A smile is perhaps one of the first physical expressions one tends to notice when they meet someone new. Pigmented lips can make us conscious about our smile. There can be several reasons why a person might experience dark pigmented lips. Some are innate and natural and do not require a cure either. Some people have dark lips that are a direct result of environmental factors or lifestyle habits. Let's take a look at some of the most common reasons why people suffer from dark lips, some organic home remedies created from naturally derived ingredients that are known to have de-pigmenting properties and how a slight switch in your lip care regime can play a vital role in bringing back that rosy smile of yours.
Causes of dark lips
Often lips can be naturally pigmented owing to a greater proportion of melanin deposit within them. Genetic factors are at the root of this darker pigment and it does not require any fixing. Here, we have listed out some of the non- genetic factors that can cause your lips to appear darker;
1. Exposure to chemical cosmetics
Cosmetic makeup that we use regularly is often composed of several chemicals, some of which may not react well with our skin or create some form of allergic reactions which can cause the lips to appear darker or more pigmented.
2. Smoking
Smoking is known to be injurious to health but one impact of cigarettes that is often looked over is dark lips. Black lips due to smoking can be very commonly observed in most smokers. Nicotine, a chemical substance present in cigarettes, along with other harmful chemical substances, starves skin of oxygen and causes lip and gum melanin to darken.
3. Excessive consumption of caffeine
Regular or over-consumption of caffeine present in some of our favorite beverages like tea and coffee can leave stain on our teeth and lips, making them appear a lot darker.
4. Hyperpigmentation caused by sun exposure
Sun exposure can cause hyperpigmentation in the lip skin as well, making it a lot darker. Upon prolonged sun exposure the skin ends up producing more melanin than usual which can often be observed in the form of a skin tan and dark lips.
5. Lacking proper lip care regime
We tend to cover up our lips with chemical-laid lipsticks & tinted glosses so the underlying problem goes unnoticed and untended. Lip skin is a lot more sensitive and susceptible to damage than skin on rest of the body therefore making it imperative that there be a proper lip care regime to ensure that the lips receive the care they deserve.
6. Excessively biting one's lips
Often, when we experience dry and chapped lips, instead of going to the root of the problem and trying to fix it, we tend to reflexively bite at the dry ends of the lips or lick our lips excessively in order to keep them hydrated. What this does instead is that while drying up, the saliva causes the moisture from the lips to escape with it thus making lips drier, making them a tad darker in the process.
7. Lack of proper hydration
We are in the middle of hot sweltering summers. It is essential that we stay hydrated at all times. Not drinking enough water can also cause the skin to get dehydrated and one impact this can have on our lips is making them appear darker.
Lip Care Tips for Dark Lips
There are several home remedies for dark lips that we can include in our everyday lip care to help with lip lightening. We have listed out some of lip care tips for dark lips that might come handy next time you worry about that lip pigmentation.
1. Stay Hydrated
As we have observed in our previous discussion, lack of moisture can be a key factor contributing to dark lips. As you step out in the sun, make sure that you keep both, your SPF as well as your hydration in check to ensure healthy looking hyper-pigmentation free lips.
2. Reduce caffeine consumption
No matter how many skin care regimes one may follow, if one continues to stain their lips with caffeine over and over, the regime is bound to end up ineffective on your lips. Hence it is important that we also reduce our caffeine consumption to ensure that the lip lightening treatments are effective.
3. Avoid smoking cigarettes
This one needs the most emphasis, not just because of its negative impact on one's skin but an overall harmful impact on complete body health.
4. Exfoliate
Exfoliation is a crucial yet mostly overlooked part of any skincare regime. Over time, the dead skin cell deposit can make the skin appear dull and unhealthy. Exfoliating lips buffs away dead skin cells eliminating flaking and chapped skin and giving the lips a supple look. Lip skin is sensitive and it would be best to use natural ingredients to exfoliate it. Honey and cane sugar scrub and Vitamin C rich lemon extract with brown sugar and Vitamin E rich almond oil can also make up for a great homemade lip scrub for dark lips.
5. Moisturize
Once you have scrubbed your lips and gotten rid of the dead skin, the cells lock in the hydration and protect lips against external damage by keeping them moisturized. Honey is a great home remedy that can help moisturize your lips. Coconut oil and almond oil too are such easily available kitchen ingredients that can work wonders for your lips. Honey and beetroot extract mask are a great home-made lip balm for dark lips.
6. Eat healthy
Dark lips can at times be a symptom of an underlying nutrition deficiency. Therefore, it is extremely crucial that one ensures to keep a healthy and well-rounded diet to ensure that the underlying condition is fixed and they shall naturally get rid of dark lips as well.
TAC Lip Care Products for dark lips
TAC The Ayurveda Co. has its own wide range of lip care products that are infused with ayurvedic herbs that are potent lip lightening agents that can help give back your lips their natural rosy tint.
1. TAC Beetroot Lip Scrub
Enriched with the goodness of ayurvedic herbal miracle Ashwagandha, moisturizing Cocoa butter, and Beetroot extracts, TAC’s beetroot lip scrub helps buff away dead skin cells and helps gently exfoliate the sensitive lip skin. It can help keep your lips looking healthy and hydrated. The lip scrub rids your lips of flaking skin and helps your lip balm penetrate deeper into the skin dermis and restore the natural color of your lips. Our 100% natural and vegan formula coupled with gentle ayurvedic lip lightening agents make our beetroot lip scrub a great new entrant into your lip care regime.
2. TAC Beetroot Lip Butter
TAC’s Beetroot lip balm with its incredibly rich and hydrating formula enriched distilled and cold-pressed essential oils and butter hydrates and deeply moisturizes dry, chapped lips. It's free from synthetic chemicals and petroleum products thus making it extremely gentle on your sensitive lip skin. Beetroot Lip Butter adds a natural pink stain to your lips that is derived from beetroot extracts that also help lighten dark lips. Enriched with essential oil and vitamin E, it helps boost collagen and blood circulation making the lips healthier and naturally rosy.
