Lip Care

Best Natural Tips To Lighten Your Dark Lips, Permanently!

If dark lips are stopping you from showing off that awesome smile, we have here covered everything from its causes to the best ways to lighten your dark lips.


Written by Manal Yahya

On Dec 9, 2023 – 7 minutes read

How To Lighten Dark Lips Permanently

Tired of using lipsticks and tinted lip balms to lighten your dark lips? True, there are many cosmetic products out there that can conceal discoloration of lips. But in the long run, they might not be the solution you are looking for. Thankfully, nature has in store some remedies to lighten your lip skin. And we have some tips and tricks to revive and maintain the natural color of your lips. Let’s dive in.

How To Lighten Your Dark Lips Permanently?

how to lighten your dark lips

Our lips are made of a soft tissue membrane, unlike the rest of the skin on our body. They need delicate care and protection from external elements that cause hyperpigmentation.

Natural remedies are the ideal solution as hiding under chemical products will only do more harm than good in the long run.

How Do Lips Start Getting Darker?

One of the main causes of dark lips is hyper-pigmentation. It is the medical term for dark patches on the skin which are the result of excess production of melanin – the pigment responsible for the color of our skin.

Lip pigmentation can be caused by a range of factors from hormone fluctuations to our daily habits.

What Causes Dark Lips?

how to lighten dark lips permanently treatment
  • Sun exposure
  • Dehydration 
  • Vitamin deficiencies 
  • Cigarette smoking
  • Hormonal imbalance 
  • Buildup of dry skin 
  • Lip sucking 
  • Excessive coffee intake
  • Allergic reaction to toothpaste, lipstick, etc. 
  • Chemotherapy or radiation 
  • Constant lip biting or licking
  • Usage of expired products
  • Hereditary

Tips To Lighten Dark Lips At Home

The best ways to lighten dark lips are staying hydrated, keeping moisturizing, exfoliating regularly, increasing blood circulation with massaging, a balanced diet, and protecting from harmful UV rays. 

💋 Keep Your Lips Moisturized 

Use lip balms of good quality and those which contain shea butter, cocoa butter, and almond oil, or lip balms made from natural ingredients. You can even make lip balm or a moisturizing lip gloss at home and keep them handy.

Lip oils are another great option. Massaging your lips with Vitamin E oil or aloe vera gel help your lips retain moisture. 

Moisturize using a drop or two of any of these at night before bed and leave it overnight.

  • Almond oil
  • Coconut oil
  • Castor oil
  • Olive oil
  • Mustard oil
  • Rose water

💋 Stay Hydrated 

Mere external application of moisture is never enough, internal hydration is significant as well.

how to lighten dark lips permanently overnight

Staying hydrated is important to keep your lips healthy and heals cracked lips. You will see changes not just on your lips, but on your entire face and body.

💋 Lip Packs

Try our DIY lip packs with skin lightening, moisturizing and skin nourishing ingredients for naturally pink lips.

how to lighten dark lips permanently products
  • Cucumber – Juice half a cucumber and cool it in the refrigerator. Once the juice is cool, use a ball of cotton to dip and apply to your lips. Leave it on for 30 minutes or so, then rinse with cold water. 
  • Strawberry – Crush five medium-sized strawberries and mix them with 2 teaspoons of baking soda to make a paste. Apply before sleeping and rinse off with cold water in the morning. 
  • Almond – Blend 1 tablespoon of dairy cream and enough almond powder to make a paste, and massage your lips with the paste. Let it dry for five minutes and rinse off with lukewarm water. 
  • Beetroot – Grind beetroot into a fine paste and apply to your lips twice a week for 5 to 10 minutes, then rinse off. 
  • Rose petals – Crush a few rose petals and add 1 teaspoon of honey or milk powder. Make a paste and apply for 10 to 15 minutes. Wipe off with damp cotton and apply your lip balm. 
  • Ice cubes – Massage your lips with ice cubes for five minutes, twice or thrice a day to increase blood circulation. This will make your lips plump and red.

💋 Exfoliate Your Lips Regularly 

Exfoliating your lips will help you get rid of dark, dead skin and make your lips soft, light, and moisturized(2). It will lighten dark lips by restoring your natural rosy, plump lips. 

dark lips treatment products

DIY Sugar Scrub

How to: Mix sugar with honey or coconut oil or olive oil. Take 1 tablespoon of sugar and mix with 1 tablespoon of honey. Apply the scrub over your lips and massage for a minute. Repeat 2 or 3 times a week.

Brown sugar will be much gentler than white sugar. Glycolic acid present in it conditions the skin. It is also rich in antioxidants. 

