Fight Face Pigmentation at Home with These Natural Ingredients
Nourish Mantra
As we keep growing older each day, so does our skin, and it is but natural that we develop certain skin conditions like allergies, pigmentation, blemishes, wrinkles, fine lines, and more. While we make sure we use the best skin cream in the market, natural face moisturizers, and organic face serums, sometimes, they may not suffice.
In such situations, one may want to resort to natural face care methods that save money while also showing promising results.
Today, we discuss natural ways to fight those stubborn dark patches on the face called pigmentation. Whether you want to incorporate them into your skincare routine and use them alongside your best face care products or want to go all-natural is your call. But it is worth noting that any all-natural approach to dealing with skin conditions takes its own sweet time to show results, but the wait will be worth it and the results long-lasting.
Before we talk about ways to deal with pigmentation, let us briefly discuss what is pigmentation and what causes it.
What is pigmentation?
Pigmentation or Hyperpigmentation is simply a skin condition that causes dark patches to appear on your skin. This happens mainly because your skin produces more melanin (the agent responsible for coloring/darkening your skin) in certain areas than its surrounding areas, thereby making the skin there look darker.
What causes more melanin production?
There could be various factors for this ranging from age, exposure to UV rays, post-inflammation skin darkening, cuts, burns, acne, or other injuries to the skin, and more. While pigmentation is not harmful or has any serious medical conditions attached to it, one might still want to get rid of the dark patches for beauty and wellness reasons.
Given below is a list of ingredients that help you fight pigmentation naturally at home. These ingredients are easily available in the market and are, in fact, used in manufacturing most facial care beauty products like anti-aging creams, night creams, and other face creams for women.
- Aloe Vera
An ingredient that the beauty, health, and wellness industry swears by, Aloe Vera is a magic agent. Studies show that the chemicals in Aloe Vera, namely Aloin and Aloesin, help destroy melanin cells and reduce further production of them. You can apply Aloe Vera directly on the face by peeling the skin off an aloe vera pod and scraping the inner gel with the help of a spoon or knife. Leave it on your face until it dries and rinses off thoroughly.
- Potatoes
Potatoes contain an enzyme called catecholase that exhibits skin-bleaching properties and helps lighten dark spots on the skin. The Vitamin C in potatoes improves collagen production, making the skin firmer and radiant, while zinc fixes damaged skin. Slice a potato in half and rub it directly on your skin. Leave it on for 30 mins before washing it off.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
If you read beauty and wellness magazines/blogs regularly, you have most probably heard of Apple Cider Vinegar and its benefits already. Being acidic in nature, it not only reduces pigmentation but also protects and repairs skin cells. However, make sure you dilute the product with water before applying it to your skin. Rinse thoroughly.
- Turmeric and Milk
Yet another health, beauty, and wellness staple, turmeric is a commonly found ingredient in most Indian and Western households. It is a powerhouse of good properties and helps lighten dark spots and kills bacteria, which are the significant causes of acne on face.
Meanwhile, milk contains lactic acid, which helps reduce skin discoloration. Milk also improves the moisture in the skin, making it soft and supple. Mix 3-4 tbsp of turmeric powder with enough milk to make a smooth paste. Apply it generously over the affected area and rinse off after 30 mins or after the paste dries.
- Tomatoes and Yogurt
Tomatoes are rich in nutrients and skin bleaching agents that help lighten dark patches naturally. The lactic acid in yogurt removes dead skin cells revealing brighter and more moisturized skin.
Mix 4-5 tbsp of tomato pulp to a cup of yogurt and apply it all over your face. Leave the mixture on for 30 mins and rinse off.
- Papaya
Papaya is yet another commonly found ingredient in face creams for women. Most routine skincare tips recommend applying a papaya face mask once every few weeks for smooth, glossy, and glowing skin.
Papaya contains an enzyme called Papain which removes impurities from the skin. It is also rich in Vitamin C that improves collagen production, and fixes damaged skin cells. The many rich fibres in ripe papaya offer a glowing texture to the skin. Blend a few pieces of papaya with yogurt or honey and apply it all over your face. Wash thoroughly after it dries.
We recommend using these natural ingredients alongside your best wrinkle cream, anti-aging cream, night cream, and other face products for faster results. However, make sure that none of these react with each other. To avoid the same, you can do a patch test and go for the trial-and-error method to find a skincare combination that best suits your skin.
Here are some more face care tips you can follow to avoid or pigmentation:
- Avoid being directly exposed to the sun. Cover your face with a mask or a scarf while outdoors.
- Always wear good quality sunscreen before stepping out in the sun.
- Drink a minimum of 3 litres of water every day. Water is an angel ingredient that instantly removes all toxins from the body and gives your skin a fresh, glowing look while clearing all dark spots.
- While it is tempting to pop a pimple or scratch an allergic patch, do not pick at the skin. It puts stress on the skin cells in that area and damages them, leaving a dark patch or a scar there.
- Make sure you are not allergic to any of your skincare products.