The Best Brightening Creams for Your Face in 2016

How Do Celebrities Lighten Their Skin?

Many famous people have been the talk of the town for their alleged skin lightening. Some vehemently deny doing anything to their skin, while others have been open about the products they use. So what do some celebs with glowing, evenly-toned skin do to achieve such gorgeous complexions?

Azealia Banks

Singer-songwriter Azealia Banks has often tweeted about her use of certain skin lightening products that are focused on using natural ingredients. Or so they claim. But reports have found that these Whitenicious creams, although marketed to clear up pigment, do not match their founder's clearly bleached skin, making people wonder about the veracity of the product claims. How can someone achieve such drastically whitened skin from head to toe, without the use of harsh chemicals?  

Chemicals are found in many intensive skin-lightening products. Although considered the only way to get lighter skin, this is a myth. Natural skin-lightening ingredients, such as kojic acid, are just as effective, and don’t damage skin.  

When choosing a natural skin lightening product, do your research to be sure of what you’re putting on your skin! You should also ease into the whitening process. It's important to start slowly with your skin lightening regime, beginning with a regular strength product and then progressing to a stronger product, but only if needed. Sometimes celebs make the mistake of taking their skin whitening too far, which isn’t gorgeous or healthy.

Lil' Kim

Rapper Lil' Kim's skin just seems to be getting lighter and lighter! Experts have claimed that on the Fitzpatrick Scale (which grades skin colour, with 1 being the lightest and 6 being the darkest), the star has progressed from a 6 to a 3. So, how does she do it? It's thought that the use of chemicals such as hydroquinone are to blame for the drastic change in the star's appearance. But this is dangerous. Chemical skin lightening ingredients such as hydroquinone have been found to be carcinogens in animal studies. They can also lead to permanent skin conditions, such as ochrononis. This is when blue-black patches form on the skin and there is no cure for them.

Nicki Minaj

Some stars continue denying their use of skin-lightening creams, even when they're spotted with skin that looks very whitened. An example is Nicki Minaj. The singer has told fans that her lighter complexion is down to makeup! We know that makeup can cover a lot of skin blemishes and dramatically alter someone's appearance, but we still have our doubts. So if you're thinking of going the makeup route for dark spots or an uneven skin tone, bear in mind that you'll need a lot of product and it's only a temporary fix. You will need a more permanent solution.

This can be achieved with the daily use of a natural, botanically-infused skin-lightening cream that will help to tackle pigmentation problems or just give you a more radiant complexion. Because let's be honest: layers and layers of makeup might look good in celebrity pictures, but there's often Photoshop involved! Makeup can't always make you radiant and over-use of it can actually lead to skin problems, such as clogged pores and blemishes which you don’t want.

There are many different reasons why celebrities choose to lighten their skin. For some, like Lil’ Kim, it's to deal with low self-esteem issues. For others, like Azealia Banks, it comes down to preference. Whatever your reasons for using skin lightening creams, make sure you keep your skin healthy and safe by choosing botanical, nourishing lotions that do justice to your skin’s natural beauty.

What is the Best Cream for Skin Discoloration?

Discoloration is one of the most common skin problems. Dark patches can appear anywhere on the skin and are the result of hyper-pigmentation. These patches occur as a result of excess melanin production, the component of the skin that gives it its color. There are several factors that can cause the skin to produce too much melanin. Some of the most common causes include:

• Illness
•  Injury
• Changes in hormones
•  Medications
•  Exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays

Scars, melasma and age spots are some of the most common conditions that cause hyper-pigmentation or dark spots to appear on the skin.

Treatments for Dark Spots

No matter what the cause, if you are experiencing unsightly dark patches on your skin, you may be feeling self conscious. Fortunately, there are ways that you can minimize the appearance of those dark patches, restoring the evenness of your skin tone and improving your overall appearance.

Yogurt and Dried Orange Peels

Remove the peel from an orange and either allow it to sit out or place it in the sun until it dries out and turns crisp. Once it has dried out, grind the peels until they become a powder. Mix a tablespoon of the dried orange peel powder with a tablespoon of fresh, plain, sugar-free yogurt. Blend the ingredients together.

After washing your skin and patting it dry, apply the yogurt and dried orange peel paste to the affected area. Allow the paste to sit on the skin for about 20 minutes and rinse with lukewarm water. Apply the paste to your skin once a day. The dark patches will begin to lighten in about a week.

Tomato and Lemon Juice

Tomatoes and lemons are naturally acidic, which gives them natural bleaching properties that are ideal for lightening dark spots on the skin. They also contain antioxidants that help to fight against free radicals, which restores freshness to the skin and keeps it looking young.

To create a skin lightening product, mix 1 tablespoon of tomato juice with a few drops of lemon juice. Apply the mixture to the discolored skin. Allow the mixture to sit on the skin for about 20 minutes before rinsing with lukewarm water. Repeat the process once a day and you should start to notice the dark patches lightening within a week.

Do note that if a burning sensation occurs, dilute the tomato and lemon juice mixture with water.

Pre-Whiten Sepiwhite Face Cleanser

Fendel Skincare specializes in creating products that lighten the skin. Their Pre-Whiten Sepiwhite Face Cleanser is a powerful tool for reducing the appearance of dark spots. Comprised of pure aloe vera extract, tea tree leaf oil and several other ingredients that lighten the skin, this facial cleanser rids the skin of pollutants, makeup and excess oil while nourishing it, providing you with a clean and healthy glow.

Use this facial cleanser twice a day. After washing, apply one of Fendel Skincare’s whitening treatments to see fast and highly effective results.

Avoiding Dark Spots

Of course, the best way to combat dark spots is to avoid getting them altogether.

Properly protect your skin when going out into the sun. Wear a broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, and reapply as needed. Wearing long sleeves, pants and wide-brimmed hats will help to shade the skin, further protecting it.

If you are taking medications and are experiencing dark spots, speak with your doctor to see if there are other options available that won’t impact the appearance of your skin.

If you are plagued with dark spots on your skin, do your best to protect your skin and use one of these treatment options to minimize their appearance.

Lighten Your Skin in 5 Easy Steps

Whether you are suffering from melasma, age spots, or you have developed discoloration on your skin as a result of sun exposure, you may be feeling uncomfortable about your appearance.

Dark spots on the skin are the result of hyper-pigmentation, or the production of excess melanin, and can be caused by a number of things, including increased hormone levels, exposure to the sun and acne. Though these dark spots are usually harmless, they can certainly cause a person to feel self-conscious about his or her appearance.

Many people who experience hyper-pigmentation rely on makeup to conceal their dark spots; however, often times, makeup just isn’t enough to do the trick. Plus, once the makeup is washed off, the discoloration is clearly visible.

Fortunately, there is a way to combat this aggravating affliction of the skin: Skin lightening.

What is Skin Lightening?

Skin lightening involves applying products the skin that reduce pigmentation. There are several natural lightening agents that can yield effective results, including lemon juice, honey and oranges.

The chemical makeup of these products has proven to be beneficial for some people; however, not everyone experiences positive results.

For people who haven’t had success with natural remedies, or for those who wish to use something that is specially formulated to lighten the skin, there are several effective skincare products available. Fendel Skincare’s SepiWhite Facial Lightening Cream, for example, is an excellent product that yields positive lightening results.

Tips for Lightening the Skin

Lightening those dark patches is a lot easier than most people think. Follow these simple steps and you’ll be on your way to a brighter, more radiant and more even complexion in no time.

1. Choose a Product. First things first: Choose a product to lighten your skin. Decide if you want to use a natural product, like lemon juice, or if you are more comfortable using a skincare product that is specially formulated to lighten the skin.

Whatever product you decide to use, make sure you test it on your skin before applying it to the entire affected area. Your skin may have reacted negatively to the product, which could actually exasperate the dark spots and possibly cause other complications, such as redness, swelling or dry skin.

2. Wash Your Skin. Once you have tested the produce, thoroughly wash your skin before applying it to the affected area. Use a mild facial cleanser and lukewarm water to wash and rinse the skin. Pat it dry with a clean, soft towel.

3. Apply the Product. Follow the directions for use. If you are using a skincare product, directions will be provided. If you are using a natural remedy, such as lemon juice, directions for use usually involve applying the product to the skin, allowing it to sit for a period of time, followed by rinsing the skin.

4. Repeat as Necessary. In order to see results, you will need to continue using the lightening product. Generally, a daily application will allow you to see lightening of the spots in a few weeks; however, with some products, you may be able to see results in as little as a week or less!

Say goodbye to those dark spots that have been making you feel self-conscious and hello to fresh, vibrant and even skin tone by following these simple steps.

The Face Lightening Cream That Will Improve Your Skin

When you look in the mirror, do you see dark spots on your skin? Whether they are age spots or the result of melasma, those dark spots may be making you feel self-conscious. Despite your efforts to conceal them with makeup or lighten them with home remedies, you may not be achieving the results you desire.

If you are suffering from hyper-pigmentation, whatever the cause may be, your quest to minimize the appearance of those dark spots is over, thanks to the Advanced Pigmentation Reducing Tonic from Fendel Skincare.

How it Works

In order for a skin lightening product to yield results, it has to contain high-quality ingredients that really work to lighten dark spots. There are many products out there that claim they are made of high-quality ingredients, but in actuality, they are made up of harsh chemicals that have the potential to damage the skin.

The Advanced Pigmentation Reducing Tonic from Fendel Skincare is different from other products on the market. It provides real results while actually improving the health of the skin. The key ingredients in this tonic include:

• Menthol, which stimulates blood flow and circulation
• Burdock and aloe that work together to sooth and moisturize the skin
• Sepi-White MSH, which removes the top layer of the hyper-pigmented skin, thus minimizing dark spots, and also prevents the production of new melanin

How to Use

Using the Advanced Pigmentation Reducing Tonic is so easy. Apply 2 to 3 drops of the tonic onto a cotton ball and dab them on your face, neck, chest or anywhere else you see dark spots twice a day. For best results, wash your skin with the Advanced Pigmentation Reduce Cleanser prior to application of the tonic and apply the Enhanced Facial Lightening Cream after the application of the tonic, both from Fendel Skincare.

By following this regiment, you will be start to notice results after just a few applications. Not only will the dark spots become less visible, but you will have a more even skin tone, and your skin will be brighter, fresher and more supple.

The Importance of Using a High-Quality Skin Lightening Product

As previously mentioned, some skin lightening products claim that they will minimize the appearance of dark spots and improve the overall appearance of the skin; however, many products that are on the market contain harsh chemicals that do little to lighten dark spots and can actually cause more damage to the skin.

For these reasons, it’s so important to check the ingredients in a skin lightening product before using it. Make sure that the ingredients are derived from natural sources and won’t further damage the skin. If necessary, consult with your dermatologist before using any skincare product.

Avoiding Skin Darkening

While the Advanced Pigmentation Reducing Tonic and other products from Fendel Skincare are specially formulate to reduce the appearance of dark spots, the best way to treat skin discoloration is to prevent it.

Always apply and reapply sunscreen before going outside. If possible, wear long sleeves, long pants and a hat to shade the skin.  Ask about any medications or other products that you ingest orally to find out if they have been found to cause skin discoloration.

While prevention is the most effective way to avoid the appearance of dark spots on the skin, the Advanced Pigmentation Reducing Tonic and several other products from Fendel Skincare can help to minimize any dark spots that do appear.

Easy Treatments for Pigmentation and Melasma

When you look in the mirror, do you see dark brown of grayish spots on your skin? If so, you could be suffering from a condition known as melasma. A common skin condition in adults, melasma results in discolored spots on the skin.

The cause of this condition is not really known; however, there does seem to be a link to fluctuating hormone levels and the pigmentation that is caused by melasma. Certain factors contribute to this skin affliction, including:

•         Pregnancy
•         Hormone therapies, such as the contraceptive pill
•         Medical conditions that impact hormone levels
•         Cosmetics, especially those that contain perfume

The discolored patches that are associated with melasma often appear on the face, including the cheeks, the forehead, the area above the upper lip, the nose and the chin; but, any part of the body can be impacted.

Though melasma is not linked to skin cancer, it is not contagious and it is not an allergic reaction, many people find that the discoloration unpleasing. If the pigmented patches on your skin caused by melasma are making you feel self-conscious, take comfort in knowing that there are ways that you can minimize their appearance.

Treatments for Melasma

There are several ways that you can diminish the dark spots that melasma causes. The following treatments are highly effective and very simple to use.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a golden yellow spice that is commonly used in Indian cuisine. While it definitely adds flavor to food, it also provides a number of medicinal benefits, including alleviating skin pigmentation.

Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has powerful antioxidant properties and can reduce the overproduction of melanin in the skin.

To use turmeric to lighten melasma patches, combine the spice with milk to create a thick paste.

Apply the paste to the affected areas and allow it to dry out. Once dried, massage the skin and rinse with water. Results can be seen after a few applications.

