If you've ever found yourself searching for a dark lips remedy, you’re not alone. While dark lipstick may look flattering, naturally dark lips can less desirable for some. When lips lose their natural flush of colour and turn grey or dark, this discolouration is called lip hyperpigmentation.
Just like our body contains melanin that determines the colour of our skin, the skin on our lips lack the skin cells called melanocytes that produce pigment. Lips are covered with thin and delicate layer of skin, making the blood vessels to appear more prominently, giving them their pink colour.
When we notably see that our lips are turning dark, there could be many factors leading to it. Most of the time, it’s due to environmental or lifestyle factors that lead to the darkness of the lips. Below we will discuss what are the dark lips causes and remedies to take care of our pout. We will also give you some tips on home remedies for dark lips.
Dark Lip Basics
Lips are only covered with three to five layers of cells, unlike most of the skin which is covered with about 16. This means that the thin skin of our lips is more vulnerable to damage such as darkness, dryness, dullness and discolouration.
The outside part, where lipstick is applied, is called the vermillion. The vermillion doesn’t have the sweat or oil glands like the rest of our skin. The protective barriers are thin and hence our lips are more susceptible to pollution and UV damage.
Lack of moisture leads to discoloured, dark, hyperpigmented lips due to excess melanin production. This happens due to various reasons including sun exposure, smoking, pregnancy, certain medication or other medical issues. Less moisture also leads to dry lips. To combat dryness on lips, we suggest using Vaseline Lip Therapy Aloe Tin. The lightweight formula is made with aloe vera that helps soothe and heal dry lips by locking in moisture. Read on to find out dark lips causes and remedies. We will also discuss how to lighten dark lips at home.
Causes for Dark Lips
1. Sun Exposure
We often use a sun block to protect our skin from the damage caused by UV rays. But we forget about the most sensitive part, our lips. Excessive exposure to sun rays without any lip protection can stimulate an over-production of melanin, leading to pigmented or dark lips. Notable discolouration is visible in light to medium-coloured skin tones.
2. Smoking
Smoking is not only harmful to health but also is a major culprit of dark lips. People who smoke regularly often have dark line around the lips. As soon as you light a cigarette, nicotine and tar in tobacco transfers on the lips. This encourages melanin production on the skin and cause lips to darken over a period of time.
3. Dehydration
We all know hydration plays a key role in maintaining healthy skin and hair. But hydration is also important to maintain beautiful pink colour of our pout. A lack of water in the diet can cause dry, chapped, and irritated lips. So it’s important to drink at least eight glasses of water everyday and even more during winters.
Our lips suffer the most during winter due to extreme dryness. Dry lips are a major reason for dark and pigmented lips. Hence, keeping our body hydrated from within can help in reduce dry lips.
Other causes for dark lips can be due to medical reasons such as vitamin deficiency, makeup, allergies to lipsticks or toothpaste and any irritation or injury. Dark spots or hyperpigmentation on lips can also be caused when you are on high-dosage medications.
During pregnancy, some women may also experience darkness on lips and dark patches on nipples, forehead and even neck. However, these areas usually return to their natural colour post pregnancy. Most people also lick their lips thinking it will solve the issue of dryness. Instead, hyperpigmentation is worsened by lip licking. Saliva enzymes break down the lip colour and exposes them to further dry air creating hyperpigmentation to occur.
Remedies for Dark Lips
1. Wear a lip balm with SPF
Protecting the lips from UV rays is essential in treating dark or pigmented lips. Using lip balms prove to be hydrating for lips and prevents them from chapping. Furthermore, if lip balms or chap sticks contain SPF, lips are protected from harmful UV rays.
2. We recommend using Lakme Lip Love chap stick
With 22 hours of intense moisture and SPF 15, Lakme chap stick protects the lips when you are out and about in the sun.
3. Massage with lip oil every night
Include massaging your lips with oil in your night care routine. Massaging can improve blood circulation and better absorption of products. You can massage the lips using coconut oil, jojoba oil and almond oil. These oils have essential fats and minerals that leave the lips supple and hydrated.
Massage with any one of these oils for at least five minutes before going to sleep. Leave the oil overnight and wake up with soft lips.
4. Exfoliate regularly
While we may exfoliate our skin on weekly basis, we often forget about our lips. Moisturising and exfoliation must be included in our lip care routine. Exfoliation removes dead skin cells which allows better penetration of products and moisture hence reducing darkness on lips over a period of time.
You can resort to DIY home remedies to lighten the dark lips by preparing natural scrubs at home. You can mix coconut oil and sugar and exfoliate the lips with gentle pressure. Do not over exfoliate your lips as it can cause irritation and redness.
Deep exfoliation once a week will help retain moisture and follow it by sealing the moisture with a lip oil or balm throughout the day. Natural remedies to lighten dark lips are safe to use with no side-effects.
Discolouration or dark lips are not a major concern and can be reversed over time with proper lip care. However, if you see any skin lesions or irregular darkness or growth and shape change, you should see a doctor. You can get your pout back in business with extra TLC. Do not leave your lips out of your skin care routine.
FAQs about Dark Lips: Causes & Remedies
Q. Does drinking coffee darken the lips?
A. Yes. Drinking lots of coffee can make the lips dark. Caffeine present in coffee can stain the teeth as well as lips. Hence, reducing coffee intake can help in lightening dark lips.
Q. Is honey good for lips?
A. Yes. Honey has anti-bacterial properties and helps in healing wounds like bleeding caused by dry and cracked lips. You can apply raw honey for faster healing. To treat dry lips, you can make a honey scrub. Take a tablespoon of honey and mix it with sugar and use it to gently exfoliate your lips.
Q. Does glycerine help in getting rid of dark lips?
A. Sun exposure can lead to dry skin. Applying glycerine as a lip mask before going to bed can help in minimizing the water loss. It helps in keeping the lips hydrated overnight.
Written by Team BB on Sep 18, 2022