The Forgotten Three: Caring for Lips, Neck and Hands
Look at any well-loved skincare shelf and you will see the face is thoroughly spoken for: cleanser, serum, moisturiser, SPF. Yet the areas that often whisper someone's age first are not on the face at all. They are the lips that crack every July, the neck that creases from hours of looking down at a phone, and the hands that wash, sanitise and steer into the sun every single day.
With late winter air still doing its worst across South Africa, this week's post is a small love letter to the forgotten three: lips, neck and hands, and the one-minute rituals that keep them soft.
Why these zones struggle
Lips have no oil glands of their own and only a whisper-thin barrier, so they lose moisture faster than almost any other skin on the body. Licking them makes things worse: as the dermatologists at the American Academy of Dermatology explain, saliva evaporates and leaves lips drier than before, which is why they recommend a bland, non-irritating balm applied several times a day rather than anything tingly or fragranced.
The neck's skin is thinner than facial skin, with fewer oil glands and less structural support, so laxity and horizontal lines tend to appear here early, helped along by the hours we all spend looking down at screens. It also receives a fraction of the SPF we give our faces. Hands, meanwhile, contend with constant washing, winter wind and incidental sun through car windows, a combination that strips the skin barrier faster than it can rebuild.
The quick version
• Lips, neck and hands lack the oil-gland support your face enjoys, so they dry out and show age sooner.
• The fix is not a bigger routine; it is extending the one you have by a few centimetres and a few seconds.
• Balm at night, SPF by day, hand cream beside every sink.
• Consistency beats intensity: these zones respond beautifully to small daily care.
Lips: little luxuries that work hard
A good balm is the cheapest skincare upgrade there is. The cult classic Nuxe Rêve de Miel Lip Moisturising Stick (R185) earns its place in every coat pocket, while ISDIN Reparador Labial (R229) leans on ceramides for lips that have taken a beating from wind and weather. Local favourite DermaFix LipFix (R263) wraps lips in shea butter and vitamin E overnight, and the rose-scented Nuxe Very Rose Lip Balm (R375) turns reapplication into a small pleasure. When lip lines and lost fullness are the concern rather than simple dryness, iS Clinical Youth Lip Elixir (R1,470) is the considered, treatment-grade step up.
Neck: the zone your serum forgot
The simplest habit costs nothing: whatever serum and moisturiser is left on your palms after your face belongs on your neck, pressed in with upward strokes. If firmness is a real goal, a dedicated formula earns its keep. Lamelle Dermaheal Aging Reversal Neck Serum (R1,070) has quietly become the single most popular product at DailySkin over the past two months, and for good reason: it brings Lamelle's growth-factor and peptide science to exactly the area that shows laxity first. For a rich, targeted treatment, iS Clinical NeckPerfect Complex (R2,695) is the step-up our firming clients ask for by name; we explored routines like these in our recent guide to firming, replenishing skincare through menopause. And every morning, run your sunscreen from your face down to the décolletage.
Hands: the daily giveaway
Hand care succeeds on placement, not effort. Keep Nuxe Rêve de Miel Hand and Nail Cream (R225) beside the kitchen sink and reapply after washing, when skin is still slightly damp and drinks it in. On driving days, sweep your morning SPF over the backs of your hands too; the windscreen does not filter as much as we like to think.
The one-minute extension
- Evening: after brushing your teeth, apply a generous layer of balm to your lips.
- Then: press the remainder of your face serum or night cream into your neck, working upward.
- Last thing: hand cream before the light goes off, and again whenever you wash your hands.
- Morning: take your SPF from forehead to décolletage and over the backs of your hands.
Your questions, answered
Do I really need a separate neck cream?
Not necessarily. Extending your face products is a genuinely good start. Dedicated neck formulas earn their place when crepiness and laxity are already visible and you want ingredients targeted at exactly that.
Why do my lips feel worse after I lick them?
Saliva evaporates quickly and takes moisture with it, leaving lips drier than before. A balm within reach is the kindest way to break the cycle.
Can I wear balm under lipstick?
Yes, and you should in winter. Let it settle for a minute or two, blot gently, then apply colour as usual.
What about the eye area?
Another famously delicate zone, and one we have covered on its own: our winter eye care guide picks up where this post leaves off.
Every product above lives in our dry skin collection, alongside the wider NUXE range and our ageing collection. Ten soft minutes a week, three forgotten zones, one noticeably more finished ritual. Your skin. Your ritual. Your daily.