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is highly regarded for its ability to improve the complexion of the skin.

Combine the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon to water and apply it to your face. The acidity of the lemon juice will actually peel off the outer layer of the skin that has been damaged and discolored, and along with it, remove the pigmentation caused by melasma.

Skin Care Products

There are several skin care products on the market that can be used to treat melasma pigmentation. These products are powerful enough to lighten the darkened patches, yet gentle enough for everyday use.

The most effective skin care products are those that are made with natural ingredients. The Advanced Pigmentation Reducing Tonic from Fendel Skincare is an excellent option. This product’s core ingredients include aloe from the Barbadensis Leaf, purified water, Witch Hazel and a number of other natural herbal extracts. When applied to the skin, the ingredients in the tonic will work together to lighten the darkened portions of your skin, giving you results after just a few uses.

If you are troubled by the pigmentation caused by melasma, these three simple remedies will yield highly effective results, restoring the evenness of your skin and its natural glow.

The Best Skin Lighteners to Try For Fall

Fall is the time when your skin needs lots of TLC after the damaging effects of summer. It’s also the season in which it should replenish itself in preparation for a harsh winter. With the proper skin lightening treatments, you can achieve both - and more.

Gone are the days when people merely lightened their skin because they wanted to change its color. Skin lighteners have become popular because they do so much more. They can target dark spots, discoloration, uneven skin tones so your skin can look luminous and healthy. The key to achieving all these things without putting your skin at risk from the harsh chemicals found in many skin-lightening products is to choose natural, botanical skin lighteners that are nourishing at heart.

Prevent The Elements From Damaging Your Skin

During fall and winter, the temperatures drop and the air is cold and dry. This can make your skin look redder than usual or dry it out so that it looks dull. You need to add a skin lightening cream to your daily skincare routine that will soothe skin inflammation. You should also give your skin nourishment so that it will look smooth and radiant.

Try a hydrating, luxurious cream for your face such as the Skin Soho Facial Lightening Parfait  that contains chamomile and aloe to soothe skin irritation, as well as gentle skin lighteners and moisturizers to leave skin velvety smooth and evenly-toned.

Target Sun Damage

If you have a tan, then your skin is sun damaged. Period. The sun's UV rays accelerate the skin's production of melanin, which is what causes your skin to darken. But getting too much sun exposure and tanning has negative effects for your skin, such as making your skin drier, wrinkled and of course putting you at risk of skin cancer. And scarily, research shows the negative effects of sun exposure continue long after you’ve stepped out of the sun!

To get rid of your tan fast while encouraging healthier, more gorgeous skin to be on show, you should try a product such as Enhanced Sepiwhite Suntan Reducing Cream to gently lighten your skin and make it bright. It's also great if you have sun damage that's showing up in other forms, such as age spots, because this skin lightener is enriched with natural brightening ingredients, such as Vitamin C, Vitamin A and almond oil.

Eliminate Skin Discoloration

Sometimes your skin spots or discoloration are more severe. Most cases of pigmentation are from the sun, so now's the time to get rid of them! Start a skincare regime that's gentle--don't just start using products that are very strong as this doesn’t give your skin a chance to open up to the lightening process.

Start with a regular strength skin lightener, such as the Facial Lightening Cream that can be used twice a day. It’s filled with natural moisturizers that won’t dry out your skin as is the case with chemical skin lightening products. If you still have stubborn pigmentation after using this for a while, you can upgrade to the maximum strength version of the cream: Sepiwhite Face Whitening Cream: Maximum Strength. It’s got stronger whitening agents but also healing natural ingredients, such as shea butter and orchid extract to balance and pamper your skin.

Get Into A Healthy Exfoliating Habit

After a harsh summer, your skin is dry and starts to look dull. You need to get rid of the surface layer of dead skin cells so that your fresh, healthy skin can be on display. But you don’t have to settle for simple exfoliating scrubs. Combine a great scrub with a skin-lightening product, such as the Original Sepiwhite Lightening Bar. This exfoliates your skin while giving it a good clean. Infused with skin lightening agents, it also lightens your skin. It's such a great product because you can simply use it as your soap in the shower!

Having healthy, glowing skin during fall comes down to eliminating damage sustained to the skin during summer as well as encouraging a vibrant complexion. Try the products above to get gorgeous, healthy skin that's the most radiant it's ever been.

Are Liver Spots Related to Skin Cancer?

There are a lot of things that come with age: wisdom, graciousness, and experience, just to name a few. However, there are some things that also come with age that many people find undesirable, including changes to the skin.

The skin is the body’s largest organ. Not only is it constantly exposed to the environment and subjected to harmful conditions, but can also showcase signs of trouble within the body. As a person ages, the damage of exposure to certain elements, as well as age-related diseases can start to become visible on the skin.

Liver spots, also known as age or sun spots, are often a side effect of aging, and they often spark concern. Many people wonder if those liver spots are associated with cancer.

If you are alarmed by the appearance of liver spots on your skin, take a deep breath and read on. Here’s a look at some important information about liver spots and skin cancer.

Liver Spots Defined

Also known as age spots and solar lentigines, liver spots lie flat on the skin and can range in color from tan, to brown, to black. These spots also vary in size and can appear on any part of the skin, though they are most commonly seen on the face, arms, shoulders and hands – the parts of the skin that are exposed to the sun the most.

Liver spots usually appear in older adults, most commonly in those who are over 50; however, they can develop at any age. People in their 20s, for example, can develop age spots if they spend a lot of time in the sun.

Though many people are concerned about the appearance of liver spots, thinking that they are related to skin cancer, these spots are actually harmless. As such, they don’t require any treatment, unless the individual afflicted with the spots finds them bothersome. Then, treatments can involve skin products that are formulated to lighten their appearance, or cosmetic procedures that can remove the spots.

Skin Cancer Defined

Skin cancer refers to the abnormal development of skin cells. It commonly develops on parts of the skin that are most often exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun and tanning beds; however, it can develop on any part of the skin.

People of all colors and races can be affected by skin cancer, though those with light skin who sunburn easily are the most at risk.

There are four different types of skin cancer:

1.      Actinic Keratoses (AK) – Precancerous growths
2.       Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) – The most common form of skin cancer
3.       Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) – The second most common form of skin cancer
4.       Melanoma – The most dangerous form of skin cancer

Skin cancer, no matter what type, requires medical treatment. Treatment can range from removing the cells to surgery and chemotherapy.

Spotting the Difference between Liver Spots and Skin Cancer

Understanding the difference between age spots and skin cancer is not only important for your health, but your overall well-being, too.

Liver spots typically fall into one of three categories:

•  Small red dots that are the result of the overgrowth of blood vessels in the skin. These are known as cherry hemangiomas.

• Flat, discolored spots that resemble freckles, which are known as lentigines.

• Flat or raised, scaly spots that resemble warts, which are known as sebhorrheic keratoses.

Skin cancer spots have a different appearance than liver spots. They are asymmetrical, or a different size and shape on one side, have more than one color or are extremely dark in color, and may experience sudden changes such as bleeding or itching pain.

While liver spots are not dangerous, if you are concerned about the appearance of any spots on your skin, schedule an appointment with a dermatologist for a full assessment.

The Difference Between Dangerous and Safe Skin Lightening Products

Skin lightening products have caused quite a controversy in recent years, largely due to the fact that with the wrong ingredients, these products can be dangerous. But there's a huge difference between unsafe and safe products and knowing this is what will ensure you only put the very best products on your skin.

Skin Lightening Ingredients To Avoid

There are dangerous ingredients that you really want to avoid because of how they can damage your skin and health. Even though some of these ingredients might be regarded as effective when lightening your skin, they're just not worth the risks.

• Hydroquinone. Although this chemical is found in many skin lightening products, it is actually a derivative of benzene. Hydroquinone has been banned in many countries because of its dangers. These dangers include ochronosis, a yellowish discoloration of tissue, and cancer. Some rare side effects include difficulty breathing, hives, facial swelling and extreme burning sensations.

• Steroids. These are often found in skin lightening products as well as products to treat various skin conditions, such as eczema. But steroids can cause side effects such as burning and stinging (which is commonly reported), as well as more serious ones, such as changes in skin tone and thinning of the skin.

• Mercury. This is another ingredient that has been banned in many countries because it is highly dangerous. It inhibits enzymes in the body that produces melanin, but mercury accumulates in various places of the body, such as hair and nails, and can lead to mercury poisoning. Mercury is dangerous to the body in many ways, such as by damaging the neurological system. Scarily, mercury that's used by one person can infect those around him or her, elevating the mercury levels in their blood even if they've never touched products containing it.

Choosing the Healthier Option

It's scary to think that people are putting chemicals onto their skins where they get absorbed into the bloodstream, causing a variety of health conditions. Sometimes, people use such products because they fear there's no other way to achieve brighter skin that's free of pigmentation.

But there is. Natural, safe skin lightening products are so much better for your skin because they don't have side effects and they don't risk your health.

• Enhanced Facial Spot Eraser is filled with natural lightening ingredients, such as Vitamin C and mulberry extracts so you can achieve skin free of pigmentation without damaging it. Vitamin C is an antioxidant your skin needs to be clear of discoloration while it also keeps skin youthful by boosting its collagen. The product is free of extra moisturizing ingredients that can clog pores, making it safe for acne-prone skin.

• Advanced Pigmentation Reducing Tonic contains aloe, a lightening ingredient that also soothes inflamed skin. The addition of lactic acid to exfoliate skin is a great and natural way to eliminate dead skin and pigment. Unlike with a chemical peel, there are no side effects.

• Skin Soho Body Lightening Souffle is a luxurious cream that keeps skin beautifully smooth while erasing pigmentation with its naturally-based lightening ingredients, such as aloe and Vitamin C. It also contains Vitamin A, a nutrient that helps damaged skin cells repair themselves. Vitamin A boosts skin cell turnover, so dead, pigmented skin cells can be replaced by fresher, healthier ones.

There are many options available to you if you're looking for safe, effective skin lightening products. And you should take them instead of the chemical products that are out there because your skin is priceless! Show it love and it will repay you by looking healthy and gorgeous.

Get Rid of Patches on Your Face Before Summer Ends!

Have you noticed discoloration on your face now that summer's about to end? These are often most noticeable at this time because of sun damage that causes dark patches and an uneven skin tone. To reverse this sun damage and welcome brighter, gorgeous skin, you need to follow this advice.

First, You Need to Add a Scrub To Your Weekly Routine

If you've just noticed your facial discoloration, that means that it's probably a surface skin issue. The good news about this is that it's easy to eliminate. You just need to remove that surface skin where pigment resides so your skin can clear right up. You can do this with a simple exfoliating product and you should use it once or twice a week. The bonus of a scrub is that it also gets rid of dead skin that can make your complexion look dull.

Should You Consider A Chemical Peel?

Sometimes skin exfoliation doesn't work quickly or well enough, causing you to want a more invasive treatment. A chemical peel is a type of deep exfoliation that can be beneficial to your skin if it’s discolored. The only downside is that chemical peels have a long recovery time of several days and many common side-effects that you will be stuck with during that period. These include dryness, flakiness, and redness.

An alternative to a chemical peel is to use an exfoliating scrub that contains skin-lightening ingredients, so you get the exfoliation and brightening up of your skin in one go. Best of all, if you choose a natural product, you prevent the use of harsh chemicals and there's no recovery time required.

Boost Your Skin Health with a Lightening Lotion

You might need something stronger than exfoliation for your more stubborn pigment, such as a cream or lotion. The good thing is that once you've been using the face scrub with natural lightening ingredients, you've prepared your skin for more intensive lightening. Exfoliation also helps any skin-lightening products you use to get better absorbed because it removes the barrier of dead skin. Again, choose natural and safe skin-lightening ingredients in creams, such as aloe, bearberry, licorice, and kojic acid in lotions. For increased lightening strength, look for more than one of these ingredients in the same product as they are stronger when combined.

Always Wear Sunscreen and Cover Up

Since the UV rays are a common cause of patches on your face due to how they accelerate the skin's production of melanin, you really need to wear sunscreen every time you step outside. Even though summer's almost over,  this should still be part of your daily skincare routine because UV rays can penetrate cloud cover and sneak up on you when you least expect it, such as through car windows. Your sunscreen will not only prevent new pigment from forming, but it will prevent darkening of the current discoloration you are treating.

In addition to wearing sunscreen, you should cover your skin as much as possible. Wear wide-brimmed hats, wide sunglasses and scarves to keep your skin protected.

Amplify Your Antioxidants

Antioxidants are great in the fight against pigmentation because they target free radicals in the body that cause it. Make sure you not only eat antioxidant-rich foods, such as citrus fruits, berries and tomatoes, but also that you apply antioxidants topically to your skin. Vitamin C antioxidants are the most powerful when targeting pigmentation, so choose a skin-lightening cream that contains Vitamin C to send those brown spots packing.

