5 Best ways to get rid of Chapped Lips by using Desi Ghee

In traditional Indian households, the kitchen isn’t just a place to prepare and cook food, it is also a place to spread the love for one’s family. The versatility of an Indian kitchen extends to all of the ingredients present in it. It is a storehouse wherein one can find a plethora of remedies, both medicinal and beautifying, hidden in plain sight inside everyday ingredients like turmeric, yoghurt, neem leaves, and our favourite… Ghee!

Known as “clarified butter” in the west, Ghee is a type of fat obtained from Cow’s milk (usually), used in rasois (kitchens) all over the country both for cooking and topping off finished dishes. A little extra garnish with a dollop of ghee over spicy Kadhai paneer or mom’s comforting dal can elevate the dish to new heights.

It should come as no surprise that according to the teachings of Ayurveda, the wonders of Ghee aren’t limited to the four walls of a kitchen (just like every other vegetarian edible ingredient)! Ancients scriptures of the country give us an insight into various applications of Ghee throughout millennia! It can be used to nourish hair, moisturise skin, heal cracked heels, help sore ears, comfort a crusty nose, and most importantly for this blog, repair chapped lips!

Benefits of applying Ghee on Lips

• Ghee on Lips treats cracked and chapped Lips - Ghee is naturally a powerful carrier. Even the smallest amount of ghee on lips can keep them hydrated and moisturised for a lot longer than an average Chapstick. This ensures that Ghee on lips heals the painful cracks, stop peeling & bleeding, and instead become soft like they should be.
• Ghee on Lips can exfoliate and lighten dark Lips - Massaging by putting ghee on lips every day whether on its own or through a ghee-based lip balm can help a great deal by gently removing the dead skin. Thus, continued usage of ghee on lips can reveal a lighter shade over time.
• Ghee on Lips can protect the Lips - When used frequently in the right amount, Ghee on Lips can create a nourishing, protective layer on your lips and prevent them from drying up. The barrier created can also shield the lips from adverse effects of the harsh environment around us.
• Ghee on Lips can make your lips appear plumper - Ghee is extremely emollient. When Ghee on lips is applied, it gives a great shine which makes your lips appear slightly plump. If you’re after a pouty look, you can add a few drops of peppermint oil to your ghee or homemade lip balm and apply that instead. The peppermint oil will give you a tingly sensation, thereby plumping your lips, while the ghee on lips will moisturize & nourish, while also protecting them from any unpleasant reactions.
• Ghee on Lips repair & regenerate damaged cells – Ghee on Lips is known to improve blood circulation and repair and regenerate damaged cells and regular application of pure ghee can also lighten up lip pigmentation and the dark skin of the lips.

5 DIY Lip Balms for Chapped Lips

A fun way to get some Ghee on lips is to make a Chapstick yourself! following are recipes for 5 Ghee-based DIY lip balms you can make from the comfort of your home:

1. Beetroot and Ghee Lip Balm

Ingredients: 2 teaspoons of fresh beetroot juice and 1 tablespoon of lukewarm desi ghee

Time to Prepare: 5-7 minutes

Process: Take a beetroot, peel it and grate it using a hand-held grater (you could use blender but the former is preferred). Once grated, squeeze the pulp with a cheesecloth and extract the juice. Set aside the pulp and use it for a lip scrub or use it to make cupcakes. Take 2 teaspoons of the freshly extracted beetroot juice (don’t buy purchase this from outside) and mix it with your ghee in a small bowl, transfer it to the desired vessel and store appropriately for a few weeks.

Benefits: Beetroot is a powerful ingredient used to make delicious recipes. It helps in increasing haemoglobin levels and is great for external application too! It helps a lot in reducing hyperpigmentation on the lips, makes lips pinker and paired with the nourishing properties of ghee, hydrates your lips effectively.

2. Rosewater, Honey, and Ghee Lip Balm

Ingredients: 1 teaspoon of rosewater, 1 teaspoon of honey, and 1 tablespoon of lukewarm desi ghee

Time to Prepare: 1-2 minutes

Process: Mix all your ingredients in a small, clean bowl. Make sure the rosewater you use is steam-distilled and of the purest quality for maximum results. Also, try to use organic honey without any dilutives. Once all the ingredients are nicely incorporated and you observe your lip balm to have a pale-yellow colour, transfer it to the desired vessel and store appropriately for a few weeks.

Benefits: Rose water is natural astringent. It not only hydrates your lips but also greatly balances their pH leaving you with soft supple and healthy lips. Honey is famous for its healing properties. Considering that it does wonders for the skin, those same benefits can be observed on one’s lips when used as a lip balm paired with the goodness of ghee.

