Ladies! Forget those costly media promoted lip balms. Instead, you can replace them with a simple colorless liquid.
Yes, am talking about glycerin, also known as glycerine. This sweet liquid can moisturize your skin and lips. Fascinating uses of glycerin for lips allured cosmetic industries to include this water soluble ingredient to their products.
Why Do Lips Get Dry, Chapped and Dark?
The common tendency of lips towards dryness and peeling is due to loss of moisture. Unlike your skin, lips are very sensitive and they are open to harmful UV rays, wind and cold.
Apart from these environmental factors, when you become sick breathing air through mouth make your lips dry.
People who don’t use lip balm lick their lips to moisture. Well, this may hydrate your dry lips for few seconds, but they do more harm. (1)
Smoking, ailments, certain medications, dehydration, allergies and other ailments can make your lips dark.
12 Amazing Benefits of Glycerin for Lips
Humectant and versatile properties of this colorless liquid are prominently used in wide range of applications including pharmaceuticals, cosmetic, and food industries.
Apart from hydrating your lips, glycerin can heal and reduce inflammation. Below listed are common uses of this sweet liquid.
#1 Removes Dead Skin
With lots of external aggression, it’s no surprise that lips become dry and dark. Peeling skin on lips isn’t recommended, though most of us can’t stop ourselves from doing it.
Instead, apply glycerin on lips before going to bed. Assorted properties in it will moisturize and exfoliate dead skin.
This simple remedy can turn your dark lips to pink. You can use a cotton ball or your fingers to apply glycerin.
#2 Moisturize Lips
Everyone desire to have pink and soft lips, because it enhances your physical appearance. Without moisture, your lips turn dark and may bleed.
Glycerin moisturizes your lips and leaves them clean, pink and supple.
#3 Treats Mouth Sores and Ulcers
Mouth ulcers are harmless, however, they’re uncomfortable and you may experience burning sensation while eating.
Cheeks, lips, and tongue are common places where these red-bordered patches appear. They normally take 10 days to heal, but inflammation caused by these patches can’t be tolerated.
Glycerin is one of the effective home remedies that can treat mouth ulcers and sores.
#4 Helps to Fade Dark Spots on Lips
Long exposure to sunlight, smoking, allergic reaction, high intake of caffeine, repeated licking of lips and vitamin B deficiency results in a black spot on lips.
With regular application of glycerin, you can get rid of these dark spots or blemishes from lips.
#5 Avoid Irritation on Lips
Extreme dryness chapped lips and dark spots may cause irritation or inflammation on your lips.
Irritation can be triggered by an allergic reaction, in most cases, glycerin may work for you.
Note: In the case of allergic reaction you must consult a physician. Glycerin application can soothe to some extent, but it can’t reduce allergy.
#6 Treat Bleeding Lips (Cracked Lips)
Don’t lick or peel your lips when they are dry or chapped. The saliva dries your lips further and may result in bleeding.
Glycerin application will exfoliate dead skin and cleanse your lips. The moisturizing ability of this versatile liquid will stop bleeding and enhance healing.
#7 Makes your Lips Soft and Clean
Though humectant property of glycerin is renowned, it is not the only ability of this colorless liquid.
It’s healing and exfoliating properties make your lips soft and supple.
#8 Help to Getting Rid of Dark Lips
When you don’t care your lips, impurities, the wind and dead cells make the sensitive skin on lips to turn dark.
Particularly in winter, you must regularly apply glycerin before going to bed.
#9 Postpone Aging Signs
As you grow, skin manufacture less collagen and it loses its elasticity. As a result, wrinkles, fine lines appear on the skin.
The outer layer of lips is very thin, as you age it become progressively thinner. Like you supply natural oils to your face, lips too need external things to keep them healthy.
Glycerin will help you out to keep lips look healthy and it also protects from external factors.
#10 Make your Lips Pink Naturally
Unlike your skin, lips don’t have melanin. This natural pigment is responsible for your skin color and it also protects from UV rays.
Your lips are covered by exceptionally thin skin called stratum corneum, which allows the reddish color visible on lips due to the concentration of blood vessels.
Cold weather, smoking, and other food habits form a dark layer on lips. Glycerin not just exfoliates them as mentioned above; it has the ability to turn your lips back to natural pink.
#11 Glycerin for Dry and Chapped Lips
Extreme dryness makes your lips chapped. The tendency to peel lips starts and you can’t stop yourself from licking those chapped lips.
Moisturizing property exhibited by glycerin will help to get rid of dry and chapped lips.
#12 Makes Your Lips Healthy
You may assume that glycerin can only moisturize. No, this sweet liquid is packed with exceptional healing properties. By hydrating your skin and lips, you’re actually forming a protective layer around them.
Apart from that, cleansing, toning and cell regenerating properties of glycerin can’t be ignored.
To some extent, it can act as a sunscreen. The nutritional ability of this ingredient can treat acne, avoid aging signs, heals minor burns and injuries.
How to Use Glycerin for Lips
You can just take glycerin from a local drug store, clean your lips with water and apply glycerin with your fingers.
This simple recipe will work effectively.
However, if you want to make it more effective, there are many other safe natural ingredients that can be included.
Glycerin and Lemon for Lips
Bleaching activity of lemon juice is renowned. You can use this solution over lips and skin to obtain clear glowing face.
Excess use of lemon juice on the face can leave your skin sensitive to sunlight.
Mix 1 teaspoon of glycerin with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Alternatively, you can mix 1 tablespoon of rose water or distilled water.
Also read: Glycerin and Lemon for Face
Castor Oil and Glycerin for Lips
Am not sure if you tasted castor oil, it is something most of you don’t like to.
But, healing and moisturizing benefits of this grandmother’s ingredient can’t be ignored.
For dark or dry lips, mix ½ teaspoon of castor oil and ½ teaspoon of glycerin. You can add lemon juice to this mixture.
Glycerin and Honey for Dark Lips
I need not throw light on extolling uses of honey for overall health. Not just skin and lips, this natural ingredient can do wonders to treat health ailments.
Take required amount of raw honey, lemon juice and mix it with glycerin. Make sure you don’t lick this natural ingredient. J
You can replace glycerin with aloe vera gel in this recipe.
Homemade Lip Balm with Glycerin
Things you’ll need:
- Beeswax pastilles – 2 tablespoons
- Coconut carrier oil – 2 tablespoons
- Essential oil – 2 drops
- Glycerin – 1 tablespoon
Glycerine makes your lip balm soft and silky.
Blend beeswax pastilles with coconut carrier oil and microwave for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, mix glycerin and essential oil in a bowl.
Once beeswax mixture is melted, add glycerin solution to it and mix thoroughly for 30 seconds.
Now, transfer the lip balm to your own lip balm pot and use after it reaches room temperature. (Source)
Important Tips: Glycerin for Lips
Though internal consumption of glycerin is safe, excess consumption may lead to side-effects. Also if you’re allergic to glycerin or any other ingredients used in above recipes, stop using them.
- Initially, start with glycerin without any ingredient to see if it works for you.
- Avoid peeling, licking of dry lips.
- Drink enough water to hydrate your skin from the inside.
- Avoid smoking, alcohol and other food irritants that may turn your lips dark.
- Canker sores, mouth ulcers and sores can be treated by regular application of glycerin. However, do consult your physician to treat these ailments.
- You can use above recipes over skin to obtain soft, clear and glowing face.
- If you’ve sensitive skin, blend distilled water with glycerin before applying over the lips.
- Before applying lipstick, apply a thin coat of glycerin to protect your lips form chemical ingredients.
- Minor injuries or burns can be healed with this colorless liquid.