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Suggest natural remedies to lighten dark lips due to smoking? (query)

Want to lighten dark, smokers lips? Here are some great home remedies that actually work. Continue reading →

Read this in Tamil, Hindi.

If you are a smoker, you have probably noticed your lips getting darker. Dark lips are one of the most aesthetically challenging ill effect of smoking. With a lot of people looking for natural ways to lighten the colour of their lips, we decided to help you out.

Why does it happen?

Smoking has many drastic effects on the body and one of the most noticeable ones is darkening of lips and skin around the mouth. This usually happens due to a number of reasons.

The tobacco and tar: Abundantly present in cigarettes, tar tends to stain your lips, teeth and gums, in turn giving them a blackish-blue hue.

Heat from the cigarette: Another reason for dark lips is the extreme heat from the inhaled smoke. When you light up and draw in the smoke from a cigarette, the heat of the smoke tends to affect the amount of melanin released in that area of the body. Melanin is a compound in the body that is responsible for colour of your skin. The darker you are the more melanin you have. One of its most important functions is to protect the body from UV rays and heat. That is why, when you smoke, the heat from the cigarette triggers the production of more melanin around your lips – making them darker.

Rupture of capillaries: The third reason is the fact that tiny capillaries present just below the surface of your lips tend to burst, giving your lips a blackish hue.

Lack of oxygen supply: Finally, the lack of oxygen circulating in your body makes your lips bluish as it does not get enough oxygen supply.

Tips and tricks:

The first step to getting back the colour of your lips is to stop smoking. Quitting can have some really amazing and immediate effects on your body. Apart from that, drinking enough water and keeping your lips well moisturised is an essential part of getting back their colour. Another great way to help your lips regain their colour is to exfoliate them regularly and avoid licking your lips (as this will only make them drier and tend to cause a change in their colour).

Home remedies to lighten lips naturally

Toothbrush exfoliation: This is an extremely simple way to exfoliate your lips. All you need is to apply some petroleum jelly or olive oil on your lips and use a soft tooth brush to gently exfoliate them. Run the brush over your lips in gentle circular motions for about three to four minutes. Then wash your lips with some warm water and apply some desi ghee on them to keep them moisturised.

Sugar and lemon exfoliation: This is another method to exfoliate your lips. Take a teaspoon of sugar, add a few drops of olive oil and lemon to the mix. Now take this paste and apply it on your lips. Gently massage your lips with this paste using soft circular motions to exfoliate them. Once all the sugar has dissolved or fallen off, wash away the excess with normal water.

Lip packs

  1. Lemon and honey pack: This is a great bleaching and moisturising pack. The lemon helps to change the colour of your lips and the honey nourishes the lips, making them soft and supple. To make this pack, take equal quantities of the juice of a lemon and honey. Mix it well and apply this on your lips. Allow it to stay for about twenty to thirty minutes and wash it off with normal water. Honey is great for supple and soft skin, know more here.

  2. Glycerine and lemon pack: Again, a great natural bleaching and moisturising pack, this pack is best used just before you go to bed. Mix equal quantities of glycerine and lemon and apply this to your lips and allow it to stay overnight. Wash it off the next morning with normal water. Know other beauty benefits of glycerine here.

  3. Almond oil and honey pack: This pack uses the goodness of almonds and honey to change the colour of your lips. Mix some almond oil with honey in equal quantities and apply it to your lips. Now allow this mixture to stay for about thirty minutes and wash it off with plain water. Apply this pack three to four times a day for best results.

  4. Rose petals and milk pack: Roses have amazing effect on the lips. Not only does it lend them a pinkish hue, but it also nourishes the skin. This pack is especially good to exfoliate your lips and make them look fuller. To make this pack, crush some fresh rose petals and add milk cream (malai) and honey to the paste. Now mix it well and apply the paste to your lips. Allow it to stay for fifteen to twenty minutes and then wash it off first with milk and then with water. Here are some beauty benefits of raw milk.

  5. Beetroot pack: Beetroots have been used for centuries by women to make their lips look healthy, pink and plumper. But apart from the colour that beetroot lends to the lip,s it also adds to the overall health of the skin. Grate a little fresh beetroot and add some lemon and milk cream (malai) to the mix. Apply this paste on your lips and wash off after fifteen to twenty minutes.

  6. Turmeric and lemon pack: This pack employs the healing properties of turmeric and the bleaching effect of lemon to make it a great pack for lighter lips. Take a teaspoonful of turmeric and add the juice of half a lemon to it. Now mix well and apply this paste on your lips. Leave it on for about ten minutes and then wash off with water. Turmeric or haldi ensures glowing skin, know more about it here.

  7. Pomegranate and malai pack: The coarseness of pomegranate seeds and the colour it imparts is a very effective tool to change the colour of your lips from an unattractive blackish blue to healthy pink. To make this pack, grind a few pomegranate seeds into a coarse paste. Now, add some milk cream or malai to the paste and apply it on your lips. Allow it to stay for a few minutes and wash it off with normal water.

For all these home remedies to work, it is essential that you moisturise your lips well after you wash off the pack. Remember that these are home remedies, they will give results only after prolonged use. So, just follow any one of the tips and watch your lips go back to their original colour. Also, know how to make lip balm at home.

Click on the picture below for 6 home-made honey packs to nourish your skin and hair.

Image source: Getty Images

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