Most of us would have also searched for instant skin brightening tips and skin brightening supplements online. But how many of them worked? Your skin becomes dull and lifeless due to several factors, including dust, sun exposure, pollution, and other skin issues, causing skin darkening. What if we tell you the solution is available in your pantry? Wondering how? This article introduces you to herbal remedies for skin brightening made with ingredients available in your kitchen. Read on to know more!
11 Natural Treatments To Brighten Your Skin
1. Banana Face Pack For Skin Brightening
You Will Need
1 ripe banana 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon honey Towel
Prep Time
2 minutes
Treatment Time
15 minutes
Treatment
How Often Can You Do This?
Twice a week.
Why This Works
It is one of the best skin-brightening home remedies you can try. Bananas are packed with vitamins A, B, and E. They are also an abundant source of the mineral potassium (1). These nutrients help even out rough skin while reducing the appearance of dark spots and blemishes. They also improve skin elasticity and prevent aging (2). The vitamin E helps prevent oxidative damage while also building your skin’s defense against the harmful rays of the sun (3).
2. Baking Soda For Skin Brightening
You Will Need
1 tablespoon baking soda 1 ½ teaspoons water Towel
Prep Time
2 minutes
Treatment Time
5 minutes
Treatment
How Often Can You Do This?
2-3 times a week.
Why This Works
Baking soda is a gentle exfoliant that may also help neutralize your skin’s pH level (4). It has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal properties that may help clear acne from your skin(5), (6). It may also help unclog your pores while removing the damaged and darkened skin from the top layers, revealing fair and healthy skin. But people with dry and sensitive skin or open wounds should not try this. Gin Amber, a YouTuber conducted an experiment with baking soda for her acne, cleansing her face with it once daily every other day for 10 days. She said, “It’s really good. It’s really helping. I am so happy. This is so cheap and it helps make your skin look better (i).” She added, “I have no more pimples, red spots! I have very little scars, that’s it.”
3. Gram Flour For Skin Brightening
You Will Need
2 tablespoons gram flour 4 tablespoons rose water Towel
Prep Time
2 minutes
Treatment Time
20 minutes
Treatment
How Often Can You Do This?
2-3 times a week.
Why This Works
The gram flour helps control the oil production in your skin while also maintaining its pH levels. It helps remove grime and toxins to leave your skin looking radiant. It is also a gentle exfoliant that helps remove dead skin cells while encouraging the production of new and healthy skin cells (7).
4. Lemon For Skin Brightening
You Will Need
2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon honey Towel
Prep Time
2 minutes
Treatment Time
15 minutes
Treatment
How Often Can You Do This?
Twice a week.
Why This Works
It is one of the best skin-brightening tips and takes only 15 minutes. The treatment is also an ideal way to lighten your skin tone without causing skin damage or irritation. Lemon’s rich vitamin C content helps lighten pigmentation and dark spots, evening out your skin tone (8). It is also rich in antioxidants that help prevent oxidative damage (9). This lemon and honey mask purifies and refines your pores while also killing harmful bacteria that can cause breakouts. The combined bleaching properties of lemon and honey help control melanin production, brightening your skin tone. Dr. Anna Chacon, MD, FAAD, a double board-certified dermatologist, says, “You will notice a change in your skin’s texture and tone within one to two months. Lemon juice can also be added in little amounts to the mixture. This bleach will function more quickly.”
5. Multani Mitti For Skin Brightening
You Will Need
5-6 peeled cucumber slices 2 teaspoons Multani mitti 1 tablespoon rose water Towel
Prep Time
5 minutes
Treatment Time
15 minutes
Treatment
How Often Can You Do This?
2-3 times a week.
Why This Works
The cucumber juice combined with the Multani mitti in this face pack helps brighten your skin and may even fade skin discoloration (10), (7). The rose water adds an instant pink glow to your skin. Multani mitti is also rich in minerals that help nourish your skin. It has strong bleaching, cleansing, and oil-absorbing properties that brighten your skin while keeping it clean and healthy (11).
6. Papaya Face Pack For Skin Brightening
You Will Need
1 papaya slice 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon milk
Prep Time
2 minutes
Treatment Time
20 minutes
Treatment
How Often Can You Do This?
1-2 times a week.
Why This Works
Lemon juice is one of the most popular treatments for bright skin. In combination with papaya, it can give you good results. This is because both lemon and papaya enzyme masks have bleaching properties that can help brighten your skin tone and leave it with a radiant glow (12), (8). If you have dry skin, you can add a little milk to this mix to make it more hydrating.
