As we all know dark spots or hyperpigmentation result when our skin produces more melanin than usual. For many years, dark spots have been considered a beauty defect. Many people nowadays resort to surgeries or buy costly creams that are rich in chemicals to get rid of these spots and, in many cases, end up not getting the desired result. People might need to go back to nature for a better and healthier option to treat these conditions or reduce their appearance on the skin.
By using natural products you can guarantee that you won’t risk having your skin damaged and your money wasted. Let’s discuss a few of the natural products that can be used to remove dark spots.
Yogurt and Lemon Juice Benefits
Mixing yogurt and lemon juice has great brightening benefits for the skin. Each one of these natural ingredients has its unique characteristics to brighten the skin. To begin with, lemon is rich in natural vitamin C which in itself is an antioxidant that helps reduce skin damage, brightens skin and reduces premature aging. The citric acid known as alpha hydroxy acid found in lemons, evens out skin tone and improves discoloration.
As for yogurt, it works as a beauty multi-tasker. It’s main ingredient, lactic acid; has multiple benefits for the skin. These benefits include being moisturizing, fighting acne, preventing premature aging, and reducing discoloration.
When combined, both yogurt and lemon form a soft creamy mixture that is best applied at bed time. Due to the acidic characteristics found in lemon that results in peeling off your skin and thus making it more sensitive to sun damage, sunscreen is needed if you are going out in the sun shortly after using these products on your skin.
Milk and Honey Benefits
Beginning with milk, It’s no wonder that female monarchs such as Cleopatra used to bathe in milk in ancient days. There must have been a good reason for these monarchs to apply milk to their bodies in this way. As a natural ingredient, milk has multiple benefits for the skin. Lactic acid in it functions as an exfoliator. By exfoliating, you get rid of old skin cells and get newer ones. This process makes your skin lighter and brighter. Milk also has an excellent moisturizing property that is of great benefit for people with dry skin.
Raw honey is a natural exfoliator as well. Applying it to your face can take off dry and dull skin, revealing new brighter skin cells underneath it. Manuka honey is considered to be the best type of honey one could use. Manuka honey is graded using a system named The Unique Manuka Factor (UMF). The higher the factor number is, the more pure and potent the honey is.
Whether your dark spots are a result of sun exposure or acne, the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities of honey and milk’s smoothing and exfoliating properties combined helps reduce the appearance of acne’s dark marks. Mixing these two natural ingredients should be done in equal measures to get the best results of healthy and glowy skin without imperfections.
All natural products can be used effectively to treat and lighten dark spots for clearer and brighter skin.
Photo by Dhyamis Kleber from Pexels
Aloe Vera Benefits
Few scientific studies have shown that aloe vera has specific skin- lightening properties. Two substances found in aloe vera have proven to lighten dark skin spots. These are called aloin and aloe. These two natural chemical ingredients reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation by destroying existing melanin cells and preventing the further formation of melanin in the skin. Aloe vera gel can be extracted directly from freshly harvested aloe vera leaves and applied on the skin or it can be bought from the pharmacy as a natural ingredient without chemicals in a bottle.
Gently massage it into the skin for 15-20 minutes, then rinse it off with water. This process can be done daily until you start seeing results.
You can also add honey or lemon to make the brightening effect stronger.
Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits
Apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid, which research shows can brighten the skin and remove dark spots. The best way to use this natural product is by mixing equal parts of apple cider vinegar and water in a container. Apply to the dark spots, then leave it for two to three minutes, then rinse it off. Apply this mixture twice daily for better results.
Final Thoughts
From my personal experience with natural skincare products, I have realized that the fresher the products are, the better results you get. To me, it is essential that the natural product that I’m using is organic. In other words, not sprayed by pesticides, fertilizers or other artificial chemicals. My last note, the critical element to getting good results from these natural products is consistency. Reducing dark spots is not an overnight task. Following a regular skincare routine will get you the desired result if you want to try the above examples.
