Top 12 Home Remedies for Sunburnt Lips: No.5 Will Shock You!

Human lips are very sensitive. Nonetheless, we often do not prioritize lip protection measures while going out. This is not a healthy practice.

The importance of protecting human lips from the harmful effects of sun is paramount. Hence, everyone should follow some home remedies for sunburnt lips.

Why Does the Lip Get Affected Easily?

Human lips are extremely sensitive against the Ultra Violet rays of the Sun. The lips are protected by a very thin layer of skin.

Sometimes, that is not enough against the burning sun. On top of that, human lips can produce very little amount of melanin.

It is the skin pigmentation that protects the body against the sun.

Despite such little resistance, our lips are exposed to the sun almost all through the day.

Hence those are pretty vulnerable, rather one of the most vulnerable areas of the human body.

What Are The Symptoms of Sunburnt Lips?

The following symptoms most prominently notify the possibility of having a sunburnt lip:

• Swollen lips with inflammation and prominent redness.
• Burning sensation on lips with regular itchy feeling.
• Dry and scaly lips with flaky and chapped skin.
• Cracks on the skin of your lips.
• Bleeding cuts on the lips.
• Fluid filled blisters on the lips developed from red burns on the skin.
• Dark brown or black spots on the lips. Dark patches or marks on the outer skin of lip.
• White patches (or yellow) on the skin of the lips.
• Peeling of skin from the affected lip area.
• Sore skin on the inside of the lips (on the vermilion zone).
• Hard, black, raised bumps on the lip surface.
• Severe wriggling feeling on the lip after sun exposure.
• Severe difficulty in eating, speaking and drinking.

These are the symptoms of moderate to severe cases. In an advanced stage, people also experience small and white blisters all over the lips filled with some kind of fluid. Generally, a case of sunburn lasts for 3 to 5 days.

What are the Popular Home Remedies for Sunburn on Lips?

Generally, a case of sunburn or sun blister on lip can be taken care of with easy home remedies. Here we will look at 12 easy and popular home remedies to fight sun burn on the lip.

1. Ice

Apply ice and perform a cold compress. It will instantly cool up your sunburned lips by taking the heat out. This will prevent your lips from swelling.

Sometimes, even running cold tap water is enough to reduce the inflammation on sun burnt lip.

It prevents swelling and brings relief to the burning sensation. This eases out the pain. The cooling effect of ice can also treat minor burns.

What you need:

• Ice
• Towel

How to use:

• Dip the towel in ice water.
• Squeeze the excess water.
• Put the cool towel on the sunburnt lip.
• After the towel loses the coolness, dip it in ice water and continue with the cold compress.
• Repetition of the process will ease out the swelling and pain.

Note: Ice should not be put directly on the burns of your lip. It can then damage the wound even more and stunt the process of healing.

2. Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera works as an anti-inflammatory agent. It is very effective against burns and inflammation. Aloe Vera treatment works magically to remove the pain of sun blisters on lips.

There are two methods of using Aloe Vera.

Method: 1- Raw Aloe Vera

What you need:

• Aloe Vera leaf and tree.

How to use:

• Extract raw Aloe Vera from the leaf and tree.
• Apply the raw extract directly on the sunburn lips.
• Repeat the process 2-3 times a day till condition improves.

Method: 2- Aloe Vera Gel

What you need:

• Processed Aloe Vera gel

How to use:

• Apply smell-free Aloe Vera gel.
• Repeat 2-3 times a day till it heals completely.

3. Potato Juice

Potato has a cooling effect on the skin. It can soothe a burn on your skin of the lip. Potato slice home remedy can help is lighten dark lips.

What you need:

• Potato
• Colander/ Blender

How to use:

• Grate a potato.
• Let it drain inside a colander.
• You can alternatively puree raw potato in a blender.
• Apply the juice on the affected area of the lip and let it dry.
• Leave the juice as long as possible.
• Apply twice every day till the condition improves.

4. Vitamin E

Vitamin E has the properties to prevent scarring (1). It also paves the formation of new skin on your lips. Vitamin E oil is also quite effective for wound healing.

What you need:

• Vitamin E oil

How to use:

• Apply few drops of Vitamin E oil on the affected area of your lips.
• Spread evenly on the affected skin.
• Continue this process after eating, particularly before sleeping.
• Let the oil be on your skin as long as possible.

Note: Obtain particularly high-quality oil. Use lowest possible dosage to avoid toxic reactions. Take special care while using this on children.

5. Oatmeal

A lot of people cannot associate something like oatmeal with lip burns. However, you can easily decrease the inflammation of sunburned lips blister with an oatmeal bath. Shocking?

Oatmeal bath can soothe aching sunburn blisters magically.

