From time immemorial, fair skin has been extolled as the epitome of beauty and distinction. Every woman dreams of achieving fair complexion for winning praise and universal appreciation. Though heredity plays a major part in the skin color, one can try through home remedies to lighten the dark skin, to achieve a clear and blemish free skin without dark patches or pigmentation etc. and look glowing and radiant.
The primary reason why the skin looks dark is that when melanin content is higher, it looks dark. The other causes for dark skin are tanning from exposure to sun, hyper pigmentation that makes it look darker than normal, and some skin disorders which leave the skin dark, patchy and coarse. Heredity is the major factor.
Prolonged sun exposure makes the melanin oxidized and the human body makes more melanin to replace it and so the skin looks darker. Again pigmentation is another result of prolonged sun exposure. Usually as people age, the complexion gets darker- especially their lips, neck, ankles and elbows - due to the UV rays of the sun.
No special diet can claim to lighten the skin dramatically. A healthy glow with a clear skin is achieved with a nutrition-rich, balanced food. A low-fat, low-sugar, high-fibre diet that includes whole cereals, green leafy vegetables, fruits and at least 3-4 litres of water is best diet.
The three steps to get a lighter skin are to avoid exposure to sun especially when it is most intense and control melanin formation and use the home remedies to cleanse, tone, moisturise and exfoliate to remove dead cells and to lighten the dark skin.
There are a variety of stuff from our home and right from the kitchen to use as home remedies for dark skin. But there will be no miracle achieved with one or two applications. The key words are consistency and regularity.
Lemon juice, honey, rose water, milk, yogurt, Aloe Vera juice, Aloe Vera gel, cucumber juice, lime juice, coconut water, tomato juice, almond oil, and rose oil cleanse and tone and rejuvenate the skin. They make it lighter and well toned.
Vegetables like potatoes, cucumber, radish, cabbage, tomatoes, and fruits like papaya, strawberries, and apples are natural skin lightners.
1. Cut a tomato and apply on the face. This improves color complexion.
2. Soak in cold water a potato for 10 minutes, cut slices and rub on face. This is an effective home remedy for dark skin.
3. Cut slices of cucumber or grate it and rub the juice on the skin.
4. Grate radish and apply. This also improves complexion.
5. Another useful home remedy for dark skin is papaya. Apply grated papaya and apply.
6. Grind mint leaves and apply the paste along with juice.
7. One of the common home remedies for dark skin is holy basil. Grind basil leaves and apply the paste along with juice.
Once applied, they can be washed with lukewarm water 10-15 minutes later.
Almonds, gram flour, oatmeal, turmeric powder, sandal wood powder, cinnamon powder, milk powder, egg, neem powder, orange peel powder are a few of the things by themselves or when mixed with fruit juices, vegetable juices, rosewater, milk, yogurt or honey and made in to a fine paste and applied on the face lighten the skin dramatically over a few weeks.
Almonds ground with rose water, milk mixed with gram flour, sandalwood powder and turmeric in rosewater, a mixture of lemon juice and honey are a few of the packs when used regularly will bring a glow to the skin as well lighten it.
Practice makes it perfect and using these simple but effective home remedies and getting a beautiful clear skin, one can step out with elan and confidence.
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