Does Putting Toothpaste On Your Lips Make Them Bigger?

When it comes to playing around with different makeup looks, our lips have the innate ability to look completely different with simply the addition of a new liner, stain, balm, or gloss. There's so much to play with, but most of us don't realize just how sensitive our lips are and how easy it is to damage them. Still, if there's a new DIY trick to making them look plump and juicy, we're on it before you can say "shot glass."

Taking care of our lips is very important, as a post by StyleCaster notes, because, just like any other part of our skin, they need to be moisturized and exfoliated to slow the aging process and keep them looking firm and gorgeous — all the better for applying lipsticks and glosses.

The good news is there are tons of easy, at-home methods to help your lips look their best, including massaging them to increase their natural red color. Be sure not to lick them too much, though. While it may feel hydrating, too much saliva can actually dry them out.

Huda Beauty notes that priming your lips is essential when it comes to using makeup, and contouring them cleverly can help to make your pout really pop. Likewise, if you highlight your Cupid's bow, it could also assist with a fuller-looking pout. Even over-lining them a little bit can make your lips look bigger. Just make sure you go for Kylie Jenner rather than the Joker if you're considering doing so. A dedicated lip-plumping balm can help, too, if you're willing to shell out a little more for it.

However, if there's one old wives' tale that just won't go away, it's the idea that putting toothpaste, of all things, on your lips will make them appear fuller. Huda Beauty, for instance, suggests covering your lips with a "thick layer of toothpaste," leaving it on for ten seconds, and then wiping it off to reveal a "smooth, plump pout."

However, StyleCaster claims toothpaste can dry out your lips because of the sodium laurel sulfate contained in many of the most popular brands. Likewise, HelloGiggles states that toothpaste might be the culprit for some of our worst chapped lip nightmares. And a first-person account from Little Things concedes that, although lips tingle considerably after application, toothpaste doesn't have that much of an effect otherwise.