Toothbrush Exfoliation

This is an extremely simple yet effective way to exfoliate your lips. All you need is to apply some olive oil on your lips and use a soft toothbrush to run over your lips in gentle circular motions.

How can I make my lips pinker overnight?

Do this for 3 to 4 minutes. Then rinse off with some warm water and apply some moisturizer. You’re good to glow! 

Baking Soda Scrub 

Yes, baking soda does the magic! Exfoliate and lightens lips to be exact. Take 1 or 2 teaspoons of baking soda and add a little amount of water to make a paste. Gently massage your lips with them to remove dead cells.

💋 Natural Lip Lightening Agents

Natural lighteners like honey and lemon to lighten and moisturize at the same time (1) Here are some of the most effective natural lip care options.

lip scrub for dark lips

Lemon Juice

Apply freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar to your lips and give them a good massage in a circular motion. Lemon is a bleaching agent that will you help you lighten dark lips permanently.

Pomegranate Seeds

Pomegranate helps in lightening pigmented lips. Mix ground pomegranate seeds with some milk cream. Gently apply this on your lips in a circular motion and allow it to dry for 15 minutes. Rinse off with cold water.

Turmeric

The curcumin in turmeric helps in lightening your lips. Take 1 or 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder, and mix it with a few drops of water to make a thick paste. Apply it onto your lips and allow it to dry. Rinse with water. Do this once daily.

💋 Solid Protection From UV Rays

lip lightening scrub

Excessive exposure to the sun will make your lips dark and dull. Use good quality lip balms with SPF(3) of 40 or more when you are out. Your lips need total protection from those harmful UVA & UVB rays to not be dry, cracked, or sore.

💋 A Balanced Diet for Healthy Lips!

What you take inside plays a vital role in what you see outside. So, it’s essential to clear your diet to lighten dark lips. Eat a lot of fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables that are rich in nutrition.

how to get rid of dark lips overnight

Balance your diet to be vitamin-rich as vitamins like Vitamin C naturally moisturizes and help in reducing pigmentation.

💋 Dark Lips Cosmetic Treatments

To reduce the production of melanin, several medical treatments and creams are available today. Here are a few dark lip treatments recommended by dermatologists:

  • Laser Treatment: Q-switched laser is a popular treatment for lip skin lightening. Many people prefer Spectra Gold laser for lip lightening as it’s safe. It will reduce the pigmentation effectively within a  few sessions.  
  • Topical Creams: Topical lip lightening creams aim at reducing the melanin pigment as it is a depigmenting cream. Retinoic acid creams are also under this category. It acts as a skin-lightening agent. 
  • Chemical Peels: Chemical peels containing arginine and lactic acid are responsible for peeling the pigmented skin leaving out the soft and subtle interior skin. It also removes dead skin cells giving your lips a fresh and hydrated look, and improving the texture and color of the skin.
  • Dermal Fillers: Dermal fillers also known as lip fillers, that make your lips plump and hydrated. It is an FDA-approved medical treatment for making the tissues softer for a smoother appearance.
  • Permanent Makeup: Permanent lipstick, also known as lip tattooing deals with coloring lips with the use of specialized ink. Even though these are called permanent, touch-up sessions are needed to maintain the achieved results. It is the quickest fix for darker lips.
  • Medi Facials: Medi facials are customized facials that include lip lightening procedures such as Oxyjet and Hydradermabrasion that exfoliates your lips. Such medical treatments are safe as well.

End Note

With natural remedies be patient and consistent in trying these to lighten dark lips. Keep in mind to always be gentle with your lips while scrubbing. Too much exfoliation might damage your lips and irritate you. We don’t want that, do we? Exfoliate no more than once a week. Do not forget to moisturize after you are done!I hope you found the right answer from us!

  1. Patch Media. (2019) .10 Tips To Get Kissalicious Lips Back: Lighten Dark Lips Naturally.[online] Available at

    https://patch.com/illinois/chicagoheights/10-tips-get-kissalicious-lips-back-lighten-dark-lips-naturally
  2. WikiHow.(n.d).How To Lighten Dark Lips.[online] Available at:

    https://www.wikihow.com/Lighten-Dark-Lips
  3. The Skin Cancer Foundation. (2019). Does a High SPF Protect My Skin Better?.[online] Available at:

    https://skincancer.org/blog/ask-the-expert-does-a-high-spf-protect-my-skin-better/

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Manal

Manal is a lifestyle influencer who has spent years delving into the world of beauty, fashion, and wellness- a pro when it comes to anything woman.

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