5 Must Try Home Remedies To Treat Dark Lips

Have your lips become dark and discolored? Smoking is a common cause of dark lips. Dry, sun-damaged lips too can look dull and dark. You may even notice dark spots on your lips, which are usually just lip freckles. Protecting your lips from the sun as well as using skin-lightening agents can fade them. But before you start with home remedies, quit smoking if you do smoke. Also rule out conditions like:

- Melasma: a skin disorder with dark, usually symmetrical patches of skin develop on the forehead, nose, cheeks, or upper lip.

- Acanthosis nigricans: a skin disorder with dark velvety patches of skin on your neck, armpits, groin, lips, and palms.

- Peutz-Jeghers syndrome: a genetic disorder that causes small black-brown spots on your lips, gums, and inside your mouth.

# Use Sunscreen For Lips

You might already be using a sunscreen on your face, but did you know that your lips need protection from the sun too? Sun exposure can not only darken skin but also damage it and make you vulnerable to cancer. Apply a sunscreen meant for the lips with a minimum SPF of 15. Use this the whole year round, and take care to reapply sunscreen if you’re out in the sun.

# Exfoliate With Sugar

Dry dead skin can make your lips look dull and dark. Exfoliate regularly to remove dead skin cells from your lips. You can use sugar to make an effective scrub.

What To Do

Mix a teaspoon of olive oil with a teaspoon of brown or regular sugar to make a coarse paste. Wet your lips and apply this scrub. Gently rub the scrub over your lips and let it sit for around 5 minutes. Rinse off with water and seal in the moisture with a lip balm.

# Hydrate With Honey

Honey is a powerful humectant, that is, it can draw moisture to the surface of your lips.7 8 But that’s not all, honey also has healing properties. It helps repair wounds and promotes healing in sunburns. So, if you have sun damaged or chapped and split lips, honey can be helpful.

What To Do

Wet your lips and apply a layer of honey. Leave the honey on overnight and remember to seal in the moisture with a lip balm for hydrated pink lips. A beeswax lip balm will get the job done.

# Protect With Beeswax

Beeswax is a waxy substance produced by bees that’s used in the construction of their hives. It can form a protective cover on your skin and prevent moisture loss. It has also been found to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

What To Do

Microwave ¼ of a cup of beeswax and ¼ of a cup of avocado butter at 30-second intervals till they melt together. Pour it into a clean container and use as a lip balm.

# Try Natural Skin Lighteners

A pigment known as melanin present in our skin is responsible for our skin color. Our lips naturally contain less melanin, but if you’re troubled by hyperpigmentation, skin-lightening agents can help reduce melanin levels and lighten your skin. You can try these:

Turmeric

Turmeric has been traditionally used to lighten skin in Southeast Asia. According to research, curcumin, a component found in turmeric can inhibit the production of melanin. You can use this powerful spice to lighten dark lips but do keep in mind that turmeric can temporarily stain your lips yellow.

What To Do

Mix 1 teaspoon of turmeric into 1 tablespoon of creamy milk to make a paste. Apply this to your lips and leave it in for about 5 minutes. Rinse off and exfoliate with a little sugar. Finish off by applying a protective lip balm.