Why do we prefer fair skin?
India is obsessed with finding any and every answer to the question - "how to get fair skin fast permanently?".
This fascination for fair skin is reflected in the size of the fairness cream market in India. It is estimated to be worth around Rs. 2000 crores (2016).
Here is a crazy reason why getting fair skin is a favourite pastime for Indians:
The preference for fair skin is because of a widespread belief that fair skin automatically results in finding a better husband or wife, better career prospects and more respect from everyone else you interact with!
It sounds absurd! Yet, it is the reality.
It is argued that Indians acquired a taste for fair skin from the British colonisers who brought with them the European ideals of beauty. In our quest to impress our masters, we may have embraced the idea that fair skin is automatically superior to darker skin tones.
So why did we write an article that promotes racism?
Keeping with the philosophy that the Jodi Logik blog will not shy away from answering questions openly, we have come up with a comprehensive guide on how to get fair skin tone and correct uneven skin tone common among Indians.
But we decided to do a lot more than just tell you how to get fair skin.
We reveal the truth behind the supernatural claims that other websites have made about natural skin whitening products that you can easily get from a grocery store.
That's not all. We have listed step by step DIY skin whitening procedures using natural products.
How to get fair skin using 13 natural DIY remedies
Many beauty websites in India claim that you can lighten your skin at home using natural remedies that you will find in any Indian kitchen or a grocery store. But, they haven't really explained why their remedies work nor have they have cited scientific studies to back their claims.
We have compiled a list of 13 natural products that are supposed to have skin whitening and rejuvenation powers. We have tried to separate fact from fiction so that you don't assume all these natural home remedies will make you fair overnight.
1. Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar seems to be a popular home remedy for a variety of health issues and niggles in addition to whitening your skin. From whitening teeth to curing dandruff, apple cider vinegar seems to have magical qualities. However,
However, physicians beg to differ. According to the Dr Marie Jinh of American Academy of Dermatology, at the most apple cider can remove some dark spots on the skin, remove dead skin, dry out a pimple and help you fight dandruff.
Doctors also prefer to use apple cider vinegar with a 1:10 dilution ratio so that you don't harm yourself in your quest to look fair or have a flawless skin.
Mix one spoon apple cider with 3 or 4 spoons of water (bottled water or distilled water) in a small cup.
Organic apple cider vinegar or any apple cider vinegar from your nearest supermarket should do.
Use a cotton ball or cotton pad to dab this on your face as a toner before moisturising.
Tip: Use apple cider vinegar as an exfoliant after making sure you are not going to have an adverse reaction. Try it on a small area on the back of your hands to see if it has any whitening effect or any other positive effect before applying it on your face.
Click here to tweet this tip2. Cucumber
Cucumber is a safe way to help deal with your skin issue. The best use of cucumber is to help you tackle those ugly dark circles under your eyes.
Cucumber is rich in antioxidants such as cucurbitacins, vitexin, orientin and isoscoparin, along with Vitamin C and Vitamin K. These antioxidants may help reduce the inflammation that causes puffiness and dark circles.
Peel a cucumber and slice it into big chunks.
Add 4 teaspoons of lemon juice.
Add 3 teaspoons of rose water.
Blend it into a paste using a food processor/mixer. Squeeze the juice out of the paste using a cotton cloth or towel. Freeze the juice into ice cube if you think the summer is way too unbearable. Or you could just use the juice without freezing.
Now apply the ice cube or the juice all over your skin.
Stick to this routine for a couple of weeks at least to get a glowing, lighter skin tone.
Tip: Cucumber is a no-risk natural product that you can safely use to help your skin get it's natural glow back. Nobody has ever had an overdose of cucumber yet.
3. Gram Flour
Gram flour is a popular home remedy for whitening your skin. Like cucumber, it has no side effects and all you have to do is to make a paste out of gram flour and apply it like a face pack. Your grandmother probably recommends making a
Your grandmother probably recommends making a face pack made of gram flour, yoghurt and lemon juice. Actually, gram flour helps in overcome dark circles, tackle dark patches due to sunburn, and gives your a skin a moisturised and radiant tone. All thanks to manganese, a key component of gram flour.
2 tablespoons of gram flour.
2 tablespoons of wheat flour.
2 tablespoon rice flour.
2 tablespoon of powdered red lentil (masoor dal).
1 tablespoon of sandalwood powder.
1 tablespoon of licorice or Mulethi powder.
Mix all the powders together.
In a small cup make a paste with the powder and milk (if you have dry skin). If you have oily skin, make a paste with rose water. For sensitive skin, make a paste using yoghurt.
Apply the paste all over your body and wait for 10 to 15 minutes.
Once the paste is dry, gently start rubbing the powder off your skin using wet fingers. This is to exfoliate your skin.
Wash it off with water.
Tip: Yours truly (who already has a fair skin naturally) has tried this method and I should say your skin will appear definitely lighter after a few face pack sessions!
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4. Honey
Honey can help make your skin become moist and soft. Most importantly, it also helps reduce sebum secretions which make your skin look oily. Honey has been used as a home remedy since the ancient times. It is proven to be a great remedy for skin burns, acne, eczema and eye puffiness.