Discolored patches on your face can be leftovers from summer, but you can remove such sun damage with the right skin-boosting products. Leave summer and pigmentation behind, and head to crisp fall with luminous and healthy skin.

Natural Ingredients That Lighten Skin

Skin lightening has become very trendy in recent years and the demand for such products to give you an even, bright complexion has increased. The danger is that it can cause you to reach for unhealthy products instead of those containing natural ingredients to nourish your skin and make it more luminous.

Some of the worst chemical skin-lightening ingredients include hydroquinone and mercury. Both are potentially dangerous to your skin and have been banned in several countries.

• Hydroquinone, although regarded as the gold standard of skin lightening, comes with many dangers. It can lead to a condition known as ochronosis, which causes blue-black patches of skin that can never be cured. Animal studies have also found that hydroquinone causes cancer in rats, so it could very well have carcinogenic properties for people, too.

• Mercury, found in some skin-lightening products, has been warned about its danger by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Mercury is toxic to skin and can damage various body functions, including the nervous system. It's not just dangerous to people using these skin-lightening products but also to those around them because mercury fumes get released by them.

The Natural Ingredients To Use Instead Of Chemical Ones

Your skin is valuable and shouldn't be treated with such damaging, toxic ingredients. That's where skin-lightening products containing natural ingredients come in handy. Here are some of the top ones to look for on ingredients lists when you want to lighten and brighten your complexion with a skin-lightening cream. And the bonus is that they also contain other skin-boosting benefits so that you can have clearer and healthier skin.

Kojic Acid

This has become an interesting skin-lightening ingredient because it is derived from fungi and research shows it can be powerful to lighten skin without the negative effects of hydroquinone. It treats a variety of skin pigmentation, such as melasma and freckles. However, kojic acid is most effective when teamed up with other natural whiteners, such as glycolic acid that exfoliates skin to remove pigment from the surface layer.

Bearberry

Even Dr Oz has stated that bearberries are good for skin-lightening! The bearberry extract is effective at removing signs of aging such as dark spots on the skin. This is because it contains arbutin, a natural skin-whitening ingredient that blocks the skin's production of enzymes that form melanin in the skin. This enables less pigment to get produced, zapping pigmentation issues right at the source. Bearberries also offer your skin greater sun protection while being filled with antioxidants to fight free radicals.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C-rich skincare products have increased in popularity because Vitamin C is an antioxidant with various skin benefits. Eating Vitamin C is good for your skin, but it's even better to apply it topically. Vitamin C is a natural skin-lightener, while also offering anti-ageing effects. It boosts the skin's production of collagen, which keeps skin firm and elastic. Sometimes Vitamin C is listed on products as ascorbic acid while citrus fruits such as lemon are a great source of this powerful nutrient.  

There are many easy and natural ways to heal your skin from pigmentation and lighten it without putting your skin's health at risk. Look for the above ingredients in natural skin-lightening products so you can face the world with a gorgeous, clear and healthy complexion.

Spread Awareness About Melasma This Summer

You might see women sporting sunscreen in a variety of colors on their upper lips this summer and wonder what it's all about. It's not just a fancy way to wear sunscreen, but a movement to spread awareness about a skin condition known as melasma.

A fashion blogger known as Katie Sturino has been afflicted with a strange darkening above her upper lip that looks like a moustache but is actually UV exposure that has made her skin darken in the area. To prevent it from getting worse, her dermatologist advised her to apply thick zinc, a waxy UV blocker that prevents the rays from reaching this patch of delicate skin. Instead of feeling awkward about it, Sturino now flaunts a range of different zinc colors on her upper lip. On her Instagram account, Sturino shows off the bright colors and also uses the pictures to teach people about melasma.

What Exactly Is Melasma?

If you're wondering what melasma is and you haven't checked out Sturino's Instagram yet, here's a crash course in this skin condition.

Melasma is a type of pigmentation issue that causes brownish-colored spots or patches over your face. It commonly targets the cheeks, forehead, bridge of the nose and chin and upper lip. This is because these are the areas of the skin most commonly exposed to sun. Yes, UV exposure is a leading cause of melasma and most people who have experienced melasma have a history of regular sun exposure. When your skin gets lots of sun, the UV rays accelerate its production of melanin, which causes pigment in your skin. If you continue going out into the sun without sunscreen, these patches can get worse and darken in color.

Melasma can also has a hormonal cause. It is often referred to as the mask of pregnancy because it is so common in women who are pregnant due to a change in hormone levels that can cause skin conditions. Use of the contraceptive pill that tweaks a woman's hormones can also be to blame for melasma eruptions.

Why Should We Be Spreading Awareness About Melasma?

Just because we might not have known much about melasma before, it doesn’t mean lots of women are not dealing with it (it tends to be more common in women). According to the National Institute of Health, approximately 6 million women in the United States alone have melasma. It's possible that it can return after having been treated, which is why protecting your skin against the harmful effects of the sun--and reminding all your loved ones to do the same--is so important.

How to Treat Melasma

Besides for skin protection against the sun, getting rid of melasma comes down to using skin-lightening products. Sadly, people are often encouraged to try chemical-based ones that can actually harm one's health and even cause melasma to get worse. But this is not the only choice you have! Choosing natural-based skin-lightening products is better for your skin and health, and will gently brighten and even out your skin tone to remove those dark patches.

You should look for natural ingredients such as aloe, kojic acid and bearberry. These are all powerful yet totally natural lightening agents. Vitamin C is another important ingredient when you wish to eliminate melasma. This antioxidant is a natural lightener, but it also leads to more youthful skin overall, thanks to how it speeds up the skin's production of collagen to maintain its elasticity.

You might be battling with melasma or perhaps you know someone who is. Either way, it's vital to spread awareness of this common skincare condition and protect your skin against it--it's the only skin you'll ever own!

The Stress-free Way to Deal With Facial Discoloration and Acne Scars

Having marks and spots on your skin is never easy to deal with, especially because trying to hide discoloration with makeup can fail. As the day progresses, you might find that your skin lacks coverage and leaves you feeling self-conscious. Here are tips to treat, rather than hide, your facial discoloration.

Get into a Natural Skincare Routine

One of the most important things you can do to treat facial discoloration and acne scars is to start using natural and organic products. The reason is that these are much gentler on your skin and they prevent irritation that can aggravate your discoloration issues. Try to use DIY products as much as you can (which will also save you money). An example is to make your own face mask with ripe bananas to give you a boost of radiance without any harsh chemicals.

Scrub Away Your Bad Skin

Twice a week, get into the habit of exfoliating your skin. Most of the pigmentation you've got has accumulated in the surface layers of your skin so by scrubbing these dead skin cells you can eliminate facial discoloration. You can make your own scrub by mixing together brown sugar and olive oil, or get a skin-lightening cleanser with grains of granita to gently but effectively polish your skin to new radiance.

Find the Right Skin-Lightening Lotion

Sometimes DIY recipes to lighten pigmentation can take weeks if not months to work, which doesn’t make them very practical. You need to get your hands on a skin-lightening cream, but forget chemical-based ones as these can be damaging to your skin and health. Opt for natural skin lighteners instead that are filled with nutritious and gentle ingredients, such as aloe, to brighten you up.

When choosing a skin-lightening cream, also make sure that it targets the type of discoloration you are dealing with, such as acne scars or pigmentation from sun exposure. A product like Skin Soho Cocktail Serum Facial Lighten is a great choice as it heals a variety of facial discoloration, preventing you from having to use lots of products.

Bring Salicylic Acid to the Party

When treating acne scars, it helps to target those nasty marks as they crop up so that they will fade faster. That's where salicylic acid comes in. You've probably heard it since it's an ingredient in many pimple creams, but it's also great for cropping scars left over from a bad breakout completely out of the picture. Give your skin TLC with a product such as Pre-Whiten Sepiwhite Face Cleanser Maximum Strength. It's a cleanser that cleans your skin and keeps inflammation at bay with its salicylic acid, but it also contains natural brightening ingredients to give you a boost of luminosity and fade out your scars.

Boost the SPF!

No matter what facial discoloration you're dealing with, you should be applying sunscreen every single time you step out into the sun. This is for many reasons:

• SPF forms a barrier to the UV rays, preventing further discoloration from striking while you're treating the current one.

• It prevents your current discoloration from getting worse and more difficult to treat.

• Lightening your skin makes it more vulnerable to the UV rays, so you need SPF to protect you.

• Since sun exposure is a leading cause of discoloration, you really need to become best friends with your SPF!

When facial discoloration or acne scars strike, it's disheartening but it doesn’t have to make you want to hide your face. Use the above tips and products to eliminate pigmentation and get your healthy, gorgeous skin back.  

Is Skin Lightening Dangerous?

Skin lightening practices have seen a huge increase in interest in the last few years, but why have they become so important and are they dangerous?

Skincare has become the main focus of the beauty industry, and 30 percent of it involves the use of skin lightening products. Asian countries lead the trend, where skin lightening is linked to prosperity and youth, followed by the U.S. Interestingly, however, skin lightening products in the West are often marketed differently to consumers, with a focus made on anti-ageing practices, such as the removal of age spots which can make a person look older.

There are clearly many reasons why people want to lighten their skin. Sometimes the desire is more about gaining a luminous complexion and even tone rather than extreme lightening. However, all these needs often get lumped together under the same skin lightening category, with many of the products promising to help people achieve their goals containing dangerous chemicals that are too harsh for the skin.

The Ban Of Hydroquinone

Countries such as Ghana and Australia have banned hydroquinone as this ingredient in many chemical skin lightening products has been linked to harmful conditions, such as the abnormal functioning of the adrenal glands, cancer (which was found during studies of this toxin on rodents), and ochronosis. This is where the skin becomes thicker and erupts in blue-black patches that cannot be cured.

In countries like the Ivory Coast, chemical skin bleaching has been banned because of its health risks, but this has led some people to buy them on the black market or from sellers on the street. This increases the risk because people do not know what has been put in the creams as many don't even contain labels.

Even if you are not purchasing skin lightening products off the street, you should still be wary of what's in the ones you see in physical stores or online. Always read the labels and bear in mind that skin lightening products can be marketed as other things that don't appear to be harmful at all, such as skin brighteners, but they can still contain harmful ingredients.

Why Natural Is Best

The fear of chemicals in skin lightening creams doesn't mean that you should completely avoid all products. You just need to choose healthier creams. Natural-based creams that contain botanicals are recommended, even more than skincare treatments such as chemical peels because they don't have side-effects such as reddening or flaking of the skin. You use these products daily to nourish your skin to its healthiest pigment-free state.

Healthy, Effective Ingredients in Skin-Lightening Products

What are the things you should look for in a natural skin-lightening product that make it effective at eliminating pigmentation?

• It should block melanin. Look for ingredients like kojic acid, which is created during the process of malting rice fermentation. It blocks the skin cells' ability to create melanin that shows up as pigment on the surface of skin. Another melanin inhibitor is licorice. It contains glabridin, an ingredient that gets rid of pigmentation as well as inflamed skin.
• It should contain antioxidants. Antioxidants keep the skin healthy by fighting free radicals that cause sun damage. It's important to remember that UV exposure is the leading cause of skin discoloration because it boosts the skin's production of melanin. By targeting those free radicals with antioxidants, you ensure a healthier, brighter complexion. Bilberry is an example of a natural skin-lightening ingredient that contains antioxidants, known as tannins. Another skin-brightening antioxidant is Vitamin C (sometimes referred to on products as ascorbic acid). It is a natural skin lightening ingredient and boosts the skin's production of collagen so that it can regain its youthful elasticity.

Brighter and healthier skin can be achieved with skin-lightening products, however these need to contain natural ingredients in order to eradicate pigmentation without harming the skin. By avoiding chemical skin lighteners, you get the gorgeous skin you've always dreamed of without putting your health in danger.  

Prevent Age Spots Before They Appear!

With age comes beauty. However, many people are convinced that aging detracts from their looks, in part, because of age spots. Known as ‘lipofuscin,’ or liver spots, these yellowish brown spots that develop on the skin are just an unavoidable part of the aging process. – But are they really unavoidable?

You don’t have to accept that your skin will eventually be plagued with age spots. There are ways to prevent them from developing. With proper care and the right products, you can keep your skin looking young and fresh for years to come.

Nix the Iron

Well, don’t nix it completely because iron is an important part of hemoglobin, or the stuff in red blood cells that transport oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body; however, too much iron can lead to the appearance of age spots.

If your iron levels are high, excess iron can cause extra pigmentation in the skin, or age spots. Many foods are fortified with iron, including grains and processed foods. Minimize these foods in your diet and avoid taking multivitamins that contain iron to prevent the development of lipofuscin.

Keep Your Hormones in Check

Estrogen is an important hormone in the female body, but too much estrogen can cause several problems, including higher levels of age pigment.

