Bleaching the skin is a common skincare practice, especially after vacay travelling or after the summers. However, even after the scorching heat of the summer sun subsides every year, the debate on the safety and procedures of skin bleaching never ceases. Natural bleach for skin is a healthy alternative for those looking to get rid of tanned skin.

What is Skin Bleaching?

Skin Bleaching of the skin is often done to lighten the skin. The dark spots and scars can be lightened with the use of skin bleaching agents. Age spots, dark circles, blemishes and other pigmented parts of the skin can also be bleached. Usually skin bleaching is done with bleaching soaps, creams and even pills. Professionals in the salon also use lasers to bleach the skin.

How Does Skin Bleaching Work?

The skin color of a person is determined by the presence of melanin in the body. Melanin is a broad term for most pigments produced by the body. The natural skin pigment melanin is produced by the cells in the body called melanocytes. The melanocytes are present in the epidermis and the production of melanin varies from person to person.

When more melanin is present in the skin the skin appears darker. People with lighter skin have less melanin. Hence, the purpose of bleaching is to lower the production of melanin in the skin.

Benefits Of Skin Bleaching

There are many benefits of skin bleaching. Store bought products have hydrogen peroxide to lighten the skin, tan the skin and hide facial hairs. Hydrogen peroxide is the main component in many bleaching products for the skin. However, there are some side effects associated with using hydrogen peroxide including peeling of the skin, blistering and skin burning.

Another bleaching agent in cosmetics is sodium hypochlorite. The interaction of the skin with sodium hypochlorite is quite complicated. It is considered that small amounts of this compound may be harmless, but too much of it can cause skin irritation, burning sensation and swelling.

However, natural bleach for skin products do not have these side effects and the fact that these are natural products touching the skin is reassuring to the mind. Here are some benefits.

1. Helps Get Rid Of Tan

Bleaching the skin gets rid of skin tan, which is oftentimes uneven. After bleaching the skin it is rinsed. This results in exfoliation of the outer skin, thereby leaving us with uniformly bright skin.

2. No Dark Spots

The cause of dark spots on the skin can be many including hormones, pollution, environment and age. Skin bleaching is a solution, albeit temporary, to hide the dark and age spots and minimize skin discoloration.

3. Hide Face Hair

Bleaching is still used as a practice to hide facial bleaching. Skin bleaching is a pain free method to hide facial hair. The other method of removing hair from the face- waxing – is quite painful.

4. Get Rid of Acne Scars

The scars left behind by acne can be quite distressing. Natural skin bleaching agents will remove the dirt and sebum from the pores and lighten the marks.

5. Lowers Pigmentation

Uneven arm hue is common after the summer season. Some of the skin bleaching agents has lactic acid that lightens the skin and evens the skin color. The exfoliating properties of lactic acids remove dead skin cells from the top of the skin and gradually even the skin color.

Natural Bleach For Skin – Ingredients, Instructions, and DIY Recipes

Recipe #1 - Lemon Essential Oil And Honey

Let’s start simple. Lemon juice when applied on the skin bleaches it because of the presence of ascorbic acid, which is a type of Vitamin C. It is considered to be an easy way to bleach your face. Just slice the lemon and rub it over your face. It lightens the skin tone.

Add a tinge of honey to the oil and we get a solution for acne treatments and skin inflammation.

Ingredients

• A full lemon’s juice or three drops of lemon essential oil
• 1 tablespoon of honey

Recipe #2 - Natural Bleach For Skin With Potato

The mild bleaching ability of potatoes has been utilized in skin care for ages. Potatoes are applied on the skin to reduce hypepigmentation and normalize skin tone. It also has Vitamin C which treats acne. The round vegetable also boosts collagen production.

Ingredients

• 2-3 potatoes
• 1 drop of lavender essential oil (optional)

Recipe #3 - Natural Bleach for Skin with Papaya and/or Pineapple

How many times have you seen face washes and creams listing pineapple and papaya extracts as its ingredient? It’s because both papaya and pineapple have the ability of bleaching the skin. (Bleach your skin to lighten freckles.)

The main ingredients in papaya and pineapple that bleaches the skin are papain and bromelain respectively. These enzymes are good exfoliators and block tyrosinase (responsible for melanin production). Applying these extracts to the face and skin evens the skin tone and removes dead skin cells.

Ingredients

• A piece of papaya or slice of pineapple

Recipe #4 - Skin Bleaching Naturally with Vetiver

Vetiver essential oil is a popular essential oil in aromatherapy. However, vetiver powder is also available and is used to bleach the skin. Vetiver is an herb used in Ayurveda because of its numerous benefits.

It has skin-lightening properties and is used as a natural bleaching agent. Vetiver essential oil is used as an ingredient in many cosmetic products for skin lightening.

Ingredients

• Vetiver powder or vetiver essential oil
• Honey or Rosehip seed oil

Recipe #5 - Skin Bleaching with Milk, Turmeric And Sandalwood

Milk, turmeric and sandalwood are ancient ingredients used to bleach the skin. A paste of sandalwood and turmeric is applied on the bride and groom to make their skin radiant on their special day.