Mix honey with fresh lemon juice.
Make it into a paste and apply it on your face for 15 minutes.
Remember to wash it off!
Make this a daily routine.
Tip: What about the claim that honey can help whiten your skin? As a stand alone remedy, honey is not a skin whitening agent. It's a natural remedy for damaged skin and making your skin healthy and beautiful.
5. Lemon Juice
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), obtained from lemon and other citrus fruits is a naturally occurring antioxidant. Vitamin C can play important role in the health and beauty of skin. Vitamin C not only reduces melanin production but it also reduces oxidation of the melanin that is produced. Hence it is a wonderful agent to whiten your skin.
1 tablespoon of baking soda.
Half a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Mix the two into a paste.
Apply the paste on your face for 10 to 15 minutes.
Repeat this twice a week.
Tip: Hence most home remedies for whitening the skin involve at least a teaspoon of lemon juice as one of the ingredients. Beware of claims about Vitamin C in formulations and serums. Vitamin C's effectiveness to lighten your skin depends on the packaging and the concentration and the type of Vitamin C used.
6. Milk
Milk, especially soured milk, has historically been used a skin care remedy. It is believed that Cleopatra bathed in sour milk every day to keep her skin glowing! So how do you get fair skin with milk? It's the presence of lactic acid that makes milk a natural skin whitening product.
According to this article, milk and other natural products that contain lactic acid reduce the appearance of ageing, remove fine lines, wrinkles, heal sun damage, improve dark patches or spots that develop on the skin. When you use products that contain concentrations of more than 5 percent lactic acid, you may find it lightens your skin.
Look for a detailed video in the section titled "How to get fair skin in a week". This video has a recipe that explains how to get a fair skin using milk as a toner, scrubber and moisturiser.
Tip: Taking a milk bath, or using sour milk as a base for preparing face masks is a definite option to consider if you are on a quest to find out how to get fair skin.
7. Oatmeal
Steel cut oatmeal (which is closest to the natural form) is a friend of your skin. Even dermatologists recommend oatmeal for sensitive skin, eczema, dry skin, and psoriasis lesions because it is an excellent moisturiser with skin healing, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and itch relieving benefits.
Here is a simple recipe to use oats to get a glowing, bright skin.
Just take a handful of oats in a cup. soak it in water. Squeeze it with a spoon to extract the cloudy/milky water. Use a cotton ball or pad to apply the oats water on your face. Then use the soaked oats (which should be soft by now) as a scrub on your face. Wash it off, dry your face and apply a moisturiser.
Repeat this process once daily.
Tip: Using oatmeal alone will not get you a fair skin. Oatmeal combined with other skin whitening products can deliver fantastic results.
8. Orange
The use of orange as a skin whitening remedy is also based on the same reason as lemon is used. Both orange and lemon are rich sources of vitamin C which is a good antioxidant and helps shield your skin from the darkening due to sun exposure.
Here is how you can make a fairness scrubber using orange.
2 teaspoon orange juice (freshly squeezed).
2 teaspoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed).
1 teaspoon sugar.
Mix the juices and sugar in a small cup. Use your hands to rub the liquid on your face. The sugar acts as a natural face scrub. Make sure you don't dissolve the sugar in the juice before rubbing it on your face. Wash your face with water.
Use the orange scrub 2 or 3 times a week.
Tip: Orange is definitely a natural skin lightening product. You could use the juice as it is or make use of the juice or even the orange skin to prepare a face mask.
9. Papaya
According to the plantsjournal.com, rubbing the white pulp of raw papaya improves pimples as well as wrinkles. Papaya works as a good bleaching agent. It is an important ingredient in bath soaps, astringents, detergent, bars and hand washes.
Papaya can help in removing dead worn-out skin cells and replace it with healthy new cells, thereby lightening the colour of our skin.
1 tablespoon of yoghurt.
Papaya paste with skin.
1/2 spoon baking soda.
Mix all the ingredients into a thick paste. Apply on your face and leave it on for about 30 minutes and wash it off.
Tip: Forget the papaya pulp and instead use the papaya peel if you would like to make your skin fair. The enzyme you want for skin whitening, papain, is present in adequate quantities in the skin of the papaya fruit.
10. Potato
According to a UK-based dermatologist, Dr Emma Wedgeworth, drinking potato juice every day might have big benefits for your skin!
Apparently, the humble potato has a high concentration of antioxidants and polyphenols which have a major role to play in reducing skin inflammation. Potatoes also have a copious vitamin B6 which is required for a healthy skin. Potatoes also contain an enzyme called catecholase that acts as a natural bleach and can help you whiten your skin and remove dark circles from under your eyes.
1 potato, diced.
1 teaspoon rose water.
1 teaspoon honey.
1 teaspoon lemon juice.
Blend potato in a food processor/mixer and add rosewater, lemon and honey. Mix the paste thoroughly and apply the paste to your skin. Leave it on for about 15 minutes and wash it off for amazing skin whitening results. Use this procedure 2 to 3 times a week to maintain your fair skin.
