Desi Nuskhe: 10 Home Remedies For Dark Spots & Uneven Skin Tone

Sure, Indian women are blessed with beautiful features. But in a country like India where your skin has constant exposure to air pollutants and changing weather; acne, dark spots, pigmentation, tanning and uneven skin tone can be a cause of serious concern. But that hardly means that this problem cannot be solved. Desi kitchen ingredients that have been used for centuries as skincare remedies work wonders even in this day and age. Let’s put the knowledge your nani, dadi have been sharing for decades to good use and treat ourselves to a wholesome skincare routine. You can find a variety of desi brands to shop on the Red Dot Shop here. Also, find DIY home remedies to combat acne here.

How To Fade Dark Spots With Ingredients You Have in Your Kitchen

1. Potato To Lighten Spots

Potatoes contain an enzyme, which can help get rid of tan and brighten your skin. The bleaching properties infused in potatoes help remove skin pigmentation and works best on sensitive skin.

You Will Need:

• 1 potato

Method:

1. Slice the potato in two halves.
2. Rub the potato on the areas with spots for 5 minutes.
3. Leave for 30 minutes and then wash.

2. Use Turmeric For An Even Skin Tone

For ages, people in India have turned to turmeric for its many healing properties, from reducing inflammation to aiding the digestive process. A blend of two powerful ingredients, this face pack is one of the best home remedies to remove spots. Turmeric not only treats hyperpigmentation but also reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Check 10 turmeric face masks for that perfect glowy skin here.

You Will Need: 

• Haldi
• Rosewater

Method:

1. Mix turmeric powder and rosewater in a bowl.
2. Apply the mask to the dark patches. 
3. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes before rinsing with lukewarm water.

3. Reverse Photo Damage With Tomatoes

The juice of tomatoes helps in shrinking open pores caused by acne and the natural astringent properties present in tomatoes make it ideal for clearing blemishes. As far as the dark spots on the skin are concerned, the high lycopene content present in tomatoes helps in lightening these stubborn spots.

You Will Need:

• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon of tomato juice
• 2-3 drops of lemon juice

Method:

1. Blend the tomato juice with honey and lemon juice
2. Apply it evenly on your face and let it rest for 15 minutes
3. Rinse it with lukewarm water and pat dry with a clean towel.

4. Lemon Juice To Lighten Dark Spots

Lemon juice is quite a common ingredient that can solve all your worries in as short as two weeks. It is loaded with vitamin C, which can help in lightening dark spots on the skin.

You Will Need:

• Lemon juice

Method:

1. Pour the lemon juice into a cotton ball and rub it on the dark spot for a few minutes.
2. Lemons can also be combined with a teaspoon of yoghurt or oil to balance the skin tone.

5. Cucumber To Soothe Your Skin

What is good for your salad, is also good for your skin. Due to the silicon, sulphur, sodium, and potassium content as well as other essential nutrients, cucumbers have many skin benefits.  Using cucumber for acne is a very useful trick for everyone to know. It soothes the spot without stinging too much or drying the skin out. Find 7 amazing cucumber face packs here.

You Will Need:

• ½ teaspoon of lemon juice
• ½ cucumber

Method:

1. Grate the cucumber in a bowl and store it inside the refrigerator for an hour
2. Next, add the lemon juice and apply the paste to your face. Let it stay for 15 minutes
3. Wet small cotton balls in cold water and gently clean your face.

6. Brighten With Buttermilk

Buttermilk is rich in lactic acid which helps in removing dead skin from your face and lightens your dark spots. Buttermilk fades away black spots and can do so without causing a stinging burn.

You Will Need:

• 4 teaspoons of buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons of tomato juice

Method:

1. Mix the buttermilk and the tomato juice.
2. Apply to the skin.
3. Let this sit on the dark spots for 15 minutes before washing the areas.

7. Exfoliate With Papaya

What’s a surefire way to brighten the overall tone of your skin? Rinse away that top layer with a natural exfoliant, like papaya. Papaya has fruit acids known as alpha-hydroxy acids, which is a chemical exfoliants.

You Will Need:

• 1 ripe papaya

Method:

1. To treat your dark spots with papaya, simply mash ripe papaya in a bowl and apply it as a mask to clean the skin. 
2. When removing the mask, you can also use gentle, circular motions for a bit of added exfoliation to that dead top layer of skin cells.

8. Reduce Scarring With Aloe

A tried and true ingredient that may be used to improve your skin’s health from the inside, or outside, is aloe. Aloe can be ingested in the form of aloe drinks or applied to the skin as a moisturizer or skin healer by breaking the leaf of an aloe plant and dabbing the sticky substance onto your scar. Aloe vera is extremely beneficial for healthy hair. Check out the benefits and DIY aloe vera hair packs here. Also, try this aloe vera skin serum from the Red Dot Shop here.

You Will Need:

• Aloe vera gel

Method:

1. Apply pure aloe vera gel to pigmented areas before bedtime.
2. Rinse using warm water the next morning.
3. Repeat daily until your skin improves.
4. Alternatively, you can make aloe vera ice cubes as shown in the video above!

9. Remove Dead Skin Cells With Oatmeal

This breakfast meal is the savour of having perfect skin. Oatmeal can come in handy for most of your skin and beauty needs. Oatmeal can soak up the excess oil on your skin and help treat acne. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties help to treat dry skin and remove dead skin cells.

You Will Need: 

• Oatmeal
• 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Method:

1. Grind half a cup of rolled oats and add 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice so that it forms a paste.
2. Scrub this paste on your skin.
3. Leave it on for 15 minutes and wash it off with warm water.
4. Follow this treatment once or twice a week.

10. Onion Juice To Treat Dark Spots

Onions are rich in vitamin C which plays a vital role in treating pigmentation. And that’s not all! Applying onion juice twice a day regularly can help you get rid of dull and lifeless skin. This vegetable contains antioxidants and vitamins that give the skin cells a significant beauty boost thereby resulting in healthy, radiant skin. 

You Will Need:

• 1 red onion

Method:

1. Take 1 red onion and cut it into slices.
2. Rub the slice on the affected areas on your face.
3. Let the onion juice sit for at least 10 minutes before washing off with lukewarm water.
4. You could also grate or blend the onion slices and apply the juice to the skin using a cotton pad.

These are just a few of the many ways in which you can get rid of those stubborn dark spots. You can also try this amazing spot treatment oil from the Red Dot Shop here. Find 10 Desi Nuskhe to treat skin darkening, discolouration and pigmentation here. However, you need to be a little patient since these remedies may take a few days to get the desired results. So, stop worrying and get the beautiful spotless skin with these tried and tested desi nuskhe!