[sara_aaa19]

hi everybody I want more fair skin . as my face and neck are always darker than the rest of my body .. if anyone knows natural remedies that really works plz I would appreciate it
and who had tried Gurlain cream for whitening ?

[503ABZee]

I had really bad acne that left nasty black spots on my face and I have a darker complexion. I use(d) tumeric, honey and lemon juice. The dark spots are almost gone, if you also use a 2% hydroquinone I bet you would see results within 3-6 months.

[Doll]

My skin on my face became very red after a year of using acne washes and not using sunscreen (I don't really tan, so I think that's why I went straight to red). I used lemon juice masks over the course of a few months to bring me back to normal, although I might start it up again to get a little bit brighter.

I cut a piece off of a lemon, squeezed the juice and mixed it in with one of my acne washes. I left it on for 10-30 minutes before washing it out (when using lemon, start out at 10 minutes, then slowly increase to no more than 30 minutes at a time). Do it every three days MAX to prevent damaging your skin. And be sure to wash under your nails extra well after working with lemons to prevent fungus from growing there.

And never forget sunscreen. Regular sunscreen may cause acne, so use a facial sunscreen. I use Proactiv's 30SPF, but I've also used a Wal-Mart brand 15SPF and enjoyed it. Look for the word "non-comedogenic". Make sure you apply every 2 hours when in the sun. Hope you have some luck with this! It's sure helped me bring my natural skin tone back.

[TibetanPrincess]

stay away from things that create melanin like coffee and chocolate. Tumeric and lemon is fantastic along with licorice root.

[sara_aaa19]

girls thank you all
seems that everybody agree about lemon.. I think it worth a try
@503ABZee how often you're applying yr mask?

[mochaccino]

Lemon juice exfoliates and contains vitamin C, but it only reduces melanin production by a tiny amount, so it can work on it's own for someone like Doll but it probably won't work on it's own if your skin is darker. The lemon mask mixture might work for darker skin tones too, but I don't know much about it. Of course, I don't know what your skin tone is like, so maybe you don't need anything stronger than lemon juice.

Hydroquinone works wonders, but you have to get a product with the right PH and formulation, that has at least 2% hydroquinone, and is packaged in a way that stops the hydroquinone from deteriorating. Paula's choice sells a lotion with AHA and hydroquinone that's super cheap and meets all the right standards: http://www.paulaschoice.com/product/resi...Lighteners All of her products have links to independent supporting research. I can't even express how much I love that! Right now it's on sale for about $16 for 2 oz. If you don't wanna order it online, you can try Ambi fade cream or Black Opal "advanced dual complex fade gel", but they're not quite as awesome. I think you might be able to find both of them at CVS. If you also want to use lemon juice, make sure not to use it at the same time as the creams.

I almost forgot, I also want to second Doll about the sunblock. There's no lightening method that will work without it. I agree that Walmart's works great and feels good. There's no need to spend more.

[sara_aaa19]

@mochaccino thnx so much you always for help
my skin is not that dark... I don't know how to explain it.... let's say my skin tone is like kim kardashian.... wold lemon juice be helpful? and use it alone or mixed with something?

[mochaccino]

I'm not completely sure if it'll work or not. You can always try it and find out, but it'll take months of dedicated use to find out for sure. Hydroquinone is proven to work very well for all skin tones, so it's a more reliable but also more expensive choice. Do whatever works best for you, but keep in mind that there are more options out there than just lemon juice or hydroquinone. Beautypedia has a list of recommended skin lighteners. The ones without a bunch of dollar signs next to them are the "cheap" options: http://www.beautypedia.com/BestProductsDetails.aspx?bcid=25#&&8rEyhrHJpRxhoVkLYudfwzBaoP0lhcfrUt4uT4fTN7oe6HH6G Beautypedia is owned and operated by the same people who produce the Paula's Choice product line, so some people (mostly representatives of aggravated cosmetics companies) like to claim that it's biased. It's true that they always give their own products positive ratings, but they claim that's because they always make their products according to the strict standards supported by their research. Paula Begoun, the owner and face of the company, was producing books about the latest cosmetics research, and how to choose cosmetics, long before she started her product line. She's well respected for good reason. This post was probably waaay longer than neccessary

[sara_aaa19]

@mochaccino but some ppl saying hydroquinone has serious side effects I think carcinogenic or something,,,, I'd prefer to start by lemon juice...... do u think I should use it every day? or how often?

[Babakins]

You could always try kojie san soap or likas papaya soap both work on exfoliating the dead pigmented skin slowly. They can be harsh but I use them each day after building up a tolerance. I swear by the smoothness of my skin and they keep bumps and in growns at bay.

Skinactives formulas skin brightening cream is no hydroquinone formula with lots of natural lghteners in it and it has sorted out some areas of patchiness on my neck. It takes at least 6 months to be able to tell but it's well worth it.

Another godsend is BurnoutSun factor 32 sunscreen. It is a clear non white screen all zinc (mineral suncsreens are less damaging than the chemical sunscreen crapolas on the market!). I order it from the US but my freckles have faded 50% by just this alone. You lucky things get it in Whole Foods and I order mine to the UK for $30 a pop.

You could try a lactic acid peel, start with a very low concentration at home peel and do that once a week for about 8 weeks. It won't peel your skin unless you use a high dose but will gently exfoliate to reveal brighter skin. Read up on peels first don't just jump straight in. But the at home kits are a very cheap way to go if on a budget. Try makeupartistschoice. or ebay.

Another option is trying a gentle AHA cream alpha hydroxy acid cream which will slough away the old skin.

A good basic vitamin c serum is also a skin brightener and collagen builder so invest in one. If you buy off an ebayer make sure it is freshly made and comes in a dark bottle where light cannot affect it. L-Ascorbic acid. MAP is a more stable form of vit c so that is not affected by light.

Almost everything I have mentioned works with exfoliating old skin and this can take weeks so patience needed!

I keep banging on about exfoliation but sometimes that is all that the skin needs. Also invest in a microfiber cloth but use with caution as they can scrub your skin to shreds. I use one the type to polish cars with. They suck up the grease and dirt from the skin but use VERY gently every other day.

WITH ANY SKIN LIGHTENING DON'T START UNLESS YOU HAVE THE RIGHT SUNSCREEN FIRST AS EVERYTHING WILL MAKE THE SKIN HYPERSENSITIVE TO THE SUN.