Tip: Like the papaya, the potato skin is rich in vitamins and minerals. Creating a face pack with potato should include the skin. And no, eating potato fries doesn't help your skin!
11. Rice
Rice is an effective skin whitening product but nobody talks about it. When you use rice powder or rice water (water that you collect after washing raw rice) as your face mask, you will see a lightening of your skin tone.
Rice contains a high concentration of os a substance called PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid) along with ferulic acid and allantoin, which happens to protect your skin from the harsh Indian sunlight. Allantoin is a good recovering from the effects of sunburn.
When you apply rice powder paste to your face or skin, it inhibits tyrosinase that causes pigmentation and thus gives you a white skin.
Rice Powder: an Asian skin whitening secret
See the recipe and video in point 3 above that explains how to use rice powder to get a fair skin.
Tip: Did you know rice powder is also a great natural product for covering up blemishes on your skin? In fact, rice powder is used as an ingredient in some of the retail makeup products.
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12. Soybeans
Soybeans has captured the imagination of cosmetics companies for its unique ability to lighten skin. In fact, soy is known to help overcome hyperpigmentation (dark colour patches) and sunburns. Women also use soy to slow the regrowth of facial hair.
Studies have shown that fermented soy products have traces of phytoestrogens which is known to suppress melanin and whiten skin colour. Soy is also a natural tyrosinase inhibitor, which will help you get a uniformly light skin colour.
Tip: If you are using soy milk as an ingredient in a face pack, please remember to use unpasteurized soy milk if you want to take advantage of the skin whitening properties of soy.
13. Turmeric
Turmeric is a key ingredient in most Indian recipes and is also considered to have medicinal properties. Turmeric is a key component of the traditional system of medicine such as Ayurveda.
The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which is a proven to inhibit tyrosinase activity and melanin production. According to a study, curcumin is able to block the production of melanin resulting in skin whitening.
2 teaspoons of turmeric powder.
2 tablespoons of milk.
Making turmeric face mask is very simple. Just make a paste with turmeric powder and milk. Apply on your face. Let it dry for about 20 minutes and then wash it off.
Tip: Make sure you buy turmeric powder from a reputed brand or source. In India, turmeric powder is adulterated with fillers and lead chromate which might cause serious harm.
Wondering how to get fair skin in a week?
We understand. You might want to be in your shining best for an important meeting and you probably have a week's time to get ready.
If you are not a fan of chemical bleaches, and you are wondering how to get fair skin in 1 week naturally, here is a simple method to make your skin fairer or lighten your skin tone and get a glowing look in just 7 days!
Ingredients: Milk, Rice flour, honey, aloe vera, lemon juice.
Cleaning routine (once a day for 7 days): Wipe your face with water and dry it with a soft towel. Use a cotton ball to soak in some milk and apply it all over your face. Milk can act as a natural cleanser because it has fat soluble enzymes (lipase) in it. The lactic acid in the skin can help remove all the dead skin. Leave your face to dry and then wash it off. Use this cleansing routine every day.
Scrubbing routine (2 times in a 7-day period at the beginning and after 4 days): Mix rice flour with lime juice and milk. Make a paste and apply it on your face. All the wonderful ingredients of rice flour, vitamin C (in the lime juice) and milk comes into play to act as a super scrubber that will remove oils and sebum build up. Wash it off after 5 minutes.
Moisturising routine (once a day for 7 days): Mix 2 spoons of milk with 1/4 teaspoon of aloe vera, and 1 teaspoon of honey). Make a paste and apply it on your face. Leave it on for 30 minutes. You will have a rejuvenated glowing face once you wash your face.
While you will definitely see a marked improvement in your complexion in a week's time, you may continue this routine as often as you can to keep your skin glowing and should make your skin fairer in the long run.
How to become fair and white: Common sense tips
If you have a dark complexion, don't try to fight it. There are simple ways to get a lighter skin tone and we have it all lined up for you.
That's not all. If you have done all the hard work to get a fair skin (like being blessed with a fair skin gene!), follow these simple suggestions to maintain your skin.
1. You may have a dark skin or uneven skin tone because of lack of moisture in your skin, stress, dusty or polluted environment or even sleep deprivation. Try to address these basic issues first.
2. Do you have an oily skin? Make sure you cleanse your skin often and avoid fatty foods if you can.
3. Do you have a dry skin? Use a natural moisturiser or a face pack that contains honey and milk.
4. If you have a sensitive skin, please be very careful in using even natural skin whitening remedies. Test them on your hands before trying them on your face.
5. Follow the cleansing, toning, moisturising, exfoliating routine. Exfoliation should be done occasionally, not daily.
6. Use sunscreen if you have to go out in the sun.
7. Maintain a healthy diet that includes vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts.
8. Green tea is good for your skin. You can also make a face pack with green tea to help maintain a healthy skin.
9. While lemon and orange are great for whitening your skin, tomatoes are equally good as they are rich in Vitamin C. Add tomatoes in your face masks and in your diet.
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