Dark Lips Remedy: Soft and pink lips are something we all desire. Not only does it improve your appearance, but also is a sign that your lips are healthy. Chapped lips are unsightly and can cause bleeding in severe cases. Chapped or dark pigmented lips are a concern to many, but with simple remedies, you can easily lighten your lips, make them soft and pink.
Some people develop darker lips over time due to a range of medical and lifestyle factors. Read on to learn about the causes of dark lips and some home remedies to lighten them.
Home remedies for dark lips
Having dry skin on the lips can make them appear darker or dull. Some simple home remedies can help keep the lips looking and feeling healthy.
1. Honey-Sugar Scrub
You can use a yummy honey and sugar scrub to give your lips a little TLC. This scrub is very gentle, making it well-suited to the tender skin of your lips. Sugar scrubs are best known for their efficiency in exfoliation. This scrub will gently exfoliate the dead skin cells, which often give your lips an unpleasant appearance.
How To Apply:
- Put 1 tablespoon of brown sugar in a small bowl and 1 tablespoon of honey to it
- Mix the ingredients thoroughly. Apply the scrub over your lips with your finger
- Lightly massage it on your lips for 1 minute
- Leave the scrub on your lips for a few minutes before washing it off with plain water
2. Lemon and Sugar
Lemon is an excellent natural bleaching agent, and sugar helps to exfoliate all the dead skin cells. The citric acid in lemon juice helps to lighten the dark shade of lips, in turn, making your lips look pink.
How To Apply:
- Cut a thin slice of lemon and sprinkle some sugar on it
- Rub this sugary slice on your lips for a couple of minutes
- Soon you will notice that your lips will begin to get lighter
3. Almond oil lip massage
Massaging oil into the lips can help moisturize them and boost circulation. Blood vessels in the lips help give them color, and massaging them can boost blood flow to the area. (Dark Lips Remedy)
How To Apply:
- Use a good quality almond or coconut oil as a natural remedy for dry lips
Gently rub the oil into the lips a few times per day - The effects should be noticeable within a day or two
4. Milk and turmeric
Turmeric is a well-known Ayurvedic ingredient that helps in treating pigmentation. But its use isn’t limited to skin brightening. Turmeric combined with milk is used for treating dark lips.
How To Apply:
- Mix half a teaspoon of turmeric in one teaspoon of milk to form a paste
- Apply this paste to your lips and leave it on for about 5 minutes
- Once the paste has dried, scrub it off gently. Clean your lips with warm water and then apply a hydrating lip balm
- Repeat this process on alternate days to see a significant change
5. Pomegranate seeds and milk
Pomegranate works great in lightening pigmented lips. It contains a compound called punicalagin which prevents the production of melanin And also prevents your lips from getting darker when exposed to the sun.
How To Apply:
- Take a handful of pomegranate seeds and grind them
- Mix the fine pomegranate seed with some milk cream
- Apply this mixture onto your lips. Leave it to dry for about 15 minutes
- Wash off with cold water
6. Beetroot Juice
If you’ve ever eaten beetroot, you’d have noticed how it turns everything from the tongue to the teeth pink. Beetroot has naturally occurring red pigments that help in making your lips pink.
How To Apply:
- Take one tablespoon of beetroot juice with an equal quantity of honey
- Wet your lips with a piece of cotton and massage this liquid over your lips
- Leave it on overnight
- Continue this for a week to get naturally pink lips
7. Aloe Vera
Aloe vera contains aloin, a compound with depigmenting properties.
How To Apply:
- Take half a teaspoon of freshly extracted aloe vera gel
- Apply it to your lips
- Rinse with plain water
- You may do this 1-2 times daily
Also read: How To Get Rid Of Dark Skin Armpits
8. Sesame Oil
Sesame oil contains an active lignan called sesamol, which was found to inhibit the biosynthesis of melanin in animal studies. Hence, sesame oil may also help in lightening dark lips.
How To Apply:
- Apply sesame oil on your lips and leave it on until it dries
- You may reapply the oil as necessary
- You can do this 2-3 times daily
Also read: Get brighter and younger-looking skin: Beauty Trends
What Causes Dark Lips?
1. Lifestyle Reasons For Dark Lips
One of the most common reasons for dark lips is smoking. Dark lips are also caused by hyperpigmentation when the skin produces extra melanin. Hyperpigmentation of the lips can occur due to dehydration or even drinking excessive amounts of coffee.
Being in the sun for too long or having an allergy to chemicals present in lipsticks or toothpaste (fluoride) can also cause dark lips.
2. Medical Reasons For Dark Lips
Medical conditions such as anemia, chemotherapy, and a lack of certain vitamins can also result in dark lips. Certain medications like antimalarial tablets or even the antibiotic minocycline can cause pigmentation.
A medical condition known as Addison’s Disease can also result in dark lips due to a faulty immune system, which prevents the necessary hormones required by the body from being produced by the adrenal gland.
Can turmeric lighten dark lips?
- Yes. Turmeric has curcumin which works as a tyrosinase inhibitor. Thus reducing melanin production.
- You can mix turmeric+sugar+lemon+honey and scrub your lips.
- You can also mix turmeric+ milk and use it as a lip mask. Then scrub it off with a toothbrush.
