Some people experience dark areas on their skin, such as under the armpits, for example. Dark skin may also be the result of imbalanced skin tone; this could be the case if the skin were fair and light on the face yet dark on the neck. Sun exposure, environmental pollution, stress, lifestyle choices, medical conditions, and chemical products may also cause the skin to become darker than it once was. Many people go to great lengths to try and lighten the skin, so it is little surprise that there is such a massive market for skin-lightening products. Unfortunately many of these products are packed full of chemicals and therefor aren’t very healthy to use. Home remedies are generally natural and much more gentle, so they are the best place to begin. Although many home remedies won’t work overnight and may require some time to produce results, they often do work.

One home remedy involves yogurt and dried orange peels. To prepare the solution you will have to place orange peels under the sun and just wait for them to dry out. Once they are dried grind them into a powder and mix it with a tablespoon of yogurt. Leave the paste on the face for around 20 minutes, rinse, and repeat several times over the course of one week.

One of the most popular solutions for lightening the skin naturally is lemon juice because it has natural astringent properties. It not only reduces sebum secretion, it bleaches skin and tightens pours. Those who have reactions to citric juices should obviously avoid lemon juice. A few rules of thumb include using moisturizer because it dries the skin, never apply it to wounds, avoid sunlight a couple of hours after using it, and use water to dilute the juice. This is especially important if you have sensitive skin.

The easiest way is just to apply lemon juice with a cotton ball, leave it on the skin for about half an hour, and then rinse. This can be done daily. You may also rub half a lemon unto the skin for around 15 minutes then rinse. Again, it is good to repeat this regularly. Lemon juice may also be mixed with ingredients like Fuller’s earth and rose water (if you have oily skin), honey and olive oil (if you have dry skin), or even turmeric powder.

Tomatoes have properties that moisturize and whiten skin. While eating tomatoes is certainly good, you can also make a mask using yogurt and freshly crushed tomatoes. Apply it every couple of days.

If your skin is dark as a result of being unhealthy—and there may be many reasons for this—natural remedies that are effective at cleaning could help to whiten and alleviate the situation. Gram flour keeps the skin healthy and clean. To use this remedy simply mix it with water and make a rather thick paste, then apply it to the dark areas. Wait until the paste has dried and then simply rinse.

Aloe Vera Gel may also help to lighten dark skin. Extract the gel from the plant then leave it on the skin for about half an hour before rinsing it off with water. For best results this can be done twice a day for two weeks.