How to Treat “Two-Toned” Lips: Tips From Someone Who Learned to Love Hers
Hyperpigmentation on the lips is totally normal—especially for deeper skin tones. Learn how to love and care for your two-toned lips with these no-nonsense tips.
I’m going to confess something I’ve always been a little embarrassed to admit: I used to hate the way my lips looked.
Not because of their shape or size, but because of their color. Growing up as a brown-skinned girl, my lips were naturally two-toned—darker around the edges, rosier in the middle—and I spent years thinking something was wrong with them. Every magazine ad, every lipstick swatch, every Instagram post seemed to highlight women with soft, evenly pink lips. And mine just looked...well, nothing like that.
More than once, I fell down an Internet rabbit hole of DIY “lip brightening” hacks (do yourself a favour and stay far, far away from these). But the truth is, my lips didn’t need to be fixed. They just needed to be looked after.
These days, I still have hyperpigmented lips, but I’ve stopped seeing them as a flaw. And more importantly, I’ve learned how take to care of them. After all, my lips deserve to be healthy, hydrated, and protected, just like the rest of my skin. Plus, now that ombré lips are trending, I kind of feel like I’ve been ahead of the curve all along!
So if you’re looking for ways to take care of your two-toned lips, let me share what’s worked for me.
What Makes Lip Hyperpigmentation Worse?
Before we talk about how to care for your lips, it’s important to understand what habits and external triggers could be damaging them.
Sun Exposure
Your lips are one of the most sun-sensitive parts of your face, and most people don’t apply enough SPF there. UV damage can worsen existing pigmentation, especially around the edges.
Friction & Heat
Hot drinks, lip licking, rough towels, or even rubbing your lips together too often can cause microtrauma. That trauma can easily turn into long-lasting pigmentation if you’re prone to it.
Harsh Lip Products
Lipsticks with drying alcohols, physical scrubs, strong fragrances, or cheap dyes can irritate the delicate skin on your lips. That low-level irritation can slowly add up to inflammation and discoloration over time.
Smoking
Smoke and heat exposure (plus the repetitive friction) can lead to dullness, darkening, and dryness. No surprises there.
Hormones & Medication
Some pigmentation is internal. Hormonal changes (like during pregnancy or while on birth control) and certain medications can trigger or worsen darkening of the lips.
How I Take Care of My Lips Now
Now, the triggers above may already have given you some ideas of how to take care of your lips, but here are the things I do every day to make sure my lips are getting the same level of love as the rest of my face:
1. I Extend My Skincare to My Lips
I know this sounds obvious, but for years I skipped my lips while cleansing, exfoliating, or applying serums. Now, I extend my double cleansing routine at night to my lips (especially if I’ve worn lipstick), and I extend all my serums, especially those that contain brightening or soothing ingredients, to my lips too.
I do try and avoid applying anything too strong, like retinoids or vitamin C, directly to my lips. But gentler brighteners like tranexamic acid or alpha arbutin, as well as calming ingredients like centella, peptides and ceramides work amazingly for the sensitive lip area.
2. Hydration Is Non-Negotiable
This is key. My lips are the first place to show dehydration—whether it’s from not drinking enough water or sitting in an air-conditioned room all day. And here’s the thing, dry lips will look darker. You can actually see a marked difference in the tone of your lips simply by applying a hydrating lip balm to it.
Today, I live for my lip balms. I always have one close by, whether I’m at home or going out. My husband actually makes fun of me for having a tube of lip balm in almost every room in my house, that’s how obsessively I hydrate all day long!
3. I Use a Lip SPF Every Day
Be honest, how much sunscreen are you actually applying (and reapplying) on your lips? I’m going to guess that it’s not a lot. The truth is that lips are one of the most sun-sensitive parts of your face, yet most of us never think to protect them.
The best way to protect your lips from sun damage is to use a lip-specific SPF. I have fallen in love with the Ultra Violette Sheen Screen SPF50 lip balm, because I like that it has a slight tint to it, but really any lip balm with SPF will be better than nothing. Here are a few more great options for SPF Lip Balm:
4. I Stopped Picking and Rubbing
This one’s hard, but so important. I used to unconsciously rub my lips together, pick at peeling skin, or bite them when I was anxious. All of that leads to micro-injuries, inflammation, and, you guessed it, more pigmentation.
I’ve had to force myself to be more mindful now. I keep my lips moisturized so they don’t peel, and I reapply balm when I feel the urge to mess with them. If you’re a habitual lip-picker, a good lip mask or barrier ointment can go a long way (easier said than done, I know).
5. I Let Go of the Idea That They Need to Be One Color
Last but definitely not least: I stopped trying to “fix” the pigmentation. Yes, I still love using a tinted lip balm, or barely there lipstick to give my lips a little boost. But I don’t obsess over making my lips look uniform anymore. That kind of perfectionism is exhausting—and unrealistic for most of us with melanin-rich skin.
Instead, I focus on keeping them healthy, soft, and protected. And funny enough, when you stop fighting your lips and start caring for them, they start to look better anyway.
DIY Skin Remedies NOT to Try at Home
Before I wrap up this article, I wanted to dedicate a small section to the DIY lip lightening treatments that are so popular on the Internet, and to which I almost fell prey myself.
Let me just say this: natural doesn’t always mean safe. Especially when it comes to the delicate skin on your lips, which is thinner, more sensitive, and lacks the protective barrier your face has.
Here’s what you might see online—and why you should skip it:
Lemon Juice: Yes, it’s natural. It’s also acidic enough to cause burns, especially on skin as delicate as your lips. While it might exfoliate, it can also trigger irritation and inflammation—two things that actually worsen pigmentation over time.
Baking Soda: Great for your cakes. Terrible for your lips. It’s way too abrasive and alkaline, which can disrupt your skin barrier and lead to dryness, cracking, and more pigmentation.
Toothpaste: The age old cure-all for everything from pimples to pigmentation. Many people think it’s safe because it comes into contact with your lips every morning anyway. But, it’s not meant to be left on in concentrated does, and often contains ingredients like menthol, hydrogen peroxide, and whitening agents that are not meant to sit on skin,
Final Thoughts
Hyperpigmented lips aren’t a flaw. They’re just another part of your skin doing what it does. And if you’ve got two-toned lips? Welcome to the club, we’ve always been on trend. :)
Caring for your lips doesn’t mean trying to “correct” them. It just means treating them with the same thought and care as the rest of your face.
About The Skinimalist
Hi, I’m Mal, a 30-something recovering skincare addict, and this is my blog. A space where I attempt to de-influence you from chasing trends and buying more skincare products you may not need.
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