Anti Aging Skin Care » Skin Care Tips » Home Remedies for Dark Skin

Home Remedies for Dark Skin

Dark skin can be a nuisance for people who desire a fair complexion. Although many people have a naturally dark skin, darkening of skin could also be due to hyper-pigmentation and various other reasons. A dark colored skin has more amount of melanin skin pigment, as compared to fair skin. Unfortunately, more quantity of melanin can cause the skin to look blemished and patchy.

Dark Skin Symptoms
The symptoms for dark skin are a dark brown to blackish skin. This can be followed with blemishes or dark patches on the skin.

Causes of dark skin
The causes for a dark skin or complexion could be various. Some of the most common causes of dark skin are:

• Heredity - People with dark skin often have children who are dark - skinned too. The genes seem to pass on from generation to generation.
• Hyperpigmentation - In this condition, the skin produces excessive melanin pigment, causing the skin to become darker than usual.
• Skin disorders - Lichen Simplex Chronicus is a skin disorder that causes severe itching that makes the skin thick, dark and patchy.
• Sun rays - Over exposure to sun causes the skin to tan. This is a natural procedure, wherein to guard itself from the harmful UV rays of the sun, the skin produces more amount of the melanin pigment which guards the penetration of UV rays into the skin.

Home Remedies for Dark Skin
Here are some natural home remedies to lighten the skin tone and get a lighter complexion. However, they must be done frequently and best results are obtained if they are included as a part of daily routine.

• Add 1 tablespoon of milk powder, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and ½ tablespoon of almond oil. Mix and apply on face and wash off after 10-15 minutes. This pack helps bring shine to the skin and removes tan.
• Add oatmeal in curd and tomato juice, mix and apply on the face. Keep it on for 20 minutes and next wash off with cold water. It helps remove the tan and lightens the skin.
• Place sliced raw potato on the face. It helps reduce blemishes and other marks.
• Apply turmeric powder along with limejuice, as it removes the tan. Limejuice is natural bleach.
• Dried orange peels mixed with curd help decrease blemishes and scars. Wash off this mixture with cold water after 15 minutes.
• Soak four almonds overnight. Grind into a fine paste using milk. Apply on face and neck and leave it overnight. Wash with cold water in the morning. Do this daily for 15 days, followed by twice a week.
• A tablespoon of gram flour mixed with two tablespoon of raw milk and 2-3 drops of limejuice works well for lightening dark skin. Apply this mixture and wait for 15 minutes before washing off. Repeat for 4 weeks and follow up with once a week.
• Prepare a paste of fresh ground mint leaves and apply on the face. Leave it for about 20 minutes. Wash it off with cold water. Continue this for 15 days.
• Add grated tomato in 2-3 drops of limejuice, mix and apply on the face. Leave it for 20 minutes before washing off. Do this twice a day for 15-20 days for best results. This is the best dark skin remedy.

Balanced Diet
Though there are no particular foods that will lighten your skin instantly, a balanced diet definitely helps by giving your skin a healthy glow. Drinking adequate amount of water hydrates your skin and keeps it blemish free. Some recommendations regarding diet are as follows -

• Avoid excessive consumption of heavy and oily foods.
• Consume cereals, pulses, fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Drink at least 4-5 liters of water every day. Water washes out the toxins from the body.

Other suggestions
Use a good quality sunscreen when going out in the sun to defend the skin from tanning as well as the sun's UV rays. Be regular and constant with the home remedies for dark skin as suggested above.