Black doesn’t always mean the literal color “black”, It is also synonymous with something that has turned cold and become lifeless! Anything if not taken care of, becomes dull, pale, and dark! Lips are one such delicate parts of our body that cannot moisturize itself, and a generic lip balm does not suffice to provide it with the ultimate care.

While there are many options available like lip surgeries and treatments, one cannot completely rely on them plus there are heavy chances of mishaps and side effects! 

So what can you do to prevent your lips from turning black? Laser treatments? Fairness creams? NO! You can start identifying the root cause behind it and begin taking care of them with natural and organic lip essentials!

Reasons and Remedies for Dark Lips :

Heredity passes on more than half of your traits and features! People of color may have genetically dark lips! They just have to focus on making their lips naturally beautiful by taking care of them! 

Here is the key difference between Hyperpigmentation and Skin of color:

 Apart from that, these reasons are majorly responsible for dark lips:

1. Sun Exposure

UV rays are one of the biggest factors responsible for making lips pigmented and dark! Sun sucks the life out of our lips and makes them lose their natural texture and shine! 

Remedies/ Suggestions- You can start wearing a Lip SPF along with your daily sunscreen. You will be able to witness a huge change in your lip texture and color!

2. Lip Licking and Biting 

When you lick your lips, Saliva touches the skin of your lips and makes their condition worse! It contains enzymes that are harmful to your lip skin! When you peel out your lip skin, your lips get exposed to sensitivity and dryness! The more you bite, the more chaps will appear, and the more will be the urge to bite them again, and there it will begin a vicious cycle!

Remedies/ Suggestions- Start resisting the urge to lick, and find distractions, if you are addicted to lip licking and biting try out meditation and therapy! You can also start by keeping yourself busy and occupied! You may also try chewing a pack of gum instead of your lips!

3. Diet and Dehydration

Your body needs to be internally hydrated then only it will feel moisturized from the outside! 

Extremely Salty and Spicy edibles can make lips dry and prone to pigmentation! What you intake can make a lot of difference in your lip and skin care journey! 

Remedies/ Suggestions- Make Healthy Food your Best Friend, Cut off on extremely salty and spicy munchies, and Have a Balanced diet with all the vitamins and minerals!  

Make sure you drink plenty of water every day! 

4. Allergies 

Allergies are the most common reason for dark lips! Lip lick dermatitis, Atopic dermatitis, Melasma, and Allergies to a specific product or ingredient might cause black lips!

Remedies/ Suggestions-

Always do a patch test! With lips, it becomes difficult to do a patch test but you can do it by applying a thin layer of the product once and leaving it to see if there are any reactions or not! Check ingredients and consult a doctor if you encounter any serious lip irritation or bleeding! 

5. Health Issues and Side effects 

Several health issues cause dark lips directly or indirectly as a side effect of that health issue’s medication! Mouth Cancer, Lip Cancer, etc, not to scare you off, but these might also be the cause of lips getting black! 

Remedies/ Suggestions-

Always consult a dermatologist if the dryness, bleeding, or itching continues for a prolonged period! Never lick or bite your lips if they are suffering from health issues or any serious allergies! Use hypoallergenic balms and products recommended by your doctor!

Check if you take any medications which cause dark, dry, and chapped lips as a side effect! 

6. Expired or Unsuitable Products

Applying Expired products can lead to reactions on your lips because they contain chemicals and preservatives that might change their composition after a certain time!

Remedies/ Suggestions-

Always use products that have a shelf life left of at least a year or two! Check your vanity and throw away expired products even if they look and smell just fine! Fragrance and appearance are not a judge of efficacy! 

7. Unsuitable Products and Makeup

Using products that are meant for your face on your lips can dry them out and make their condition much worse!

Lip skin is far more delicate and thinner than the rest of your body! If body care products are not recommended on your face, the face being more sensitive than the body, the degree of damage caused to the lip barrier by using face washes or body washes can be drastic, in turn causing dark, dry, and chapped lips!

Matte Lipsticks are responsible for dryness and pigmented lips! Not washing lipstick can also add to the list of black sheep!

Remedies/ Suggestions-

There are plenty of lip care products available in the market, there are brands that are specialized in the lip care genre and make lip care essentials catering to any and every lip care need! Try them out and start following a regime for effective results! 

8. Smoking 

Smoking and Vaping make lips dark, dry, and wrinkle-ridden! When you hold a cigarette and purse your lips, the wrinkles start to form, and the tobacco and the nicotine cause darkness and flakiness! 

How to treat Smoker’s Lips?