7. Tomato For Skin Brightening
You Will Need
1 Ripe Tomato Towel
Prep Time
2 minutes
Treatment Time
20 minutes
Treatment
How Often Can You Do This?
Every day
Why This Works
Tomatoes are a rich source of vitamins A, B, and C. They also contain calcium, magnesium, and potassium (13). While the minerals help heal your skin and keep it hydrated, the vitamins prevent premature aging and boost healthy cell production. Tomatoes help you achieve radiant skin and their lycopene content protects your skin from the harsh UV rays of the sun (14).
8. Turmeric For Skin Brightening
You Will Need
½ teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon milk Towel
Prep Time
2 minutes
Treatment Time
1 hour
Treatment
How Often Can You Do This?
Thrice a week.
Why This Works
Milk has excellent cleansing properties that help get rid of grime, dead skin, and other impurities from your skin (15). These turmeric face masks work as an effective treatment to reduce acne scars, pigmentation, acne, and dark spots (16). Turmeric also helps inhibit melanin production with its curcumin content. Curcumin helps block the production of ACTH, a hormone that triggers excessive melanin production (17), (18).
9. Ubtan For Skin Brightening
You Will Need
1 tablespoon gram flour 1 tablespoon rice flour 2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons milk
Prep Time
2 minutes
Treatment Time
25 minutes
Treatment
How Often Can You Do This?
1-2 times a week.
Why This Works
Homemade ubtan face packs are usually used by Indian brides to help add a glow to the skin while improving its health (19). The use of multiple ingredients in an ubtan makes it an effective skin health-boosting face pack. This pack contains the goodness of gram flour, milk, lemon juice, and rice flour.
10. Aloe Vera For Skin Brightening
You Will Need
1 aloe vera leaf Towel
Prep Time
2 minutes
Treatment Time
10 minutes
Treatment
How Often Can You Do This?
Twice a day
Why This Works
This remedy may help you achieve instant glowing skin in 10 minutes. Aloe vera gel contains about 150 nutrients, which include enzymes, lignins, salicylic acids, sterols, saponins, amino acids, minerals, and anthraquinones (20). About 96% of the gel is water, which makes it extremely hydrating for the skin (21). It contains minerals like magnesium, zinc, and selenium that repair and protect the skin from damage-causing factors, such as chemicals, the harsh rays of the sun, and pollution. The vitamins and minerals in this ingredient also help inhibit melanin production and brighten your skin (22).
11. Orange Peel Face Pack For Skin Brightening
You Will Need
2 tablespoons of dried orange peel powder 1 tablespoon of yogurt 1 tablespoon of honey
Prep Time
7 minutes
Treatment Time
20 minutes
Treatment
How Often Can You Do This?
Twice a week
Why This Works
Orange peel is rich in vitamin C that brightens skin by reducing the melanin pigment (23). Yogurt contains lactic acid that gently exfoliates skin and promotes a smoother, even complexion (24). Honey possesses antimicrobial properties that may help acne-prone skin (25). There are other skin-brightening methods that you can follow apart from the above-mentioned herbal beauty tips. Dr. Chacon says, “All you have to do is combine a sprinkle of turmeric powder with a tablespoon of honey, two tablespoons of lemon juice, and three to four pieces of almonds with almost two cups of yogurt. Blend everything well.” Can hydrogen peroxide lighten the skin? Dr. Chacon says, “Among its numerous uses in skin care, hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching and oxidizing agent. It can help lighten the skin tone when used in a suitably low dosage.” However, do not use it without consulting your doctor. What drinks make your skin glow? Detox drinks and juices of vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables may make your skin glow. Is coffee good for the skin? Coffee helps protect the skin from oxidative stress and photoaging and reduces hyperpigmentation (26). Can we apply lemon juice to the face directly? Yes, you can apply lemon juice directly to the face if your skin is not sensitive. Those with sensitive skin may need to dilute the juice with water or rose water before applying. Can we apply coffee to the face overnight? Yes, there is no problem in applying coffee to the face overnight. You can make a coffee overnight face pack, apply it before bed, and rinse it off the next morning. However, always do a patch test before applying.
Illustration: Methods To Brighten Skin Naturally At Home
Discover the ancient secret to radiant skin with a homemade multani mitti body/face pack. Say goodbye to dullness and hello to a natural glow. Watch the video below for more information.