3. Cinnamon, Cocoa, and Ghee Lip Balm

Ingredients: 1 small cinnamon stick (grinded to a fine powder), ½ teaspoon of sugar-free cocoa powder, and 1 tablespoon of lukewarm desi ghee

Time to Prepare: 2-5 minutes

Process: Add your freshly grounded cinnamon powder (you may use store-bought cinnamon powder if you don’t have access to whole sticks but make sure the convenient version doesn’t have anti-caking agents or chemical compounds) to a small, clean bowl along with high quality cocoa powder and ghee. Mix them till they come to a smooth consistency and the lip balm appears to be uniform in colour. Transfer it to the desired vessel and store appropriately for a few weeks.

Benefits: Cinnamon is packed with anti-inflammatory and other medicinal properties that make it a great addition to not just food and beverages but also skincare and lucky for us, lip care. It helps calms the surface of our lips down after allergic flare-ups and soothes them from the pain of being chapped. Cocoa powder is loaded with anti-oxidants that improve the appearance and overall health of our lips. The ghee on lips help moisturised to the max.

4. Citrus and Ghee Lip Balm

Ingredients: 2 teaspoons of fresh juices of different citrus fruits of choice (a blend of orange and lime is recommended), and 1 tablespoon of lukewarm desi ghee

Time to Prepare: 5 minutes

Process: Take your citrus fruits of choice, slice them in half and using adequate force from your hands, squeeze out ample juice in separate containers. Take 1 teaspoon from each of the juices and mix with your ghee till they’re well combined. Transfer the mixture to your desired vessel and store appropriately for a few weeks. It’s that simple!

Benefits: Most citrus fruits are packed with vitamins A & C. When paired with the moisturising qualities of shuddh desi ghee in a delicious lip balm, they make your lips soft & hydrated while also greatly reducing the annoying pigmentation you can’t seem to get rid of.

5. Green Tea, Vanilla, and Ghee Lip Balm

Ingredients: 1 teaspoon of green tea leaves, ¼ a vanilla bean pod, and 1 tablespoon of ghee

Time to Prepare: 5-7 minutes

Process: Take a teaspoon of green tea leaves and grind them to a powder using a mortar & pestle or a grinder. You may also use ½ teaspoon of a high-quality green tea powder instead. Take ¼ a vanilla bean pod, slice it in half using a paring knife and using the sharp edge of that knife, extract the seeds. Now mix all your ingredients in a small, clean bowl till they come to a relatively smooth consistency. Transfer the mixture to your desired vessel and store appropriately for a few weeks.

Benefits: Green tea is loaded with antioxidants. It calms the skin of your lips, heals them from painful cracks and soothes them to look hydrated. Vanilla bean is said to have antiaging properties and when applied to the lips can help prevent premature wrinkling and while giving your lips a smoother appearance.

How to store your Homemade Lip Balm

The following are a few tips on storing your homemade lip balms:

• Store them in small sterilised glass jars/pots with lids. or store them in empty Chapstick containers. Make sure your vessel of choice is free of dirt or bacteria.
• Prepare your lip balms in small batches. A smaller quantity makes the task of storing it a lot easier. It also ensures that you finish it all before it goes bad.
• Store your lip balms away from direct sunlight. Keep it in a dry, dark spot, preferably in the coldest room of your home.
• Store the homemade lip balm in your refrigerator to elongate its shelf life.
• Never heat your lip balm, no matter how rigid it seems straight out of the fridge, don’t be tempted to warm it. The heat created by the friction of you rubbing the balm on your lips is enough to melt it appropriate for optimum application.
• Use the homemade lip balm for no longer than a month. Depending on the temperature of where you live, how you store the balm, and what ingredients go in it, the shelf life of your homemade can vary from anywhere between 2-6 weeks but stopping usage at 4 weeks is usually the safest when you’re unsure.

Parting Note

Lip balms are skincare essentials that deserve more attention than they get in the beauty industry. They protect our lips from harsh weather and make us look more put together. Ideally, a lip balm should be devoid of any chemicals as it is formulated to heal, not aggravate. But, that is seldom the case. Making a lip balm yourself at home using Ghee, Ghee on Lips is an exciting and cost-effective way to help with this problem. On top of that, when making it yourself, you know exactly what went in the balm, meaning it is 100% safe for you.

 As mentioned throughout this blog, putting ghee on lips can do wonders for the health and appearance of your lips. Try any of the above recipes of ghee on lips and see the results for yourself. If you don’t have the time to make a lip balm and would rather purchase one, check out any of Blue Nectar’s Shubr ghee-based lip balms. We’ve got them in exciting flavours and fragrances like Chocolate-Vanilla, Coffee, Green Apple, and Orange!

Recommended products by Blue Nectar:

Shubhr Coffee Lip Balm with Ghee for dryness and lips brightening

Shubhr Orange Lip Balm & Gloss with Ghee And Natural Vitamin C for Dry Chapped Lips