Tanning is synonymous with summers. While the season is all about flip-flops, easy-breezy dresses, loads of fresh juices and beachy vacations, summers also bring along the problem of sunburn!
Especially in a country like India that experiences extreme weather conditions, tanning is something that is hard to avoid.
The rising temperatures not just dehydrate your skin, but make it look dull and dark, with the increased production of melanin (the brown pigment), as the skin gets in touch with the harmful UV rays.
The more you are exposed to the sun, the more the production of melanin, and hence, more the tanning!
Besides darkness, patches and dullness, what’s more, annoying about tanning is the irritation that it causes to your skin.
No wonder then, people prefer to stay indoors to avoid the heat strokes and the damage it causes to your skin. But, we all know, locking yourself up in the house all the time, is obviously not feasible.
While chemical treatments are obviously not recommended, for they can further worsen your skin issues, we list here easy natural ways, that can be practiced at home, which can help you get rid of that tan!
#1 - Lemon Juice
Lemon is a very good natural bleaching agent. Its juice thus works wonders for tanning. Rubbing lemon juice on the skin and letting it stay for 15 minutes before you wash it, helps in treating sunburn and tanning.
One extra tip here. You can also add honey in the lemon juice for better results. Also, mixing sugar in the juice can have an exfoliating effect on the skin, as it acts as a scrub.
#2 - Yoghurt and Tomato
While tomatoes are natural anti-oxidants that lighten and brighten the skin, yoghurt, on the other hand, is full of lactic acid that softens it.
Mixing the two and applying it on the tanned part for about 15-20 minutes, heals the skin from the sun damage.
#3 - Aloe Vera
While its juice is good for your stomach and keeps the blood sugar in control, Aloe Vera gel is a blessing for skin. It not just soothes the skin but also nourishes it, making it softer and smoother.
Applying Aloe Vera gel on the sunburnt area and leaving it overnight, helps in getting rid of tan, to a great extent.
#4 - Watermelon
Who doesn’t love eating fresh and juicy watermelons in summers?
Well, the fruit does not just keep you hydrated when eaten, it has benefits even if it is applied to the body. Watermelon contains Glutathione, an anti-oxidant, that lightens the skin. Research has proved that crushing the watermelon and rubbing it on the skin can help keep the suntan at bay!
So the next time, you sit with your bowl of watermelon, you know what to do with it, besides eating it!
#5 - Potatoes
Available in every house, Potatoes are probably the easiest and the most affordable way to treat tan. Rich in an enzyme called catecholase that helps in clearing the skin, potatoes can lighten the skin tan when applied raw for 10-15 minutes on the affected area.
Besides these easy home remedies, items like turmeric, gram flour, papaya and cucumber, are few other commonly available ingredients in the kitchen, that can help you treat skin tan.
Apart from sun screen lotions and masks, these natural ways are way better and safer than bleaching agents that can help you say goodbye to that stubborn sun burn!
How to Remove Tan and Pigmentation NATURALLY~
#6 - Turmeric and Bengal gram (besan) face pack
The two natural home products exfoliate the skin and remove all the dead cells. Also, using the face pack thrice a week, let go off that patches caused by sun radiations. All you have to do is mix, besan with a pinch of turmeric powder, some milk and rosewater. Apply this on your face and let it dry for 15-20 minutes.
Wash off your skin and repeat the process for about 2-3 times a week. You will start noticing the difference soon.
#7 - Honey and Papaya
The tasty fruit that is amazing for your bowel movement works wonders for your skin too. Papaya is a natural exfoliator and a bleaching agent that removes tan naturally. You can mash the Papaya and mix it with honey, which acts as a natural moisturizer and use the pack to remove the tan naturally.
#8 - Masoor Dal
Masoor dal is not just a healthy eating option but also is a blessing for the skin. It is a natural exfoliator for the skin.
Besides tightening the pores it also brightens the skin by removing the tan. All you have to do is soak the dal overnight and crush it in a mixer along with some tomato juice and Aloe Vera gel.
The pack is highly recommended for the natural glow on the skin.
#9 - Oatmeal and Buttermilk
Oatmeal is considered an amazing tan remover as it acts as a natural scrub for the skin and helps to exfoliate it. Similarly, buttermilk has been used to remove skin tan for ages. Applying buttermilk on the affected skin is one of the oldest methods to heal it from the sunburn.
Besides, being a natural bleaching agent, buttermilk also makes the skin soft and supple. Mixing both the ingredients and using it on the face is a hit formula to get rid of the tanned skin.
#10 - Strawberries
Strawberries are amazing natural exfoliators that remove dead skin and brighten it naturally. They are loaded with moisturizing properties as well. Mashing and mixing strawberries with milk and applying the paste on heavily tanned areas helps in skin lightening and making it soft.
#11 - Vicks Vaporub
Vicks Vaporub not just lets you breathe during cough and cold and blocked nose, but also soothes your skin from sunburn.
Vicks which have anti-inflammatory properties is said to be one of the best remedies for irritated and rashy skin from suntan. Rub Vicks on the affected area regularly at nights and leave it. You will see noticeable results in a few days.
#12 - Bitter Gourd
This superfood might not be the tastiest one (although if cooked well, it tastes great) but is a magic wand for your health and skin.
Bitter gourd not just cleanses your blood but skin too. Loaded with anti-oxidant properties, bitter gourd paste when applied to the tanned area and left for 15 minutes followed by washing off, yields amazing results. Bitter gourd is a great healer and works well for tanned and irritated skin.
#13 - Ice Cubes
Rubbing ice cubes on the tanned area is perhaps the easiest and quickest remedy for removing sunburn. Ice soothes the skin rashes and cools it down. Regular use of ice on the affected area gives quick relief to the rashes and also decreases the skin tan.
#14 - Multani Mitti
Multani mitti is known to be a natural skin coolant loaded with anti-inflammatory properties. Regular use of Multani mitti mixed with fresh aloe vera juice brings quick relief to suntan and also improves the quality of the skin. It works best for oily skin as it extracts extra oil leaving the skin pimple free.
#15 - Wheat flour
The most easily available skin tan remover is wheat flour. available in every household, the natural ingredient acts as a scrub and exfoliates the skin.
Besides removing the tan and sunburn, it helps in brightening of skin leaving it soft and supple. mix the flour with water and form the thick paste. apply the mixture on your skin thrice a week for magical results.
#16 - Saffron
This is considered as a superfood, saffron is an age-old remedy for skin burn. it helps get rid of the skin tan when mixed with milk or fresh cream. using and applying the mixture on the affected area regularly lightens the skin tone and treats the rashes.
#17 - Almonds
The nut, rich in vitamin e, is one of the best solutions for sunburns. crush 4-5 almonds and add rose water and lemon juice to it to form a thick paste. apply this mixture on the affected area on a regular basis and you will see your stubborn tan fading away in a few days.
#18 - Green tea
Sipping a hot cup of green tea every day removes all the oxidants from your body.
Apart from within, the tea cleanses your body from outside too. green tea is an effective way to reduce skin tan. you just have to dip a green tea bag in a cup and let it cool down. now dip cotton in the tea and rub it on the tanned area. repeat it for a few days, and you will thank us later.
#19 - Lemon Juice and Sugar
The most easily available ingredients work as a great natural scrub when mixed together. While lemon works to remove the tan, sugar helps in getting rid off the dead skin, thereby resulting in rejuvenated, fresh and tan free skin.