What you need:

• Muslin cloth
• Oatmeal- 1 cup
• Water
• Aloe Vera gel/ cream

How to use:

• Take some oatmeal (1 cup) inside a piece of muslin cloth.
• Boil it in water for several minutes.
• Let this sponge of an arrangement cool down.
• Wash the affected area with this sponge.
• Apply some Aloe Vera gel or cream.

More: How to Get Rid of Sun Spots on Skin

6. Tomato

Tomatoes are very effective in fighting sun burn because it has lycopene. It is an ingredient that helps human body fight against the UV rays. It can magically protect human skin against sunburns.

What you need:

• Tomato- 1/4^th cup
• Buttermilk- 1/2 cup

How to use:

• Combine the tomato (1/4^th cup) and the buttermilk (1/2 cup).0
• Mix well to create a smooth paste.
• Apply the paste on the sun blisters on lip.
• Spread well and leave it for 30 minutes.
• Gently wash with cold water.

7. Chamomile

This is a very versatile herb. It is used for alleviating sunburns. It does an excellent healing job due to its skin soothing properties. Chamomile is very helpful in removing the white dots on lips as well.

There are 2 alternative methods for chamomile therapy

Method: 1 – Chamomile Tea

What you need:

• Chamomile tea bag
• Water
• Freezer

How to use:

• Dip several chamomile tea bags in some water. Let it soak for a few minutes.
• Now remove the teabags. Place them in the freezer. Keep it there for few minutes.
• Take out the chilled bags and apply those on the affected area of the lips for few minutes.
• Repeat the process for 2-3 times every day to get rid of sunburn blisters.

Method: 2 – Chamomile Oil

What you need:

• Chamomile oil- 3-5 drops
• Almond oil

How to use:

• Mix the chamomile oil (3-5 drops) with some almond oil.
• Mix well and prepare an oil solution.
• Spread this solution on your lip at the sunburn affected area.
• Massage very gently and leave it for several minutes.
• Repeat the process till the condition gets better.

8. Cucumber

Cucumber is pretty widely known for its cooling effect on human skin. It helps drawing out heat and works as an anti-inflammatory substance (2). Hence, cucumber is used to reduce swelling and pin on sun burnt lips.

The high water content of this fruit helps moisturize the skin and It also prevents dark spots under eyes.

What you need:

• Cucumber

How to use:

• Slice a cucumber in thin pieces.
• Refrigerate those pieces for 15 minutes.
• After that, take out the slices and keep a slice on your lip for 10 minutes.
• Turn the slice over if it gets warm.
• Repeat this process 2-3 times every day.

Note: Also, eating fresh cucumber is absolutely necessary. It helps the lips to heal from within.

9. Raw Honey

Honey is a very important organic substance which has excellent medicinal properties. Raw honey can help you get rid of sun burn on your lip faster.

The natural anti-inflammatory properties hat honey has helps to calm the itch on your lips and soothes the burning feeling.

It has antiseptic properties as well. This prevents infecting the blisters on a sun burn affected lip.

What you need:

• Raw honey- 1 teaspoon

How to use:

• Take the raw honey (1 tsp). Processed honey will not have the same effect.
• Dab the honey gently on the affected area of your lip. The burns should be covered in a layer of honey.
• Leave it on the affected skin area for 10 minutes.
• After that, rinse it off gently with cold water.
• Repeat the process for 3 times a day until the affected lips get properly healed.
• This treatment process might take a few weeks to heal your lips completely.

10. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is one of the most popular home remedies for sun burnt lips. This is used widely to heal affected lips.

It has excellent moisturizing properties. It helps to heal chapped or dry itchy lips and reduces the scaly feeling on your lip.

Coconut oil has soothing ability. Hence, it works magically on the itchy burns on affected lips and cools the feeling.

The natural anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties of coconut oil is also important in this context (3). Hence it prevents the sunburn lips from being infected and heals the blisters.

What you need:

• Coconut oil
• Washcloth
• Castor oil/ Neem tree oil/ Olive oil/ Lavender oil

How to use:

• Rinse the affected skin area of lip with water.
• Pat dry with a piece of washcloth.
• Now spread coconut oil gently on the affected areas of your lip. Massage the area gently.
• Leave this oil on the lip and allow it to stay the whole day.
• This procedure needs to be repeated at least three times every day. Continue this until the condition improves. This helps the sun burns get healed.
• Apart from coconut oil, other essential oils can also be used alternatively. Try this with Neem tree oil, castor oil, lavender oil or olive oil.

11. Banana

Banana is a very helpful fruit to eat in order to get rid of sun burn. It offers several benefits which are responsible for healing the sun burn. A banana is home to all the major vitamins and minerals.

All these elements together benefit the skin. It also hydrates the sin on your lip. Due to this, the lip feels soft.

