbrush once a week to get rid of the dead skin layer.

* You can use butter stick as well. Butter stick lip treatment is hydrating. It will make lips feel and look softer, smoother and moisturised.

* Eat plenty of green vegetables and fruits as fruits rich in vitamin help in increasing the water intake too.

* Lips do turn black in the summer heat. So you can mix saffron and curd and apply daily 2-3 times to maintain the natural lip colour.

* Maintain a regular night lip regime. For this you can take half a teaspoon of glycerin, castor oil and lemon juice. Apply this mixture on to your lips and leave overnight.

* Drinking up to 12 glasses of water keeps your body and lips hydrated and helps stimulate the blood circulation of the skin.