DIY Home Remedy for Easy Tan Removal or Skin Lightening/Whitening or Brightening

DIY Home Remedy for Easy Tan Removal or Skin Lightening/Whitening or Brightening

First let me warn you beforehand that this post is gonna be a little long & the recipe is a bit elaborate. But the good thing is you are not bound to add all the items in the ingredients list as this recipe is highly customizable.

All the ingredients mentioned here are usually found in our kitchen & thus easily available.

Ingredients for Skin Brightening/ Lightening & Tan Removal

• *Vinegar : Most would mention apple cider vinegar but there’s no need to be elaborate, simple white vinegar will do as good as any fancy form. The acetic acid matters here but please make sure to add only a little. Too much of vinegar can cause irritation & dryness and the fume is yuk! Vinegar is most well suited for oily to combination skin. Vinegar is one of the best skin whitening ingredients available out there.

• Yoghurt: Our good old yoghurt is a very effective tan removal & is mostly well suited to all skin types. dry skinned beauties can add high fat yoghurt instead the regular one. The lactic acid content is the key deciding factor here. So older the yoghurt is, better it will work.

• Honey: Extremely good for dry skin & well tolerated in others. Removes tan & moisturizes well.

• *Lemon: Its an age old grandma approved ingredient but beware, lemon is not suitable for direct application & must be diluted before use & it can cause a little irritation if gone overboard in dry skin.

• Multani Mitti or Fuller’s Earth: Great as a base & it works as a deep cleanser. Removes the dirt particles & brightens the skin. Best for oily to combination skin.

• Almonds: Almonds are extremely good for tan removal but is best suited for dry skin. However, I like them during the winter as I have extremely oily skin & in summers I have issues with oily ingredients like this.

• Cucumber: Cucumber juice is extremely refreshing as well as useful in removing tan; it is versatile as it can be used on any type of skin & is especially suitable for sensitive skin. It also has toning properties so it will actually tighten the pores.

• Potatoes: Even rubbing sliced potato on darkened skin will improve the skin tone in just one sitting so just think about the potential the raw juice has on regular use.

• Turmeric: Powdered or pasted, it is the gold standard in skin lightening & tan removal & has been in use for centuries.

Acid vs. Base :

Among the above; cucumber, potato, turmeric, honey are alkaline & vinegar, yoghurt, lemon juice are highly acidic. So please refrain from mixing the two types. Normally alkaline ones are safer on dry &/or sensitive skin & oily to combination skin do better with acidic ones. For normal skin, everyday is Sunday.

Word of caution not everyone will tell you (yes, they even come with DIY packs):

Above I’ve listed some of the basic ingredients to put together to make your own DIY face pack for removing tan. But here you should follow a simple rule. Never mix an acidic ingredient with an alkaline one, like I have seen some people to mix cucumber juice with lemon juice & think it’s a great tan removal. NO! STOP right there!!!

 Mixing acid with a base will simply neutralize each other & give rise to hydrogen peroxide which is a potential free radical (might give you a temporary bleaching effect but is a big no no in long term as it’ll speed up the ageing process & will do more harm than any good). Another word of caution, if you use any of the acidic ingredients in your face pack, please remember that it’ll make your skin sun sensitive (atleast the next few days ahead); so avoid using them during the daylight & only night time application followed by a suitable moisturizer is recommended. 

Next day, follow up with sunscreen (yes, even at home). Best result is obtained if proper way is followed. So in order to avoid further tanning, please use sunscreen (atleast SPF 30 + PA +++ for harsh Indian climate) all the time, even at home & multiple applications are recommended.

Ingredients followed by a * usually refers to ingredients not suitable for sensitive skin.




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