There are other nutrients like nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus in a banana. All these contents together help regenerate the tissues on your lip skin.

Banana has the ability to reduce inflammation of the skin. It also removes the redness resulted in because of the sun rays.

What you need:

• Ripe banana- half a piece
• Small bowl
• Fork

How to use:

• Take a small bowl. Keep half a piece ripe banana in it.
• Take a fork. Make a paste of the banana with the help of the fork.
• Now apply thick layers of this paste on the affected area of your lips.
• Leave it on your lips for 5-10 minutes.
• Rinse it off with cold water.
• Repeat the process for 2-3 times every day till the condition improves.

12. Apple Cider Vinegar

Naturally, apple cider vinegar is popular and extremely effective in treating every kind of skin condition.

If you apply it once or twice only on the affected area of you lip, it should help.

There are several DIY methods you can follow to treat sun burn on your lips with apple cider vinegar.

Method: 1 – Direct Application

What you need:

• Apple cider vinegar
• Empty bottle of hair spray

How to use:

• Fill the empty bottle of hair spray with apple cider vinegar.
• Spray it directly on the affected area.
• Leave for as long as possible.
• Continue the process for twice a day for better healing.

Method: 2 – ACV Solution

What you need:

• Apple cider vinegar
• Cold water
• Cotton balls

How to use:

• Dip the cotton balls in cold water.
• Then dip it in apple cider vinegar solution.
• Gently rub the cotton ball on the sun burn blister.
• Leave it on the skin as long as possible.
• Continue the process twice a day for better healing.

Method: 3 – ACV and Honey

What you need:

• Apple cider vinegar
• Honey

How to use:

• Add some apple cider vinegar with honey. Stir them to mix well.
• Apply the mixture to the affected skin of the lip.
• Leave it till it dries up.
• Rinse it with cold water.

Note: This process speeds up the healing time surprisingly. Adding honey also ensures the prevention of further infection.

Recommended do’s and don’ts for people to avoid sun burn on Lips?

First let us look at what we should do.

Do’s:

1. The cloth selection has to be wise. Wear only cool cloths so that the body heat does not rise.
2. Taking frequent showers during the summer is a must. If your lip is hydrated and moisturized, it will not be affected by sun burn easily.

3.Only bathing is not enough, though. The body has to be hydrated from the inside. So drinking a lot of water is absolutely necessary.

4. Carry soothing moisturizing lotions always. Keep on applying that on the sunburn area. It will be great if the lotion contains aloe vera.

5. Hydrocortisone cream (1%) or any other topical steroids can be used to take care of the swelling or pain due to sun burnt lips. However, such substance should STRICTLY be used by people above 2 years.

Don’ts:

1. People who suffer from sun burnt lips should not keep their lips exposed to the sun. Always keep them covered in a piece of bandage. This way the already affected part does not get more harmed by bacteria infestation. Even when you eat, your lips will be protected from the harm that the food particles can cause.
2. Always keep the area clean and dry. Even when you rinse the area or apply cold compress, pat the affected area dry instantly after you are done. This reduced further risks of septic or infection.

3. Do not put your hand on the blisters. Since our hand remains dirty most of the times, touching the blisters can be dangerous.

Even when you are applying the remedies discussed above, wash your hand with anti-septic soap liquid. This prevents the possibility of infections.

4. You will be tempted too many times to pop the blisters. That is a strict NO-NO. Never do that even by mistake.

If the blisters get popped out rather than drying up, the infection might turn out to be contagious. This might aggravate the situation further.

5. If the blisters grow enormous in size, you should immediately consult your dermatologist. Your doctor can take necessary actions to drain the pus out. Never try to do that all by yourself.

6. During the time that one is suffering from extreme conditions of sun burn blisters, spicy foods should be mandatorily avoided.

Spicy foods contain some kind of harmful chemicals. These make the skin more sensitive worsening the condition.

7. Do not take warm or hot water baths when you are suffering from blisters. Always indulge in cold water baths when you suffer sun burn.

8. Do not get exposed to direct sunlight. Avoid going out in the road between 10 am and 4 pm.

9. Do not think that lip balms are for winter season only. Apply lip balms even in the summer to protect your lips.

10. Do not stop your practices mid-way. Continue taking all these measures till your condition is completely healed. Otherwise, there is always a chance of relapse.

11. Even after following all the instructions and home remedies for sunburnt lips your condition does not improve within 1-2 weeks, do not neglect it.

Head straight to the doctor and get the affected area on your lip skin checked.

Usually nobody takes care of their lip enough. People generally neglect the sun burnt lip condition until it grows worse.

However, if you follow these home remedies and precautions, you will be able to protect your lips against sun burn easily.