Lip scrub for dark lips
Lighten Dark Lips With DIY Homemade Scrubs, Medical Treatments & Daily Care
1. Lemon+sugar lip scrub for dark lips
From smoking to dehydration, there are many causes of dark lips. If you want to get rid of dark lips, you need an exfoliating agent and a bleaching agent for your lips. For this, make a lemon and sugar lip scrub. Mix 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 2 teaspoons granulated sugar in a small bowl. Use this to scrub your lips thrice a week. (Dark Lips Remedy)
2.Coconut+honey lip scrub for dry lips
Dry lips are a result of pollution, lack of water, and care. To get rid of dryness on your lips, make a coconut and honey lip scrub. Mix 1 tablespoon coconut oil with 1 tablespoon honey. Honey is a natural humectant and emollient while the antioxidant properties of coconut oil will make your lips pink.
3. Coffee+olive oil lip scrub for flaky lips
The abrasive texture of coffee helps you get rid of flaky lips while olive oil leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth. To make this lip scrub, first, add 1 teaspoon ground coffee and 1 teaspoon olive oil to a small bowl. Mix this and scrub your lips with this every day.
How to Lighten Dark Lips Permanently
1. Using Bleaching Cream
(A) Wash your lips with a gentle cleanser and pat them dry: It is important that your lips are clean and free of any food or residue. Use a gentle face cleanser to wash your lips. Avoid scrubbing or exfoliating them. Rinse your lips off with cool water and pat them dry with a clean towel.
- Use a cleanser that is free of fragrance so you don’t irritate your lips.
(B) Apply a thin layer of bleaching cream over your lips once a day: Choose a mild bleaching cream that is made specifically for your lips. Look for the ingredient hydroquinone, which is specifically for lightening skin. Spread a thin layer of bleaching cream onto your lips once per day. Lip skin is very thin, so it is important not to overuse bleaching cream.
- You can purchase bleaching creams at most beauty supply stores.
- Wash your hands after applying the bleaching cream.
(C) Leave the bleaching cream on overnight or as directed: Bleaching cream needs to sit on your skin for a few hours in order to work. Let the bleaching cream sit on your lips overnight or as directed by your doctor. Let it dry before you lay your head on a pillow so that it doesn’t wipe off.
- Do not leave bleaching cream on for longer than 12 hours. Bleaching cream can damage your lips.
- Make sure your bleaching cream does not contain more than 2% of its active ingredient. Anything more will be too harsh for your lips.
(D) Use bleaching cream daily for 3 to 4 months. If your doctor prescribed bleaching cream, use it as long as you are directed. Do not use bleaching cream for longer than 4 months at a time, or it could permanently damage your lip skin. If you get your desired results before 4 months, stop using the cream.
- Your lips may be more sensitive to sunlight when you use bleaching cream. Wear sunscreen on your lips anytime you are outdoors for an extended period of time.
2. Getting a Laser Treatment
(A) Contact a licensed dermatologist for a KTP laser treatment: KTP lasers are less intense than other lasers that dermatologists use. The laser concentrates on darkly pigmented skin and enters the cells to kill only those skin cells that are dark in color. Call a dermatologist near you to set up an initial appointment and talk about what treatment you’d like to have done.
- KTP lasers are not usually used on people with darker skin tones, since the lasers target dark skin cells.
(B) Attend 2 to 4 sessions to lighten your lips fully. KTP lasers usually take between 2 and 4 sessions to get your desired results. Make sure you attend each session when your dermatologist tells you to. Tell your dermatologist if you think you need more sessions to lighten your lips fully.
- Warning: KTP lasers can provide some slight discomfort. Let your dermatologist know if you are in extreme pain during your treatment.
(C) Keep your lips cool for a few hours after your treatment as you heal. Since KTP lasers can make your lips feel uncomfortable, your dermatologist may prescribe you an anesthetic topical to apply after your treatment. Apply this as directed by your doctor. Use an ice pack if your lips are red or swollen, and avoid drinking hot liquids for a few hours after your treatment. (Dark Lips Remedy)
- KTP lasers do not usually leave scars or bruises.
3. Changing Your Habits
(A) Drink water throughout the day. Lips are skin too, and they need to stay moisturized. Dehydrated lips could become dark or enhance any dark spots already there. Try to drink a glass of water each time you are feeling thirsty, and avoid dehydrating liquids with caffeine or alcohol in them. (Dark Lips Remedy)
- Drink extra water after exercising or sweating heavily.
(B) Stop staining your lips with cigarettes, soda, and coffee. Dark liquids like coffee and soda serve to dehydrate your lips as well as stain them. Cigarettes stain your lips with nicotine and other chemicals. Cut down on both cigarettes and dehydrating liquids to avoid darkening your lips further
- Consider using a straw to drink coffee to avoid staining your lips.
(C) Exfoliate your lips once a week with a scrub. Keeping your lips exfoliated will encourage new cell growth and can promote healthy, less dark skin. Wash your lips once a week with an exfoliating scrub. Do not exfoliate more than once a week, or you could irritate your thin lip skin. ( Dark Lips Remedy)
- Tip: Make your own lip scrub by combining 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of honey, 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of olive oil, and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of brown sugar.