While there are many laser treatments and creams available that claim making dark lips pinker, We have a simple and easy guideline made for you-

Step-1- Stop Smoking! Even if you try out the best lip care essentials with every possible care, They won't be of any use if you keep on smoking along with them! Try out other options like a nicotine patch if you find quitting smoking difficult!

There are many therapies and treatments also available for the same! We understand quitting smoking is a tough habit which is why you can start quitting one, one day at a time!

Step 2- Look for lip care products that contain powerful lip-care actives that are proven to fight smokers’ lips like Ferulic Acid and Lactobionic Acid! 

Step-3- Follow a Regime- Lips damaged by smoking are wrinkled, pigmented, dry, and have lost all their texture! To fix all of it, You will have to follow a proper lip care routine by CLEANSING, MILDLY EXFOLIATING, MOISTURIZING, TREATING, AND HEALING LIPS!

Though it will take a certain amount of time to regain the original color, It is possible to heal them! Eat well along with your lip care essentials so you get the nutrients and minerals your body needs and heal your body from the inside out! This will help you flush out the toxins! 

Why is the upper lip darker than the lower?

It is natural for the upper lip, to be darker than the lower! There are numerous reasons responsible for two-toned lips! Other than the genetic one, these might be responsible:

• Hair Removal Methods: Waxing the upper lip area may result in the appearance of dark patches. Repeated use of razors for shaving upper lips darkens them due to friction.

• Skin Disorders: Melasma causes dark spots, especially on the cheeks, nose, and upper lip area. Eczemas and conditions like atopic dermatitis. Lip lick dermatitis may cause hyperpigmentation due to repeated lip-licking. Allergy to lipsticks and lip balms may extend to the upper lip area. 

• Growth of unwanted thickened hairs like hirsutism can leave the impression of a darker upper lip.

How to Treat Black Lips :

 1. Find your perfect match-

Picking the most suitable lip product for your lips is a big deal! Especially when there are thousands of products available in the market, the fear of allergies, and barrier damage, and what if you invest so much in a product and never get that kind of return? Begin a concern-based study and find out the products that are best in line for a specific concern! Try

Regimen-based products- One product boosts the efficacy of the other! Check for genuine reviews, speak with the company’s lip specialists, or get a lip care consultation if they provide one! 

2. Look for skin-safe ingredients-

Before calling a product home, Check on the ingredients list and see if it contains lip-friendly ingredients and does not have any toxins!

Some ingredients do more harm than good like Camphor, Eucalyptus, Lanolin, Menthol, Fragrance-based products, Artificial flavors, Octinoxate or oxybenzone, Phenol (or phenyl), Propyl gallate, Parabens, etc. If a product contains any of these, it might as well add a label that adds up to your lip concern instead of battling it! Always see if you have any allergies to the ingredients mentioned in the product description!

THE GOODIES- Look for actives like Alpha Arbutin, Pracaxi Seed Oil, Ferulic Acid, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, and PHA Lactobionic Acid! They are proven to fight lip pigmentation, hyperpigmentation, lip aging, and lip lines, providing 10x hydration and intense nourishment!

3. Follow a Lip care Regimen- 

You should follow a lip care regimen by cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, and treating your lips! Each step is exclusive of its benefits and supports the other steps in their efficacy to treat dark, chapped, and dry lips! 

Every Single Step has its Relevance-

Cleansing- Ensures Lips are fresh, cleansed, and unpigmented! 

Exfoliating- Removes dead lip cells, and makes lips smooth and plump!

Moisturising- Hydrates and Nourishes Lips!

Healing and Treating- Treat Lip Concerns and provides 10x hydration! 

4. Eat Healthy and Drink Water Adequately- 

Vitamins can also be called Lip Care Food. You can include them in your daily diet and start being consistent with proper nutrition for effective results. Foods rich in vitamins A, C, E, and Zinc are majorly recommended for Lip Health. Drink at least 8-9 glasses of water every day to make your body hydrated! 

5. Limit your sun exposure and Apply Lip SPF-

This helps you protect your lips from sun damage and pigmentation! Apply a good SPF instead of burying your lips under makeup and damaging them! Not every lipstick contains an SPF! It is always advised to apply lip sunscreen under lipstick too!

Conclusion:

It is indeed, a very tough process to identify the root cause of dark lips! 

From looking for the best options suitable for your lip type and concern to cut off on your daily rituals, eating habits, and things that you might love to achieve healthy lips but trust us, It will all be worth your while! 

Begin one step at a time! Gradually everything will fall into place!

When you see your lips improving and getting plumper and pinker in health, Your efforts will feel paid off! No hard work goes in vain if you give your heart and soul to it! And if you need a helping hand in your lip care journey, You can always reach out to us for any and every lip care concern!