Estrogen is necessary around the time a woman ovulates; however, only a small amount is necessary. Beyond ovulation, estrogen really isn’t necessary and having too much of it in your body can speed up the development of age spots.

To keep your estrogen levels in check, avoid foods and products that raise the levels of this hormone in your body, like grapefruit, soy, plastics and cosmetics that contain ‘fragrance.’

Use the Right Skincare Products

There are several products on the market that can help to reduce the appearance of age spots.

Sepiwhite Face Whitening Cream, for example, is an exceptional product for combating the development of aging pigment. Because this product is formulated specifically for skin that is rich in melanin and contains the patented Sepiwhite MSH and Alpha Arbutin, two elements that work to correct dark spots when combined, it is ideal for preventing the onset of skin darkening age

spots.

Avoid Unsaturated Fats

Unsaturated fats, especially PUFA – Polyunsaturated fats – can be very damaging to the body. When they combine with iron, these fats can increase the appearance of age spots.

To avoid the development of those dark spots on your skin, as well as other damaging effects, avoid consuming unsaturated fats completely. Instead, choose saturated fats, like olive oil and coconut oil.

Say Goodbye to Free Radicals

Free radicals are a major cause of age spots. Unsaturated fats are a major cause of the formation of free radicals in the body (another reason not to consume them).

Limiting the amount of unsaturated fats you consume to lower the formation of free radicals in your body. Additionally, try supplementing with an antioxidant, like Vitamin E, which can keep free radicals in the body in check. Vitamin E can also help maintain proper hormone balance! (Added bonus!)

By exercising these tips, you can reduce the formation of those unsightly brown age spots and retain your vibrant, youthful complexion.

Is The Sun Causing Pigmentation On Your Skin?

Most people know that spending time in the sun will affect the color of their skin. This change in color is your body’s way of defending itself against the damaging ultraviolet rays of the sun. Depending on the amount of melanin in your skin, you could get tan or you could burn.

Whether you get a golden tan or you get as red as a lobster, the effects of the sun can be devastating on your skin. Those ultraviolet rays can cause dark spots, premature aging and skin cancer.

How the Sun Affects Your Skin

Why does the sun change the color of your skin, anyway?

The sun contains powerful ultraviolet rays, and those rays can damage your DNA. The melanin in your skin protects your skin from the rays of the sun by stopping those UV rays from damaging your skin cells. The more melanin you have, the darker your skin becomes. For that reason, people who have more melanin in their skin tend to tan, and those with less melanin tend to burn, when exposed to the sun.

Whether you tan or burn, the sun can still do serious damage to your skin. The more your skin is exposed to the sun, the more the fibers in your skin (elastin) are damaged. As a result, sun exposure can lead to:

• Pre-cancerous and cancerous skin lesions
• Benign tumors
•  Wrinkles
•  Freckle
• Discoloration of the skin (sun spots)
• Elastosis, or damage to elastic and collagen tissues

What Increases Exposure to UV Rays?

While wearing sun block is an excellent way to protect your skin from the sun, sometimes, it’s not enough. There are things that can increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun, such as:

• Medications – Certain medications, including antihistamines, acne treatments and antibiotics can increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun.
•  Food – Some foods can also increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun, including dill, celery, citrus fruits, parsnips and artificial sweeteners.
• Essential oils – The chemical makeup of some essential oils can cause increased sensitivity to the sun. Angelica, anise, bitter orange, ginger and lavender can increase the damaging effects of the sun.

How to Protect Your Skin

You don’t have to stay inside to avoid damaging your skin from the sun. There are ways that you can protect your skin from sun exposure so you can enjoy being outside.Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before going in the sun. Reapply every 2 hours to ensure that your skin is properly protected

Wear long sleeves, pants and hats that shade your face to block out the sun’s rays.

Carry an umbrella to shade yourself from the sun.

Should you suffer a sunburn and you start seeing signs of sun damage, there are products that you can use to reverse the damage. Fendel Skincare’s Advanced Pigmentation Reducing Tonic and SepiWhite Face Whitening Gel-Fluid, for example, are two powerful products that can reduce dark spots and excessive pigmentation in your skin that can be caused by sun exposure.

Taking the proper precautions and using products to treat your skin after sun exposure can help to keep your skin protected from the damage that the sun can cause to your skin.

This Skincare Routine Will Brighten Your Natural Glow

If your skin is dull, no amount of makeup you wear will make it look radiant and healthy. You need to take care of your skin and use the right skin-brightening products to maintain a glowing complexion. But where to start and what products to use? Follow this easy routine.

Step One: Clean Up

It's essential to cleanse your skin twice a day to eliminate impurities, but your cleanser should contain exfoliating properties to get rid of dead skin cells. These form a layer on the surface of your skin, preventing products from getting absorbed and blocking the light so it can’t be reflected off your skin.

Skin Soho Latte + Granita Pre-Treatment Cleanser cleans your skin while its minute grains of granita exfoliate so that your skin is left fresh and renewed. After cleansing, lock in your skin's moisture and smoothness with a serum.

Step Two: Apply a Serum

Serums have become essential skincare products because they're light on your skin while being packed with nourishing ingredients to strengthen your skin and make it look years younger. After cleansing and exfoliating, you should always apply a serum because your skin's dry surface layer is removed and skin is therefore ready to absorb the hydrating ingredients of a serum.

Skin Soho Cocktail Serum Facial Lighten is a corrective skincare product that eliminates a variety of pigmentation, such as acne scars and sun damage. It's also great to use if you have oily skin as it doesn't contain oil, making it a nourishing choice for all skin types and preventing breakouts.

Step Three: Don't Skip The Moisturizer!

You might think you don't need to use moisturizer if you've applied a serum, but you should use both. While serums help to strengthen your skin, moisturizers protect the skin's surface layer so that it remains soft and hydrated.

After applying a serum, use a moisturizer such as Skin Soho Facial Lightening Parfait that is a luxuriously hydrating cream. It treats your skin with TLC to leave it feeling silky smooth while also treating any spots or pigmentation that can make your skin look dull and old.

Step Four: Treat Your Eyes

The skin around your eyes is much more delicate than skin on the rest of your face. It shows signs of ageing, such as dark circles and wrinkles, much sooner. If you don't treat the skin under your eyes with care but pamper the rest of your face with skin-brightening products, the result is jarring. You need an even tone all over if you want to look your most radiant.

Show your eyes some love with Sepiwhite Clarity Under Eye Peptide Gel that gently soothes and moisturizes the fragile skin under your eyes, leaving it bright and youthful so that it matches the rest of your face. Gels are great because they are quickly absorbed by the skin, preventing any greasiness.

Step Five: Achieve A Bright Pout

The last step in your skincare routine should be to brighten up your lips and leave them beautifully moisturized to prevent dryness. Try Brighter Pout Lip Balm that hydrates your lips with natural oils. These also lighten your lip color and plump them up, which is important as lips become thinner as you age. The result is a more defined, gorgeous pout that completes your radiance.

Having a brighter, more youthful complexion is really simple to achieve once you use the right skin-brightening products. Products that target your skin, eyes, and lips help you to reveal an evenly-toned and luminous face to the world, every day.

FREE SKIN WHITENING CREAM TRIAL

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If you have one of the following, you could qualify to receive a free trial sample of Skin Soho, Fair & Flawless or Esthetic Blend skin corrective product for review purpose only;

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If one of the above applies to you, please email us at—sales@fairandflawlessskin.com, kindly provide us with a link to your site or social account and we will get back to you within 24/48 business hours. It's that easy, now let's get started!

Skin Whitening Anti-Aging Injections

WHY SKIN WHITENING INJECTIONS CAN BE A WASTE OF MONEY

Glutathione Whitening Injections in New York City may be the hottest and most popular trend for African Americans and Latino's but results can take a very longtime to be noticeable—Using an all natural Msh anti-aging skin whitener such as Fair & Flawless along with glutathione injections in NYC will give you unbelievable lighter skin that looks totally natural. 

Consider 

Fair & Flawless 80xf Facial Whitening Gel 1oz  + Glutathione

Fair & Flawless 80xf Gel Cream 8oz + Vitamin C + Anti-Aging

People all over the world are talking about remarkable results using Fair & Flawless Skin Whitening and anti aging products. But the question that many ask is what makes Fair & Flawless so precious? The answer is quite simple, yet profound. Fair & Flawless uses highly concentrated 100% natural ingredients such as Sepiwhite Msh in concert with other nutritive rich skin lighteners to acheive amazing results "from the first application" Fair & Flawless does not use harmful drugs or bleaches. Every ingredient in Fair & Flawless has been selected for its effectiveness and health benefits. In addition to acheiving skin tone results, many have reported healthier, softer and clearer skin. This is consistent with Fair & Flawless goals of helping people "look and feel their very best.

The Best Skin Lightening Products for Your Face

When you want to lighten your complexion, you might reach for the first skin-lightening product you see at the store or online, but this could be dangerous as there are many harmful, chemical-filled products out there that can damage your skin or worsen your discoloration. Here’s what you need to know about skin lightening so you do it properly and send that uneven skin tone away for good.  

Why Lighten Your Skin?

There are many reasons why people are interested in skin lightening. It might be that they have sun damage in the form of pigmentation due to lots of UV exposure. Or perhaps they have an uneven skin tone that they want to brighten up. Luckily, many types of skin discoloration can be treated effectively with skin-lightening products, such as age spots that are caused by the sun’s rays (and have nothing to do with getting older); and melasma, a condition that causes patches of brown or black on the face that are worsened from exposure to the sun. This is sometimes caused by hormones in the body, which is why it's referred to as the “mask of pregnancy”, but melasma can also arise when you're not pregnant.

No matter what skin patches or spots you're dealing with, you should use a skin-lightening product that contains natural ingredients that work as whitening agents, such as mulberry extract and Vitamin C. But the product should also be versatile enough to treat a variety of discoloration. A product like Enhanced Facial Spot Eraser makes your de-pigmentation efforts so much easier because it targets skin discoloration issues. These include spots from sun exposure and even marks caused by acne breakouts that usually take months to fade on their own.

Skin Lightening that Restores and Rejuvenates  

Any skin type can be lightened but it's important to take your skin type into consideration before embarking on the process of lightening your complexion. This ensures best results and can also help you treat other skin conditions. For instance, if your skin is prone to becoming oily and breaking out, choosing a skin-lightening product that contains salicylic acid will keep your skin’s oil production under control while whitening agents such as kojic acid and bearberry will give you an even, gorgeous skin tone.

One of the most important things to remember about skin discoloration is that it's ageing, so you ideally should be encouraging a more youthful complexion while you target dark spots, irrespective of your skin type. That's where a product like Sepiwhite Face Whitening and Rejuvenating Fluid comes in. It contains natural skin lightening agents along with anti-ageing ingredients such as antioxidants to improve your skin tone and make it look youthful as well as clear in one go.

Skin Lightening and Sensitive Skin   

Sensitive skin is tricky to treat, and becomes even more so when you want to lighten it. But just because your skin is sensitive, it doesn’t mean that you can't brighten it. A product that is gentle on your skin to prevent harm and damage is a must! Try Skin Soho Facial Lightening Parfait that has a mousse texture and treats your skin to a luxurious bit of pampering. It protects your skin from damage while removing dark spots and hydrating your skin. It doesn’t have a greasy texture or cause any irritation, so it's perfect for high-maintenance skin.

Get Rid of Stubborn Dark Spots

When you have dark spots on your complexion that you've been suffering with for a long time, you don’t have to resort to chemical whiteners. There are strong natural skin whitening lotions that can be applied to your skin to give you results within days. An example of intense whitening is Sepiwhite Facial Lightening Cream in Maximum Strength that prevents pigmentation while being gentle enough on the skin. Its natural moisturizers help to give you clear and smooth skin that reflects the light to look most radiant.

A good tip to remember is that you should start with mild skin lighteners before proceeding to more intense ones. This helps your skin get used to the lightening process for best results.

Achieving a glowing complexion is easy when you have the right products in your possession. Follow the above tips and products to infuse your skin with the most nourishing and whitening of ingredients found right in nature so you can show your most beautiful face to the world.

Can Intense Pulsed Light Treatment Really Remove Sun Spots?

If you've heard of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment, you may already know that IPL eliminates your body hair for good! But you might be surprised to learn that it can remove pigmentation, such as those dreaded sun spots (otherwise known as age spots) that appear on your skin after UV exposure. But is IPL an effective treatment for pigmentation?

IPL devices use multiple wavelengths of light that penetrate the skin, targeting dark spots where melanin accumulates and disintegrating them. Here are some pros and cons you should know about this popular treatment.

The Pros

You Can Show Your Face Afterwards

Chemical peels are usually recommended to remove skin pigmentation, but they often leave behind side-effects for days or weeks such as redness and flaky skin. IPL is better because although your age spots might look darker following treatment, it's easier to cover them up with foundation and concealer. You are allowed to wear makeup immediately after the treatment, which is a big bonus.

