Exposure to the sun not only tans your skin, it also tans your lips. In fact, over exposure to the sun tans or darkens your lips in such a manner that the upper lip becomes darker than the lower lip. This could be one of the major reasons for your lips becoming darker. Another reason why the lips could be dark is because you have inherited them, that is, they are a part of your heredity. If this is the case, then chances are that no matter what you do, the darkness will reduce only temporarily. The minute you stop whatever treatment that you were applying to your lips, they will go back to their normal, dark color. Constant smoking is another reason for the lips to become dark. But since you hardly smoke, it would be safe to eliminate that as the main reason for your lips to become dark. But even this much smoking could contribute towards increasing the problem. It would therefore be a good idea to quit smoking altogether. It is also necessary for you to determine the exact reason behind your lips becoming dark in color, and then based on the reason; work at taking care of the problem.
If over exposure to the sun is the reason behind the darkening of your lips, then it would be necessary to ensure that it does not darken any further. For this, make it a habit to apply a lip balm that contains sun protection factors (SPF) of minimum 30 to your lips whenever you go out in the sun. In fact, it would be a good idea to apply the lip balm on your lips throughout the day even if you are not going out in the sun. This will make sure that your lips do not darken any further. To lighten the already dark color, applying aloe vera gel regularly is one of the best remedies. You can also apply milk cream. For this, you need to soak two-three strands of saffron in milk cream for at least 24 hours and then apply this concoction to your lips. You can also make a mixture out of honey, milk, and 3 to 4 drops of rose extract. This will not only help to lighten the color of your lips, it will also give your lips a rosy hue. A mixture of lime juice, rose water, and glycerin or lime juice and honey is also equally effective.