I noticed lately that my lips are getting darker. Dark lips are a sign of dry lips, it also occurs for most people as they get older. Since I wear lipstick most of the day, no one noticed ;), but then, when I remove my makeup at the end of the day, or when I am too lazy to put on makeup, my lips are more like brown in color, than pink.
So I tried to use different recipes including one that includes turmeric and lemon juice that I found in a video (you can watch the video at the end of this post).
On that day, I ended up with yellow lips! I still laugh each time I remember the way my son looked at me when I stepped out of the bathroom while trying to hide my yellow lips!
Anyway, thanks to an old Indian recipe I learned a long time ago, I managed to remove all yellow stain from my face before my husband came back home!
Before I tell you the whole story, let us start from the basics….
As you age, skin cells shed-rate will decrease, and that means dead skin cells will start to accumulate on the surface, making your skin looks dull, flaky, and dry due to the existence of dry dead skin cells. So even if you moisturize your skin, your moisturizer will set on top of those cells, it won’t get far deep into your skin, and it won’t help moisturize your skin as much as you thought.
Want to get rid of these cells? Exfoliate!
Same applies to dry lips dull lips,i.e. dark lips. Exfoliating will help you lighten your lip’s tone and get rid of dry skin. This is because exfoliating helps the dead surface skin cells shed at a more normal rate, making room for the lower layers of newer skin cells.
Exfoliating not only helps get soft lips, but it also stimulates the blood circulation, so your lips will turn pink naturally.
You could buy scrubs from the market, but who would like to “accidentally” eat chemicals?!
I found that the best exfoliators for lips (and your whole body too) are the natural ones, here are my favorites:
You don’t have to be precise like you do when you make a cake, just put about a tablespoon of sugar and add a small teaspoon of honey or so, mix and gently scrub your lips. You can use the extra for your face, too.
You may also add few drops of lemon juice if you wish to slightly lighten your lips.
Olive oil is a great natural moisturizer for your skin, I hope you did not miss my previous post about olive oil benefits. Combined with sugar, which is the exfoliating agent, this natural scrub removes dead skin cells and moisturizes your lips. Once again, you can use this scrub on your face, and the whole body, too.
*Try using sugar and olive oil scrub for your hands and legs for a naturally glowing skin.
If you are too lazy, or too busy, you can use a soft clean towel for exfoliating your lips. I have been using this method for years, not only for me but also for my son, whose lips had been flaky in winter. All you need to do is to apply shea butter, olive oil or a butter of your choice, and shower as usual, once you finish, use a soft towel and gently scrub your lips to remove all dead skin cells.
When you exfoliate your lips, you are removing the upper layer of skin cells; you will need then to moisturize them to protect the new skin cells.
When I use the sugar and olive oil scrub, I usually skip the moisturizer since olive oil is fair enough for moisturizing my lips.
There are also plenty of lip balms for you to choose from. I prefer shea butter, which is a great option for naturally moisturizing your lips, just make sure to buy organic unrefined shea butter.
I also noticed that shea butter has lightened my lips over time. It took about a month to see visible results, keeping in mind that I apply shea butter 2-3 times a day. It worth trying!
Another good choice is argan oil. You can message your whole face and lips, gently tap some around your eyes using your ring finger, and leave on for the whole night. Argan oil is anti-oxidant rich and will help your skin fight the signs of aging.
One more thing to keep in mind is that applying a lip balm on dry lips will trap those dry skin cells and prevent them from shedding, so make sure you scrub your lips whenever needed before moisturizing them.
Harmful sunlight affects your lips, too. It can darken your lips by time, so the best way to protect your lips is by using a lip balm with UV protection. Try to look for natural ones, or you may use shea butter.
Have anyone told you that you need to drink water for your lips are so dry, well, dehydration is one cause for dry flaky lips, and water is the ultimate solution.
Enough said!!
Lemon juice is a great lightener, still, you have to use it with caution, as it will make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. I have written a post about the do’s and don’t when using lemon juice, so make sure you read this post.
You may add a few drops of lemon juice to your scrub, just make sure you use it at night and protect your lips with a UV-balm.
There are plenty of masks out there, depending on what you need to achieve. Just make sure you learn about the ingredients before you apply them onto your face.
Yesterday, I tried the turmeric mask, and I was so excited about it since I know the tremendous benefits of turmeric for your whole health, and particularly for your skin.
I waited about 15 minutes before I washed it off with water. Nevertheless, I was shocked! Because they did not mention that you will end up with YELLOW lips!
Seriously! Deep yellow lips……Though it may not be that bad in my photo, but really it was soo bad…
Good question!
I used an old trick that I learned a long time ago; simply use milk! Milk has the power of removing turmeric-yellow stains from your skin. What I did is that I put some milk in a bowl and used an old towel, dip it in milk, and gently scrub my face. All yellowish stain was removed immediately.
Another method that I did not actually try, yet it sounds a good one, is the use of sugar mixed with water, scrub your face till the yellow stain disappears.
And here is the final result……
There were still small yellow stains on my lips, but it was gone after washing my face.
Here are more natural home recipes that you could use to smooth your lips, and lighten them up naturally.
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Amazing tips, thank you for sharing them with us! And they are so easy to do! I believe that lips are one of most attractive girl features, so we have to permanently take care of them!
You are welcome, Tiffany.
And yes you are absolutely right!