There are No Side Effects

Apart from redness or mild darkening of the areas targeted by IPL, there are no other side-effects to deal with, which makes IPL a skincare treatment that features low on the invasive scale. Even the redness you might experience will go away within hours or a few days.

Treatments are Short

An IPL session will last between half an hour to an hour and a half, which isn't so bad and can almost fit into your lunch time!

The Cons

Darker Skin Tones Need Board-Certified Dermatologists

IPL works best on fair skin tones. People with darker skin tones can be at greater risk of getting scars from the procedure, so you really want to make sure the professional you choose is board-certified before making an appointment.

It's Expensive

Be prepared to shell out lots of money for treatments as you'll need between two to six treatments of IPL to see results. One session could cost around $350, so it's worth bearing in mind. The good thing is that your treatments will be spaced apart by three or four weeks.

It Might Not Work As Well On Extensive Skin Damage

If you have lots of pigmentation, it’s worth knowing that there are other laser treatments that can be better to treat such extensive skin damage from the sun. These actually resurface the skin but they are much more invasive than IPL and your skin will require a greater number of days to heal afterwards.   

It Can Be Painful

IPL is said to feel like a rubber band snapping against the skin, but other people claim that it can feel terribly painful. A burning sensation is also reported. Pain will vary depending on your pain threshold. Luckily, you can apply anaesthetic cream to the area to alleviate your pain. The pain, however, might be a deal breaker for you and put you off IPL. If that’s the case, it doesn’t mean you have to be stuck with age spots. Rather, you can make use of skin lightening creams that target dark spots without any symptoms or pain.

Although IPL has become a popular treatment for various skin conditions, there are important things to bear in mind if you are going to use it to eliminate your age spots. Before you go ahead and book your session of IPL, follow our advice so that you get best results and fabulous new skin.

Why You May Be Suffering from Facial Discoloration

When you get dark spots or patches of discoloration on your face, you might be confused about what's happening. Is it just that your skin is ageing? It actually has little to do with time’s effect on your skin. Here are the most common causes of facial discoloration and what you can do about them:

Sun Exposure and Damage

What's the leading cause of facial discoloration? Sun damage! UV rays accelerate the skin's production of melanin, which creates darker patches on your skin. In fact, exposure to the sun is one of the most common causes of skin hyperpigmentation. This can take the form of freckles and age spots (which have nothing to do with age!). You need to stay out of the sun and protect your skin with sunscreen. Even if you already have discoloration, you need sunscreen to prevent it from getting worse or spreading. The use of a natural skin-lightening product can help to erase the sun damage.

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, your body's hormones change which can lead to a variety of conditions. One of them is melasma, dark brownish patches that appear on your face. Melasma is known as the 'mask of pregnancy' because it's such a common affliction for pregnant women. It thankfully tends to clear up after pregnancy when the body's hormones go back to normal.

However, melasma can also occur when you're not pregnant, perhaps from use of the contraceptive pill or genetic reasons. UV exposure tends to make the brown patches worse or cause them to spread to other areas of your face, so UV protection is a must. The use of natural skin lighteners can be beneficial to treat melasma. An example is azelaic acid. Studies have found that a 20% concentration of azelaic acid was as effective as 4% hydroquinone to treat melasma. The bonus is that it doesn’t come with nasty side-effects. Other successful skin-lightening ingredients you can use for various types of skin discoloration that are totally natural include kojic acid and bearberry.

Bad Bouts of Acne

Sometimes after a bout of pimples, you might notice that the site of your skin has been marked with discoloured spots. These are known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and can take months to fade away. To eliminate dark marks from acne much quicker, you should be using Vitamin C creams and retinoids that will lighten your complexion while also increasing skin cell turnover so that fresh, pigment-free cells come to the surface of your skin.

Rosacea

The discoloration that appears on your face might not always be dark spots - it could be redness. Rosacea is a condition that causes flushing on the face that never goes away. You might also notice that your blood vessels are more noticeable. Rosacea can arise from a variety of things, such as extreme temperatures that dry out the skin or your diet.

You should protect your skin against irritation as much as possible, such as by covering it during cold weather and wearing sunscreen when outside, as well as avoiding spicy, greasy foods that lead to inflammation. You should also choose gentle, natural-based skin products that don't irritate the skin.

Lack of Nutrition

If your diet is lacking certain nutrients, your body's response could be to increase its melanin production. A vitamin B12 deficiency can cause skin discoloration. This important nutrient helps to regulate the skin's production of pigment. Without it, your skin can create too much pigment which causes spots and patches of discoloration. It's common to lack B12 if you are a vegetarian or vegan because it is found in animal-derived products, such as meat and dairy. In those cases, it's good to take a B12 vitamin to keep your body and skin healthy.

Facial discoloration can have many different causes but they can all be successfully treated. Follow the above tips to achieve lustrous, gorgeous skin and banish pigmentation for good.

Remove Your Sun Tan in Five Quick and Easy Steps

Suntans might look gorgeous but they're more high maintenance than a demanding boyfriend. Often they leave you with other problems, such as dry skin or redness. Luckily, there are ways to banish that bad tan for good in favor of more gorgeous, glowing skin. Here are five quick steps to get rid of it - fast!

Step One: Juice Your Skin

Home remedies can be helpful to fade out a tan. Try some lemon juice, but don't use lemon juice on its own because its acidic content can burn your skin and you don’t want that. Mix it with some honey and then apply it to your skin. Sit with it for about 20 minutes before washing it off.

Another juice that's beneficial for fading a tan is tomato juice. It is packed with antioxidants and acids that lighten the skin naturally. Apply the tomato juice to your skin with a cotton ball and leave it on for 20 minutes before washing it off.

Step Two: Get Scrubbing

Exfoliation is a girl's best friend. By scrubbing your skin, you remove the surface layer of dead skin and melanin which has caused a darker skin tone. Make sure you exfoliate daily in the shower until your tan fades, with products that polish your skin. Avoid any product that feels smooth as these won't give your skin the deep-cleansing scrub that you need to decrease your tan as quickly as possible. Make your own exfoliating scrub with brown sugar and a bit of olive oil. Couldn’t be easier! Or, try a skin-polishing product like Skin Soho Latte + Granita Pre-Treatment Cleanser that cleans and exfoliates, giving you smoother and brighter skin.  

Step Three: Get Your Hands on Coconut Oil

You know that horrible dryness that a tan can leave behind? You don't want it to stick around, so nip it in the bud along with your tan by using coconut oil. Wash your skin and then apply coconut oil to it, paying extra attention to any areas that are darker from the UV exposure. Massage it well and leave it on for a few minutes before stepping into a bath. You want the steam from the bath to open up your pores so that the coconut oil can penetrate deeply into your skin. This is also a great pampering session! Then, wash off the coconut oil. Your tan will fade but your silky-smooth skin will remain.  

Step Four: Feed Your Skin Yogurt

Greek  yogurt is not just great for breakfast, but it's also helpful for banishing that horrible tan! Since it contains lactic acid, it will exfoliate your skin, while its creaminess will help to moisturize it beautifully. Sounds good, right? You want to sit with Greek yogurt on your skin for about 20 minutes before hopping into the shower.

Step Five: Lighten Up with a Cream

If you want more intensive skin-lightening because you have a hot date or work appointment, you want to avoid any harsh chemical skin lighteners that promise to bleach your skin because they can be toxic. It's better to reach for a natural skin-lightening cream specifically targeted to removing suntans.

Enhanced Sepiwhite Suntan Reducing Cream is packed with natural lightening agents such as aloe, cucumber and Vitamin C to erase a bad tan without the drama.

To successfully get rid of a tan really quickly, you should follow the above methods daily so that you shine beautifully all through the season without any dangerous UV exposure. Put the sun on ice and get your own glow!  

The Age Spot Removal Tricks To Try This Summer

Summers are great, except for those annoying age spots that can rain on your parade. Although you might think they have to do with getting older, age spots are actually caused by sun exposure so they can strike at any age. Now that the weather is changing and warmer months are on the way, you’ll probably be more self conscious of the age spots exposed on your skin. Not to worry! Here is what you need to know about age spot removal techniques.

What's Up With Age Spots?

Age spots appear on the skin as small, flat brown or black spots. They will appear on areas of your body and face that are most often in the sun, so you're likely to see them on your cheeks, nose, arms and hands. Although they are most common in people older than 50, you can still get age spots when you're younger. They aren't related to age, but they can still make you feel old!

Prevention is the easiest way to keep your skin looking luminous and gorgeous, so minimize your time in the sun and make sure your skin is protected against the UV rays with a broad spectrum sunscreen. However, avoid chemical sunscreens that can irritate the skin, making your pigmentation darker! Opt for a sunscreen that contains titanium dioxide or zinc oxide instead.

If you already have pigmentation on your skin and want to get rid of it fast, there are some quick age spot removal techniques.

Start Scrubbing Your Skin

Exfoliating your skin is important for many reasons. It eliminates dead skin that can leave your complexion looking dull and dry. It also gets rid of any pigmentation that accumulates in that surface of dead skin, so it's an important way to fight age spots. Successful exfoliating ingredients include glycolic acid (which is also used in chemical peels) and oats that are gentle as well as nourishing to your skin.

You can make your own exfoliating scrub really quickly with ingredients you already have at home. A quick and easy DIY exfoliating recipe is to mix together olive oil and sugar, then apply it to your skin and gently rub it in circular motions.The bonus of exfoliating is that you polish your skin so it can look more vibrant.

Book A Chemical Peel

If your age spots have been around for ages and they're stubborn, you might want to book a chemical peel. This is basically a more intense form of exfoliation that strips the surface layer of skin. What's great about chemical peels is that they also improve the skin’s collagen production so that it can look more youthful. A common chemical peel is AHA, which stands for Alpha Hydroxy Acids, and makes use of glycolic and lactic acids. It's the mildest kind of peel and helps to clear your skin of an uneven skin tone after a few treatments.

However, you need to be prepared for side-effects that are common with chemical peels and which can last for several days. These include redness and flakiness of the skin. There is also the risk of permanent scarring or skin discoloration. It's also good to know that if you have dark skin you should avoid chemical peels altogether as it can change your natural pigmentation.

Gentle Skincare Creams That Work To Clear Up Your Skin

If you have age spots, a skin-lightening cream can do wonders for you. It's a myth to think that you need chemical ingredients to treat your pigmented skin. In actual fact, these can harm your skin and health in general, plus they can make your pigmentation issues worse. You should use natural-based skin-lightening creams to remove age spots. Filled with natural and revitalizing melanin blockers such as kojic acid, green tea extract and Vitamin C, they treat your dark spots while caring for your skin so you can have a more lustrous complexion.

Age spots can be annoying to have to deal with, especially in the warmer months, but you can treat them in a variety of ways. It’s important to bear in mind that treating your skin with TLC is a vital part of age spot removal so that you banish them for good while allowing your natural beauty to shine through!

How to Deal With Skin Pigmentation Disorders

Skin pigmentation disorders not only make your skin look less beautiful than it was meant to be, but these disorders can also impact your self-image. Here is what you need to know so you can treat them effectively.

Pigmentation and Your Health

When you notice dark spots on your skin, it can affect your health. Although most pigmentation is benign, any new spots on your skin should be checked by a doctor. Keep in mind that while spots may be a sign of problems with your physical health, these spots can also impact your emotional well-being.  

Dark spots or patches on your skin can make you feel self-conscious and less attractive. They are also associated with ageing, making you look and feel older.

Types of Pigmentation

There are some common types of skin pigmentation disorders to know about. These are:

• Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation

This is when your skin gets marks on it after it has undergone trauma or injury. Marks that appear on your skin after acne are common examples of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Although the darker areas tend to go away with time, sometimes they can become permanent.

• Melasma

Melasma, otherwise known as the 'mask of pregnancy', shows up on the skin as dark brown patches, often appearing on the nose, cheeks, and forehead. It is largely caused by sun exposure, although hormonal changes during pregnancy and due to use of the contraceptive pill can also cause it.

• Solar Lentigines (Age Spots)

Although they’re sometimes called age spots, solar lentigines are a type of skin pigmentation disorder that crops up at any age.The culprit is UV exposure that speeds up melanin production, both from the sun and tanning beds. Solar lentigines are small and flat brown or black spots of no more than 5mm in diameter that appear on their own or in groups.

Types of Treatments

Eliminating skin pigmentation disorders should include the following:

• Exfoliation. Treatments for skin pigmentation disorders tend to be about removing the surface layer of skin where pigmentation resides. This is done with exfoliation, such as the use of scrubs that gently slough away dead skin. The bonus is that exfoliation also makes skin more radiant so it looks gorgeous and healthy. Chemical peels can be used for more intense exfoliation to remove pigmentation, but these often cause side-effects such as redness or flaking which can take several days to clear.