Nowadays, sandalwood essential oil and turmeric essential oil is also used to lighten. Raw milk is another ingredient that gives the skin a glow. The mix of these ingredients removes dead cells from the skin and brightens it.

Ingredients

• Turmeric paste or turmeric essential oil
• Sandalwood paste or sandalwood essential oil
• Sweet almond oil
• Raw milk

Recipe #6 - Skin Bleaching with Licorice

A 2009 study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences has shown that licorice has skin whitening properties (2). The extracts of licorice are used in cosmetic and herbal bleaches.

Licorice extract and its essential oil have contains anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing activities as well. It can be applied on skin conditions including eczema and psoriasis.

Ingredients

• Licorice powder
• Honey
• Milk

Recipe #7 - Natural Skin Bleach with Aloe Vera

There is a reason aloe vera is found in most cosmetic skincare products. It is used as a depigmentation agent that lightens the skin tone by lowering blemishes and dark spots. The compound Aloesin is derived from aloe plants and has shown to inhibit tyrosinase (3).

Ingredients

• Aloe vera gel

Recipe #8 - Bleaching Skin with Gram Flour

Gram flour is a popular facemask used in homes. A simple gram flour face mask is sufficient to bleach the skin; but, adding a few essential oils and carrier oils will not only lighten the skin but keep it hydrated. Gram flour is also used to exfoliate the skin and remove blackheads and whiteheads.

Ingredients

• Quarter cup of gram flour
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder or 5 drops of turmeric essential oil
• 3 drops of lavender essential oil (optional)
• 3 drops of rose essential oil (optional)
• Rose water

Recipe #9 - Bleach Skin with Tomatoes

Tomatoes are used as a bleaching agent for the skin. It is used in many households. However, there is no study on the skin-lightening properties of tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• Pinch of turmeric powder
• Quarter cup of milk

Recipe #10 - Egg Whites For Skin Bleaching

There are no studies available that link egg whites to skin lightening. However, people apply egg whites to their face for lightening the skin. Egg whites do have proteins, Vitamin B12 and selenium, which nourishes the skin.

Ingredients

• Whites of 1-2 eggs.
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 drops of lavender essential oil (optional to mask the egg smell)

Recipe #11 - Bleaching Skin with Saffron

Research has shown that saffron lightens the skin tone and makes the skin radiant. Published in The Open Dermatology Journal in 2017, a study showed that the carotenoid glycosides and terpenoids in saffron (Crocus sativus) are good for complexion (4).

Ingredients

• Pinch of saffron strands
• Raw milk
• Cotton ball

Precautions Before Applying Natural Bleach For Skin

• Do not apply the skin bleach on irritated or injured skin. Wounds and infections on the skin may get aggravated when bleached. It is always recommended to avoid skin bleaching on injuries and infections.
• One of the after effects of bleaching is that it makes the skin sensitive. Hence, before bleaching the skin, it is advisable not to apply harsh cleansers on the skin. Bleaching the skin after cleansing it with harsh chemicals will aggravate skin irritation after bleaching.
• Natural homemade bleach for skin may have ingredients that may cause side effects to the skin. Some of the carrier oils and essential oils used for skin bleaching may cause skin rashes and redness. It is recommended to do a patch test before applying the bleach on a larger skin surface.
• Even though natural bleach for skin is (usually) harmless, it must not be applied on sensitive parts of the body including eyes, nose and genitals.
• In case irritation starts after applying the skin bleach, wash it off with cold water. So keep ice and cold water handy before applying the bleach.
• Tie your hair or wrap it with a plastic bag to protect it from the bleach.
• The dose of the bleach recipe should be followed, especially if you are new to making bleach for skin.

Precautions After Applying Natural Bleach For Skin

• The melanin in the skin increases under sunlight. It is recommended to stay indoors or away from sunlight after bleaching the skin.
• Use a sunscreen lotion if you go out. Choose a lotion that has the best SPF value.
• Regardless of whether you are satisfied with the natural skin bleaching or not, do not bleach the skin regularly as it can harm the skin. Bleaching should be done with a gap of at least 4 weeks.
• Sometimes the skin becomes irritated after bleaching. Use aloe vera gel to soothe the inflamed skin. Natural bleaching agents do not cause any irritations; however, if it does then wash the skin with cold water.

Is Skin Lightening Same as Skin Bleaching?

Oftentimes the terms skin lightening and skin bleaching are used interchangeably. Skin lightening involves reducing the dark spots, blemishes from acne and hyperpigmentation. One way of achieving skin lightening is through skin bleaching.

By bleaching the skin, dark spots and pigmentation can be reduced significantly. The effects of bleaching are not permanent. There are many ways of bleaching including laser therapy. But, natural skin bleaches are the best, easy and cheap way of lightening the skin.

Make your skin brighter with face pack home remedies. Ingredients rich in lactic acid lower the amount of melanin and are good remedy to lighten the face

Conclusion

Natural bleach for the skin lightens the skin, reduces the appearance of dark spots, blemishes, scars and hyperpigmentation. There are many ingredients in the kitchen that can be mixed and applied on the skin to lighten it. Unlike cosmetic products, natural skin bleaches can be applied on the skin many times without the fear of side effects.