Summer skincare tips to lighten your skin

Shahnaz Husain *

The scorching summer is almost here. While summer is the season of outdoor plans, wear summer shorts and enjoy watery fruits, it also brings many skin challenges causing your skin to develop a tan. The burning sun, pollution and hot winds tend to damage the natural skin glow and make it dull, rough, and dark.

As the weather gets warmer and humidity increases in the environment, the skin suffers from roughness, summer tans, and clog pores because of dust, pollution and heatwaves. This can lead to blackheads, itchiness, and loss of your beautiful skin tone.

If you’re looking to whiten, lighten or brighten your complexion during the summer season, then look no further than your kitchen shelves. Because that’s where you’ll find most of the ingredients that help improve the texture of your skin.

There are many natural ingredients that we find on our kitchen shelf that help to lighten skin color, like almonds, turmeric, yogurt, buttermilk, tomato, cucumber, fruits, etc. These are safer than chemical bleaches and actually benefit the skin in other ways. For example, cucumber also tightens the pores, while turmeric is a natural antiseptic and skin softener. Tomato lightens skin color and helps oily skin.

Yogurt and buttermilk also help to nourish and soften the skin. Such ingredients keep the skin healthy and preserve its youthful properties. Grainy substances like ground almonds, rice flour, walnut powder, or oats can be used in masks and scrubs. They help to remove dead skin cells along with their contained pigment.

Fruit packs also help, as the fruit acids lighten skin color over a period. The fruits can be mixed with yogurt and lemon to make them more effective. Aloe Vera also helps to lighten skin color over a period of time.

Here are some ways to lighten skin color at home

Add a few strands of saffron (Kesar) to warm milk and let it stand for a couple of hours. Then apply it to the skin, using cotton wool. It is said to lighten skin color over a period of time. Add a pinch of turmeric (Haldi) to curd and apply daily. Wash it off after 20 to 30 minutes. You can also mix dried and powdered lemon peel with it.

Mix lemon juice and cucumber juice in equal quantities and apply daily for 20 minutes. Wash off with plain water. Mix cucumber and ripe papaya pulp with curd. Lemon juice can also be added. Apply on face and neck, twice a week and wash it off after half an hour. If you want it to be like a face pack, add oatmeal.

For oily skin, mix Multani mitti with rose water and lemon juice into a paste, and apply on the face. Wash it off when it is dry. Mix ground almonds with curd and a pinch of turmeric. Apply on the face. After 20 minutes, rub gently on the skin and wash it off with water.

Aloe Vera can be added to face masks to nourish the skin. Take one tablespoon gram flour (besan), two teaspoons yogurt, and one tablespoon Aloe Vera gel. Mix together and apply on the skin, washing off after 30 minutes.

Add a little turmeric (Haldi) to gram flour (besan) and Aloe Vera into a paste and apply daily. Wash it off after 20 to 30 minutes. Three teaspoons Aloe Vera gel or juice can be mixed with three teaspoons powdered milk. Put the ingredients in a blender, for a smooth paste. Apply on face and neck and rinse off with water after half an hour. This suits normal to dry skin.

For normal to oily skin, mix one teaspoon of each cucumber juice, ripe papaya pulp, and Aloe Vera gel with two teaspoons oats. Lemon juice can also be added. Apply on face and neck, twice a week. Wash it off after half an hour.

Mix together two teaspoons Aloe Vera gel, a little milk, and rose water, with dried and powdered lemon peels into a paste. Apply two or three times a week on the face and neck. Wash it off after 20 minutes.

Keep Hydrated

Hydration is always important for our skin. Your water intake in summer should be a minimum of 2-3 liters a day. Coconut water, watermelons, and fresh juices are a good way to stay hydrated. Include salads and vegetables like cucumber and lettuce in your food–this helps the body stay cool from within.

Seasonal fruits like watermelons, musk melons; citrus fruits, and juices also help keep the skin healthy. Hydration can also help skin recover after a sunburn and will help wash out a lot of toxins.

Exfoliate Regularly for Smoother Skin

The ground rule of basic skincare is to exfoliate your skin. Exfoliation is the key to brighter and smoother skin. Use a face scrub at least twice a week to remove excess dirt and oil from the skin. Exfoliate with a natural home remedy, like coffee grounds mixed with oil and sea salt.

Grab a body scrub and hit the shower. Gently rub your exfoliator in circular movements on your entire body from the shoulders down and rinse clean. Continue to do this 2-3 times a week for year-round beautiful skin. Always keep in mind that exfoliation is required for your entire body and not just your face. You should, however, make sure to be gentle while exfoliating your skin.