• Skin Lightening With DIY Recipes. Lightening the skin is an important element of treating skin pigmentation disorders and giving you an even skin tone. Natural skin-lightening home remedies are popular treatments. The use of common lightening ingredients such as lemon, honey and aloe vera can be beneficial to the skin, but such DIY recipes don't always work as quickly as you like and might not be suitable for more stubborn cases of skin pigmentation. However, they’re definitely worth a try as they’re naturally nourishing for your skin.
  

• Skin Lightening With Products. You should invest in a good skin-lightening product to treat and banish your skin pigmentation disorder. The type of product you choose is of the utmost importance as chemical ones can worsen your skin pigmentation while also being dangerous to your health. Luckily, there are natural skin-lightening ingredients that clear up your skin while treating it gently. Examples include bearberry, kojic acid and Vitamin C.

Pigmentation can affect your self-esteem and make you self-conscious, but there are effective treatments for it so you can stop hiding from the world.

The Best Products for Radiant Skin: How to Get Rid of Melasma and Dark Spots

Although you might try some homemade remedies to get rid of melasma and dark spots, to ensure they stay away for good you'll need to invest in the right skincare products. The bonus of using the right ones is that they will also encourage healthier skin that looks gorgeous, clear and youthful.

But, what if you struggle with a skin condition like melasma or dark spots? There is a way to get rid of both! With naturally-based skin-lightening products that offer your skin all-round radiance while clearing up your pigmentation issues. Here are the products you need to include in your skincare routine.

Skin-Brightening Exfoliator

Exfoliating is important to eliminate dead skin that can be filled with pigmentation. By sloughing it away, the healthier spot-free skin underneath can be on display. Exfoliation also clears away the dead skin that can be a barrier to product absorption, so it’s good to do it regularly. Exfoliators that contain lightening agents in them are great because they get rid of dead skin cells while also smoothing and brightening skin for a radiant complexion. When you want to know how to get rid of melasma, make exfoliation your first line of attack.

Try Skin Soho Latte + Granita Pre-Treatment Cleanser that cleans your skin while being filled with grains of granita to exfoliate and polish. To complete the cleanser’s pampering effects, it also contains lightening ingredients such as aloe, which opens the skin to further whitening treatments.  

Dark Spot Lotion

To target those stubborn dark spots, you need a powerful spot corrector such as Skin Soho Facial Lightening Parfait. It's strong enough to erase a variety of spots from which you might be suffering, such as spots caused by UV exposure, hormones and even acne that leaves behind marks and scars. Unlike chemical lighteners that can be irritating to the skin, especially with regular use, this lightening cream is filled with botanical ingredients that keep skin beautifully hydrated while boosting its radiance--all in a natural and healthy way.  

All-Over Radiance

Serums have become popular skincare items because they're light and more quickly absorbed. They’re also filled with antioxidants to give your skin a more vibrant appearance. A skin-lightening serum such as Skin Soho Cocktail Serum is great for ensuring that your whole face looks brighter and more vibrant while it treats dark spots. It's got ingredients that are luxurious to the skin, such as saffron and caviar, while also giving it the nourishment it needs to look its best.

Why You Need A Youth-Boosting Spot Cream  

Melasma and dark spots on your skin can give you a much older appearance. Research has found that hyperpigmentation can make you look 20 years older. So, you should choose a product that will help to rejuvenate your skin by getting rid of dark spots but also one that will boost your youthfulness.

You can achieve this with Sepiwhite Face Whitening and Rejuvenating Fluid. It contains anti-ageing complexes that will give you a radiant and more youthful complexion in just days of use. It’s also packed with powerful natural skin-lightening ingredients to treat melasma and dark spots, such as bilberry, aloe and kojic acid. These produce a powerful blend to give your skin a luminous and even tone.

When you're dealing with melasma and dark spots on your skin, you want to treat them so that they disappear for good instead of just going into hiding. By choosing the above natural skin-lightening products, you can achieve gorgeous spot-free skin that looks years younger.

How to Remove Dark Patches on Cheeks, Nose, and Face

Noticing dark patches on your face is an instant mood killer. You can cover them up with a good foundation, but this is something you have to do numerous times a day to keep them under wraps--talk about high maintenance! A better idea is to start treating your skin so you can send dark patches away forever. To do so, you’ll need the right products and healthy skincare routine. Ready? Let’s go spot hunting! 

What Are Those Dark Patches?

Pigmentation commonly shows up on the face. Known as melasma, it tends to appear as dark patches on cheeks, the nose or elsewhere on your face. Since the most common cause of pigmentation is the sun, it makes sense that pigmentation will show on your face as this is the part of your body that will most be exposed to those damaging rays.

Dark patches on your cheeks and face need to be treated gently. You can’t rush out and buy chemical skin lighteners as these are filled with toxic ingredients that can actually make the problem worse--and irreversible, such as if they cause ochronosis, a skin condition that causes blue-black marks on the skin. You definitely don’t want that!

Gentle Skincare Routine to Remove Dark Patches

It’s better to treat your skin with love, which will ensure your pigmentation issue not only clears up but also that your skin is healthier. Healthy skin is the most attractive because it will stay gorgeous. Here are steps to follow:

1. Amp Up Your Exfoliation

A lot of pigmentation tends to accumulate in the surface layer of skin. How do you remove it? You need to exfoliate your skin! A good idea is to use an exfoliator that contains skin-lightening ingredients so that it’s brightening you up and busting melanin in one go! Try Skin Soho Latte + Granita Pre-Treatment Cleanser that gently exfoliates and refreshes your skin. It’s also safe for daily use, and will scrub your skin to greater luminosity in no time.

2. Always Wear Sunscreen

Sunscreen protects your skin against sun damage and pigmentation. Although you might think sunscreen isn’t going to help remove the damage you’ve already got, it can prevent your current pigmentation from getting worse - and it will prevent new spots from cropping up! Don’t neglect areas on your face such as your ears and the tip of your nose when applying sunscreen.

3. Stop Tanning

While we’re on the subject of UV exposure, you should also avoid tanning. Every time you tan, you are damaging your skin. To speedily remove a tan and any damage, use a product like Enhanced Sepiwhite Suntan Reducing Cream that contains soothing aloe and cucumber to restore your skin’s natural radiance.  

4. Use a Natural Skin Lightening Cream

Instead of harsh chemical skin lighteners, reach for natural ones. Although you might think these are not as powerful to remove dark patches on your cheeks and face, ingredients such as kojic acid and bilberry are actually highly effective. The trick for even better results is to choose a product that combines a variety of natural skin-lightening ingredients to increase its whitening effect without putting your skin at risk.

• For Face: Try Sepiwhite Face Whitening and Rejuvenation Fluid that contains herbal ingredients to remove skin damage, uneven skin tone, as well as those stubborn dark patches on cheeks and the rest of your face. It has kojic acid as well as other natural skin lighteners, such as aloe and bilberry (which is similar to blueberries).
• For Body: Try Skin Soho Body Lightening Soufflé. This product is even more luxurious than it sounds. It brightens skin while moisturizing it so that it’s radiant and silky-smooth. It contains pampering ingredients such as rosehip, shea butter and aloe.

Getting rid of dark patches on cheeks, nose and face that make you feel less confident is totally possible. By following a healthy skincare routine with the use of nourishing products, you can flaunt gorgeous and clear skin that’s the picture of health.

The Most Effective Treatment For Pigmentation to Try This Spring

The weather is getting warmer which means you want to show more skin. If you’re suffering from marks or patches of pigmentation, they can make you want to keep all your layers of clothing on during bikini season. Before you do, though, it’s worth knowing that there’s one pigmentation treatment that is more effective than others, and definitely worth your time!

If you’re dealing with pigmentation, chances are you’ve had it before because pigmentation tends to recur. There are quite a few methods you can try to keep it away for good. Here is a breakdown of the most common ones:

Common Treatments

1. Natural Homemade Recipes

There are probably ingredients in your home right now that are natural skin whiteners. Applying these to your face regularly can help to break down melanin production in the skin and fade dark spots. Ingredients such as lemon and honey, aloe, and gram flour, are all popular for lightening the skin. However, if you are going to go the natural DIY route, you need to understand that it will take time for your skin to lighten. This is because the ingredients in their raw form will not have much power to eliminate the dark spots and make your skin brighter.

2. Chemical Peels

A more invasive treatment, chemical peels are often touted as effective treatment for pigmentation. This is because they remove the surface layer of skin where pigmentation resides, with the use of intense exfoliation. However, your skin can take several days to heal after a chemical peel. Side-effects can include dryness, redness and even swelling or blisters in the case of a medium peel that is more invasive. This makes it quite complicated and troublesome for your skin, especially since it’s unrealistic to hide at home until your skin heals.

3. Lasers

You might have heard of the use of lasers to treat pigmentation. One of the ways in which to remove pigmentation is with ablative lasers. These actually eliminate the surface layers of skin. There are also fractional lasers that can be used to target specific areas of pigmented skin. However, the problem with treating pigmentation such as melasma with lasers is that it tends to recur as the skin condition can be quite stubborn in nature. So, it might not be worth your time or money - and laser treatment can be thousands of dollars - to treat your skin pigmentation with lasers.

4. Chemical Skin Lotions

There are some chemical ingredients that have become quite popular in the treatment of pigmentation. However, these are essentially toxins that can damage your skin, causing darker areas or even ochronosis, a darkening of the skin that is not treatable.  Many chemicals have been banned in some countries because of the dangers they pose. Although such chemical skin lighteners promise fast and effective results, it’s not worth the risk to use them.

After learning about, or perhaps even trying, one or more of these treatments, you might feel at a loss. How are you supposed to treat pigmentation effectively if so many methods result in ugly side-effects or don’t work in the long-term?

The Best Treatment for Skin Pigmentation

The most effective treatment for pigmentation is to use natural skin-lightening products. These are gentle on your skin with their botanical ingredients, while being formulated by skin experts so that you can rid yourself of pigmentation. Many of these natural skin creams contain other skin-boosting ingredients too, such as Vitamin C for collagen production and chamomile to soothe redness, allowing you to embrace vibrant, clear and, most importantly, healthy skin. When using skin-lightening creams, remember to look after your skin with broad spectrum SPF as such products can make you more vulnerable to the UV rays.

Eliminate pigmentation and celebrate clear, gorgeous skin this spring. Instead of feeling disheartened by pigmentation treatments that don’t work as well as you’d like, start using a natural skin-lightening cream to bring lasting radiance into your skincare routine.

What You Need to Know About Skin Whitening for Dry Skin

When starting the skin-whitening process to achieve brighter skin, you might encounter problems if you have dry skin. Maybe your skin is dry even before you attempt to whiten it, which can cause it to look dull instead of vibrant. Or, you might find that the skin lightening creams you’re using have harsh chemicals that dry out your skin. Not cool! Dry skin shouldn’t prevent you from lightening your complexion so that it glows. Here is how to send dry skin packing:

Always Prepare Your Skin for Skin Whitening

Having a smooth, healthy canvas of skin before you start the skin-whitening process is important to ensure best results. It’s essential to exfoliate your skin before you try to whiten it. This helps to get rid of dead skin on the surface that can make your complexion look dull or dry. When you remove a layer of dead skin, you also allow products to get better absorbed, so your skin-whitening creams will be able to work much faster.  

Some natural skin-whitening creams contain exfoliating ingredients that will gently slough away dead skin while their lightening agents give you a more luminous complexion. It’s a convenient way to achieve both results in one product. Try a product such as Skin Soho Latte + Granita Pre-Treatment Cleanser that gently cleans and exfoliates your skin, while clearing up dark spots and an uneven skin tone.

Smooth Things Over

Chemical skin whiteners can be tough on your skin, making it dry and possibly resulting in more serious skin conditions, such as ochronosis (when the skin becomes darker). On the other hand, natural skin lighteners are often filled with botanical ingredients that not only lighten your skin but also nourish it. This is essential to treat dryness. Look for great moisturizing ingredients in skin-whitening products, such as chamomile and avocado. These will help to pamper and hydrate your skin.  

Apply Nutrients for Healthy Skin

Besides hydrating your skin, you should also be sure that the lightening products you use on your skin infuse it with nutrients so that it can be healthy. When skin is healthy, it is smooth and reflects the light better. Vitamin-enriched products will enhance the lightening effects of your skin creams. Your skin can’t glow and look healthy if you don’t feed it nutrients.

Some nutrients to look for in skin-lightening creams that will give you natural brightness while treating discoloration include Vitamin C. This antioxidant also encourages collagen production to give you youthful skin. Another ingredient is green tea extract which protects your skin, and repairs it, from sun damage. When skin is healthy, it looks its best. Add a lighter, clearer skin tone, courtesy of natural whitening products, to the mix and you will have a gorgeous complexion! Take advantage of natural skin-whitening products that contain antioxidants and vitamins to help you achieve vibrant skin.

Dry, dull skin prevents you from achieving a more lustrous complexion. It can be something you already struggle with before you begin the skin-whitening process, or it could be something that arises due to the chemicals in skin whitening products. Either way, you don’t have to be at the mercy of dry skin. By choosing naturally-based products and following some essential skin-lightening tips, you will kiss dry skin goodbye!

DIY Beauty Tips: How to Lighten Skin Naturally

A lighter complexion might be on your “skincare wish list”, but before you try chemical skin lighteners beware that they can be damaging to your skin and general health. It’s therefore better to choose more natural options. And yes, they are just as effective without putting your skin in danger! Ready to try it out? Here is your skincare guide on how to lighten skin naturally.

Start with a Scrub

Sloughing away dead skin cells is important to polish your skin. This gives you natural radiance. Exfoliating once or twice a week can eliminate any pigmentation that has accumulated in the dead surface of skin. Make your own gentle and natural scrub with cucumber and baking soda.

Cut one-third of a cucumber and grind it up, then mix it with one teaspoon of baking soda. Apply this blend to your face and leave it on for five minutes before washing it off. Cucumber contains an organic substance called silica that strengthens the skin’s tissues. Baking soda, on the other hand, exfoliates your skin while balancing your skin’s PH level so it’s great for keeping acne at bay. The result? Youthful, clear and bright skin!

Target Those Dark Spots

If you have discoloration on your skin, you don’t have to resort to trying to cover it up with makeup. You can eliminate discoloration so it stays away for good, but you need to apply ingredients to your skin that will lighten it. These include lemon, which is rich in Vitamin C. This vitamin is an antioxidant that naturally brightens skin while boosting its collagen production. Other skin-lightening ingredients include potatoes and gram flour. Here are some interesting recipes to try:

This delicious face mask might be difficult not to eat! Mix together equal quantities of honey and lemon, and then apply the mixture to your face. Let it sit for about 20 minutes before washing it off. The lemon lightens your skin while the honey keeps it moisturized and smooth.

Another anti-discoloration ingredient is found in potatoes, thanks to an enzyme known as catecholase. For this recipe you’ll need half a potato, one tablespoon of milk, and one tablespoon of rice flour (otherwise known as rice powder). Grate the potato and mix it with the other ingredients so that you create a paste. Apply it to your face and let it stay on for about 20 minutes before washing it off.

Soak a few almonds overnight in milk and then grind them up. Put them in a bowl and add gram flour as well as lemon juice. Stir this blend well before applying it to your face. While the lemon juice brightens up your skin, the almonds contain protein and Vitamin E which strengthen and soften skin. Finally, gram flour is a common ingredient in skin-lightening recipes because it exfoliates skin, getting rid of dull and pigmented cells so that skin can be more radiant in a flash.

When Should You Use Skin-Lightening Products?

What happens if your discoloration is more stubborn or pronounced? Home remedies sometimes take a few weeks or longer to work, so if you’re looking for speedier results it’s a good idea to turn to botanical-based skin-lightening products. Since they contain natural ingredients, such as kojic acid, Vitamin C, liquorice, and aloe, they’re nourishing to your skin while helping you achieve more radiance.   

If you’ve been wondering how to lighten skin naturally, you now have many solutions to make your skin glow! The best part is that by choosing ingredients that are healthy for you, you ensure the long-term beauty of your skin - no chemicals required, ever. 

Get Rid of Dark Spots on Face Before a Vacation

When you’re planning for a vacation you’re probably imagining the gorgeous outdoors and seeing the sights -- not dark spots on your face. Dark spot removal can become more important before a relaxing vacation. How should you get rid of them? Here are some methods you can try, depending on how much time you have before leaving on a jet plane.

Try Your Hand at Home Remedies

If you have weeks to prepare your skin for your vacation, you could try home remedies to lighten your skin. Recipes that make use of natural whitening agents, such as lemon, honey and aloe, can lighten your skin over time and they’re convenient because you can get all the ingredients you need at your local supermarket. However, natural remedies do take longer to work so you want to try them when you have weeks at your disposal.

Start an Exfoliating Plan

You should be exfoliating your skin at least once or twice a week, from a few weeks before your vacation. This not only scrubs away dead skin that can leave your complexion looking dull but it also removes any pigment that resides in those dead skin cells. Sloughing away the surface of your skin helps to make your complexion glow so that you achieve radiant holiday skin even before leaving the house. You can make your own exfoliating scrubs at home that are effective. Try mixing together sugar and olive oil before gently scrubbing your skin with it.

Chemical Peels: Should You Have One?

If you want to get rid of dark spots on your face quickly, you might be tempted to book a chemical peel at your dermatologist. This is basically a more intensive form of exfoliation with a blend of acids that boost skin cell renewal while eliminating discoloration.

However, chemical peels make your skin more sensitive to the sun so it’s not good to have one before heading to a holiday in a warm climate. It also takes a few days after a peel for your skin to recover, becoming less irritated and red, so you should take that into account. Chemical peels contain a risk of scarring the skin and sometimes use chemicals that aren’t naturally-based, which can be damaging to your skin.

Strike a Balance with Natural Skin Lightening

The use of a skin-lightening cream that contains natural ingredients is an effective way to treat dark spots on your face before your next vacation. Since they’re formulated by experts, natural skin-lightening creams work quickly. Even if you’re short on time, natural skin-lightening products can give you clearer, brighter skin within a few days, without the side-effects of invasive skin treatments. You also avoid any nasty chemical side-effects, such as more dark spots or irritation, because the ingredients are derived from plants.

If you are just starting out with a skin-lightening regimen, it’s important to begin with a mild product to open up your skin to the lightening process. Once you see results you can upgrade to the next product in the range. This is gentle on your skin and allows you to achieve the most effective skin-lightening results. So, give your skin a chance to become receptive to whitening by starting the process about two weeks before your holiday begins.

Don’t let dark spots on your face cause you stress when you should be getting into relaxation mode. Treat them quickly and effectively so that you flaunt your most beautiful complexion and look amazing in all your photos.

Melasma: Natural Remedies, Fast Treatment, and Care

There are different ways to treat melasma, a type of skin discoloration that shows up as patches on the skin. Although melasma can be a chronic condition, you don’t have to feel that your only option is to cover it up with foundation. From natural treatments to important skincare tips, melasma needs a comprehensive approach to stay away for good.

Natural Remedies

Natural skin care remedies that lighten your skin and even out your skin tone are important when it comes to treating melasma. Some effective natural ingredients that work include berries such as raspberries and strawberries because they contain ellagic acid that is an effective skin-lightening ingredient.

Another natural remedy is lemon. Its citric acid bleaches the skin naturally (which is why it’s so common when lightening hair, too).  Lemons also contain alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) that exfoliate the skin so that the surface layer is removed, therefore stripping skin of discoloration and dead skin that lingers there.

Fast Treatment

If you’ve tried natural remedies and you’re not getting results quickly enough, bear this in mind: although natural DIY recipes can help your skin eliminate discoloration and melasma, they take much longer to work. There are other melasma-beating methods to try.

Microdermabrasion. You might be tempted to try a skin treatment such as microdermabrasion to eliminate melasma. What microdermabrasion does is make use of fine crystals that are sprayed across the skin with pressure to exfoliate your skin much more thoroughly than regular exfoliation you do at home. It also has a better recovery time than a chemical peel as your skin doesn’t need many days afterwards to heal. Any skin redness you experience is eliminated within a day.

Natural Skin-Lightening Creams. Scientifically-formulated natural skin-lightening creams are gentle on your skin while working faster than home remedies. You want to look for ingredients such as Vitamin C that is a natural skin-lightening agent, green tea extract, aloe (which also soothes the skin), and kojic acid. This natural acid, derived from fungi, helps to even out skin and doesn’t contain the risk of ochronosis (skin darkening) or cancer that are commonly linked to chemical lighteners. These natural creams will be applied to your skin daily and they have different strengths depending on the extent of your discoloration. You should start with a mild one and then progress to more intensive whitening to give your skin a chance to open up to the lightening process.

Care for Skin

Looking after your skin while you treat melasma is important to ensure best results.

• SPF is Best! The most important part is to wear sunscreen every single time you’re outside. UV rays are the most common cause of discoloration, so sunscreen not only prevents future discoloration but prevents current discoloration from getting worse. You should also use sunscreen if you are applying skin-lightening creams or trying home remedies because some ingredients, such as lemon, make your skin more sensitive to the UV rays. .
  
  
• Choose Gentle Care.  Besides using natural skin lightening creams, you should ensure that the rest of your skincare regimen is as natural as possible. The less chemicals you use on your skin, the better. When skincare products are too harsh for your skin, they cause irritation that can lead to discoloration. If a product stings or burns when you use it, or you see that it gives your skin a reaction such as redness, stop using it.

You have many options when it comes to treating melasma. If one doesn’t work, it can be helpful to try others. The key is to stick with your treatments and be gentle with your skin. Here’s to healthy, vibrant complexions!  

How to Get Rid of Facial Discoloration: Natural vs. Chemical Treatments

When you have discoloration on your body, you can easily cover it up. But what if it’s on your face for all to see? Hiding facial discoloration with makeup is a good short-term solution, but you ultimately want something more permanent. Here’s how to get your clear, gorgeous skin back!

To eliminate discoloration, you can treat it with chemical or natural treatments. Here are your options and what you need to know about them.

Chemical Treatments

Although not exactly chemical, microdermabrasion and laser treatments are definitely invasive. They basically remove the top layer of your skin to reveal healthier, pigment-free skin underneath. You might need a few sessions of the treatments to get the best results and the treatments do come with side-effects, such as sensitivity, redness, tightness or even post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. This is when the skin experiences darker spots as a result of the invasive treatment.

That chemical peel you love to get not only exfoliates your skin so that it can look fresh and healthy, but it can also help to eliminate your discoloration. This is because pigment accumulates in the surface layer of skin, so a chemical peel removes both dead skin and pigmentation. However, the after-effects of a peel can be annoying: you might encounter redness and flaking of the skin. More intense chemical peels make use of stronger acids, and they require local anaesthetic so you’ll need up to 10 days for your skin to recover afterwards. This is not always practical.

There are skin-lightening products that contain chemicals to eliminate your pigmentation. Although these are often marketed as being a quick-fix solution, they do come with risks. You could experience irritation, allergic reactions, or other health problems. This is because most of what you apply to your skin gets absorbed by the body, so toxins can affect your health in many negative ways. There is also the risk of chemicals causing new pigmentation because abrasive chemical products can irritate the skin.

Natural Treatments

Retinol has become quite the hype in skincare and it can also be used to treat dark spots on your face. Retin-A, a product of retinol, is derived from Vitamin A and what makes it effective is that it speeds up skin cell turnover, eliminating those pigmented skin cells. However, you should only use it in the evenings as it makes your skin more sensitive to the sun. You might encounter increased skin sensitivity, dryness or peeling. For some people, Retin-A is too harsh and can cause more of these side-effects, so it’s not for everyone.

Although some people still focus on chemical skin lighteners, thinking these are more effective and work faster, natural skin-lightening ingredients are just as powerful when treating pigmentation on your face. There are homemade recipes you can find on the internet that work, but these take longer to give you results. The better option is to choose natural skin-lightening creams that have been formulated by experts.

A good idea is to choose a skin cream that contains a blend of natural skin-lightening ingredients, such as lemon extract, green tea extract, and kojic acid, to nourish and clear your skin of pigmentation without the negative side-effects! You can find this blend in products such as Skin Soho Facial Lightening Parfait that feels luxurious on your skin while successfully treating your pigmentation problems. Use of these natural creams is also practical as they are not invasive and easily form part of your daily skincare routine.

There are many ways to treat pigmentation on your face but it’s important to be gentle with your skin. Caring for it with natural ingredients is the best way to eliminate discoloration while ensuring your skin is radiant with health.

The Most Common Causes of Skin Pigmentation Disorders

Pigmentation has different causes, but it doesn’t have to be shrouded in mystery. Although you might fear that pigmentation is difficult to treat, understanding its common causes can help you heal your skin with the right solutions - in a quick and stress-free way.

What Causes Pigmentation?

Sun Exposure

Melasma is a darkening of the skin and commonly occurs on the face. It happens when pigmentation is not produced evenly, so it shows up as patches of brown or black. Melasma can be caused by hormonal imbalances which occur during pregnancy (this is why melasma is called “the mask of pregnancy”), but the main cause of melasma is sun exposure. When your skin is under the sun’s rays, it accelerates its melanin production, causing these patches to occur.  

Acne or Pimples

A bad bout of acne can cause hyperpigmentation on your skin in the form of darker spots. These tend to be red or purple-toned in color and they show up at the site of the pimple. They can take longer to leave your skin because the pimples have irritated and damaged it. Be careful of beauty procedures such as laser treatments or chemical peels as these can also irritate sensitive skin, causing this post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation to occur. 

Nutrient Deficiencies

You need to eat certain foods in order to keep your skin healthy and strong. A nutrient that is really important for your skin is Vitamin B12, found in supplements or animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs. Not getting enough Vitamin B12 can lead to pigmentation. When your body gets Vitamin B12 every day, this nutrient interacts with other B-vitamins so that pigmentation production is regulated and your skin can look healthy.

How to Treat Your Pigmentation

Stay out of the sun. Since the sun boosts the production of melanin, you want to cover up your skin as much as possible whenever you step outside. Wear hats, sunglasses and always rub on sunscreen. It should be a broad spectrum product that will block both UVA and UVB rays.

Reverse sun damage. Yes, you don’t have to be stuck with sun damage! Use a skin lightening cream that infuses your skin with nutrients that repair it, such as aloe. Natural skin lightening creams are great for treating pigmentation because they contain botanical ingredients that clear up the skin without harsh chemicals that can be damaging.

If you suffer from acne, make sure you treat your skin to regular exfoliation. This will help to slough away dead skin where pigmentation accumulates. You should use salicylic acid in your skin products that will treat pimples, and it’s worthwhile to use skin lightening products that contain salicylic acid because you will be preventing and treating pimples while giving your skin a boost of luminosity, all in one product!

Get enough Vitamin B12! You should aim for 2.4mcg a day to keep your skin healthy and pigmentation-free. This amount is the equivalent of just over two cups of milk, so it is easy to achieve. Remember to eat a diet that’s rich in vitamins so that the Vitamin B12 will work with other nutrients to give you bright and clear skin.

Pigmentation can be a stressful skin disorder but there are many successful ways in which to treat it, no matter its cause. Follow the above tips to erase pigmentation and flaunt healthy, gorgeous skin!

How to Fade Age Spots on Your Face

Age spots on your face are not always a result of the aging process. In fact, even younger people get them! Even if age spots aren’t from aging, they can make your skin look older. Here is what you need to know about age spots and how to send them away for good:

What Makes Age Spots Develop?

Age spots show up on the skin as a result of melanin. When you spend lots of time in the sun or in a tanning bed, this boosts the skin’s melanin production, making pigmentation show up on your skin. Age spots look like a small brown or black spots; they might appear on their own or in a group. Sometimes they’re referred to as liver spots even though they don’t have anything to do with the liver.

Common Sites for Age Spots

Since age spots are caused by UV exposure, they tend to show up on areas of your skin that are exposed to the sun the most. Age spots are so common on your face because your face tends to be in the sun the most. But you should protect your whole body against age spots, especially if you spend time outdoors.

There are many ways to hide and treat age spots, as well as prevent new ones from appearing.

Cover Them Up

You can send age spots temporarily hiding by using makeup. Use concealer on the age spots in a color that will treat them effectively. If your age spots are a bit yellow, you should use a lilac or pale green concealer. If they’re darker, a more red-based concealer works well. Blend the concealer well and finish off with powder to keep the spots hidden all day long.

Exfoliate Your Skin!

This can help to lighten and perhaps even completely remove age spots. Exfoliation strips away the top layer of your skin where melanin accumulates. A gentle scrub used twice a week will help to treat your pigmentation while also making your skin smooth and moisturized so it looks healthier.

Get Retinol in Your Night Cream

Retinol is not just a great anti-ageing ingredient that should be in your moisturizer or whitening cream, but it also helps to increase skin cell turnover. This means that it replaces dead, pigmented cells with new, bright ones. Make sure you use it in a night cream so that your skin can heal itself while you sleep!

Use Skin Whitening Products

A skin whitening product is a more long-term solution to keeping age spots out of the picture. It  should contain natural lightening agents, such as Vitamin C, aloe and kojic acid, that will not only eliminate the spots but prevent melanin from being produced in future. This gets to the root of the discoloration problem. A skin lightening product will also brighten your skin all over which will give you a lovely even tone.

Bring Your Sunscreen - Every Time

No matter what treatments you use for age spots on your face, it’s important to use sunscreen religiously to block both UVA and UVB rays so you gain maximum protection. Sunscreen will ensure that you maintain your clear skin results and prevent future age spots from occurring.

If you have age spots, you should make important changes to your skincare routine to keep them out of sight and prevent them from returning. Just because age spots look stubborn, it doesn’t mean that they can’t be eliminated in favor of clear, bright skin. Follow the above tips to bid them farewell!

Skin Lightening Products that Improve Your Skin

Skin lightening products have come a long way. Not just used to lighten your skin, they also have  a variety of other benefits. In fact, using skin lightening products even if you’re happy with your skin tone can boost the health and overall quality of your complexion. Here are ways in which they can improve your skin!

It’s worth noting that skin lightening products do not come standard. There are chemical and natural ones. Choosing natural-based products with the right ingredients for your specific skin is a must so that you get the results you want without harming your skin with toxins.

The Problem: Dry, Dull Skin

When your skin is very dry, it not only enhances fine lines but makes your complexion dull. You might think you need heavy moisturizer, but this is not enough to make your skin soft and bright. What you need is to exfoliate so that you get rid of all the dry surface skin to reveal softer, healthier skin cells.

A natural skin lightening product that contains exfoliating ingredients is wonderful because it gently scrubs your skin while boosting its brightness. Try Original Sepiwhite Lightening Bar that contains exfoliating ingredients such as calendula and tamarind extract so you can slough your skin to radiance.

The Problem: Acne-Prone Skin

Having skin that is accustomed to acne means that your skincare routine should be as gentle as possible. Anything too rough can cause irritation and breakouts. In addition, you should choose a natural skin lightening product that will help to make your acne-prone skin softer and more radiant - this is especially important because acne creams can dry out your skin.

Skin Soho Cocktail Serum Facial Lighten has been made with acne-prone, oily skin in mind. It is a light moisturizer that doesn’t clog the pores and is filled with lightening ingredients such as aloe to boost your glow.

The Problem: Dark Patches

Treating dark patches on your skin is a common reason why people use skin lightening products but it’s sadly also a reason why they might rush out to buy strong chemical-based whitening products. Interestingly, dark patches can be caused from chemicals, so you don’t want to worsen the problem! There are natural ingredients that work effectively to treat your dark patches without causing you to have to resort to anything too harsh.

Kojic acid is a great alternative to chemical skin lightening but you can increase its effectiveness on discoloration by combining it with other natural skin lightening ingredients. Sepiwhite Face Whitening and Rejuvenating Fluid contains a blend of skin lightening ingredients such as kojic acid, aloe and bilberry extract, to nourish your skin and eliminate dark patches.

The Problem: Sun Damage From a Tan

UV exposure is poison to skin. Besides causing skin cancer, it breaks down collagen, makes skin look red and irritated, and boosts the skin’s production of melanin. The result is skin that looks old and damaged. A skin lightening product can remove your tan if you have one and nourish your skin with antioxidants that repair sun damage. These include Vitamin C which is a natural skin lightening ingredient that also stimulates collagen production so that skin looks younger and healthier. Aloe is another important ingredient when removing a tan and the damage it causes. Aloe soothes and moisturizes skin so that it can glow naturally. You can find both aloe and Vitamin C in Enhanced Sepiwhite Suntan Reducing Cream.

The Problem: You Want Radiance Without Makeup

Even if you don’t have a skin problem, a skin lightening product can be a great part of your daily skincare routine because it will give you natural radiance. So, instead of reaching for your makeup highlighters and trying to master contouring, you can have radiance that’s easier and longer-lasting. To achieve this, use a product such as Skin Soho White Tea Lightening Gelee that contains botanical ingredients and luxurious moisturizers to give you a glowing skin tone in a flash. 

Adding a skin lightening product to your beauty routine is a great way to help you deal with various skin conditions as well as revitalize your skin so it’s the healthiest and most radiant it has ever been!

Home Remedies for Dry Patches on Face

Dry skin is frustrating! You can lather moisturizer onto it every day but it never seems to look smooth and lustrous. When you wear makeup, it flakes because of the dryness you can’t seem to shift and your skin tends to look dull. The good news is that you can easily and successfully treat dry patches at home.

What Causes Dry Skin?

Before you can treat the dry patches on your face, you need to know what causes them. The most common causes of dry skin include:

• Harsh skincare products. If you are using soaps and cleanses that are filled with chemicals or that you use too roughly on your skin, this can lead to irritation in the form of dry patches.
• Washing your skin with hot water. It feels great and soothing to use hot water, but it isn’t good for your skin. This is because hot water zaps your skin’s natural oils that keep it smooth and moisturized. 
• Sun exposure can have a drying effect on your skin because the UV rays damage the skin’s collagen, the structures which keep your skin springy and soft.
  
• The natural ageing process. The older we get, the more our hormone levels change, causing dry or thin skin.

How to Treat Dry Patches

Now that you have a better idea of what’s causing those annoying dry patches, get moisturized skin with these tips:

• Choose mild and nourishing skincare products. These are kinder to your skin and make it look smooth. You should also try to use homemade ingredients for face masks and scrubs as this will prevent you from using too many chemicals on your skin. A simple nourishing DIY face mask can work wonders to invigorate and soften your skin from head to toe. Mix together a teaspoon of baby oil and two tablespoons of mayonnaise. Apply it to your face and body and sit with it for 20 minutes before rinsing it off. Both ingredients have a softening effect for the skin.
  

• Wash your skin with lukewarm water. This will prevent your skin from drying out. You should also moisturize with water-rich foods that you can topically apply to keep your skin hydrated. Cucumber is high in water content and when you mix four tablespoons of mashed cucumbers with two tablespoons of sour cream, you get a revitalizing and moisturizing recipe. Leave it on your skin for 20 minutes before washing it off.
• Be diligent about wearing sunscreen every time you expose your skin to the sun. You should also try this recipe to repair dry patches and heal sun damage if you’re guilty of UV exposure: mix together two tablespoons of bentonite clay powder, five drops of rose otto essential oil, three tablespoons of hot green tea, one teaspoon of baobab oil, and 28 drops of lavender essential oil. Apply the blend to your face and sit with it for about 15 minutes before washing it off. It’s a great mask for fighting free radical damage while maintaining your skin’s natural oils that keep it smooth and healthy.

• Treat age-related skin dryness by exfoliating regularly. Make a skin scrub with delicious ingredients such as oatmeal and yogurt. Mix them together and leave them on for 20 minutes. Your skin will glow and look youthful because oatmeal scrubs your skin while yogurt contains lactic acid to keep wrinkles at bay. You can also exfoliate your skin with a skin brightening product containing lactic acid. This has the effect of making your skin softer and more radiant in one easy daily routine.

Having softer, beautifully moisturized skin is an important part of a healthy complexion. Treat your skin to these luxurious home remedies and say farewell to dry patches on your face!

Top Five Natural Skin Discoloration Treatments

Want to lighten your skin to look better or simple even out patches of discoloration? Whatever your reason, it’s really important to focus on natural skin discoloration treatments. These not only give you lightening results, but they also nourish your skin in the process.

There are many types of skin discoloration treatments out there, such as chemical and laser peels. Lasers can be convenient because they minimize inflammation. However, one of the problems with these treatments is that there’s no guarantee they will remove discoloration. In addition, they may not even ensure clearer, even skin forever. You will still have to take care of your skin in order to reduce and prevent darker spots in future.

Natural ingredients are more convenient and should be a part of your healthy skincare routine anyway. Here are five worth trying!

1. Vitamin C

Eating enough Vitamin C is important! This skin-savvy nutrient boosts collagen production so your skin remains firm and youthful, while also working as a natural skin lightener. Go one step further than just eating Vitamin C by applying it to your skin. You can try this by applying lemon juice to areas of discoloration or by using a skin-lightening product that contains Vitamin C.

2. Aloe Vera

Aloe often features in skin moisturizers because it is so hydrating and softening, but did you know that it also great for lightening your skin? It’s especially beneficial if you have dark scars that you would like to eliminate. Aloe bleaches skin using antioxidants that keep it healthy. All you need to do is apply some aloe vera gel onto your scars when you go to bed and you’ll see how nicely they fade away. Or, choose aloe in skin lightening products to fight scars for a scientifically-formulated solution that reveals evenly-toned and glorious skin.

3. Glycolic Acid

When dealing with melasma, or patches of discoloration on your skin, your dermatologist might suggest a chemical peel containing alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) such as glycolic acid to deeply exfoliate your skin. By removing that top layer of skin, you can also successfully remove surface pigmentation. Glycolic acid is derived from sugar cane and is great for fast exfoliation. You can make your own exfoliating face mask with organic sugar, lemon and raw honey, or find it in nourishing skin lightening products. When used in smaller doses such as these, glycolic acid is gentler on your skin while still being an effective skin discoloration treatment.

4. Arbutin

Arbutin, derived from the bearberry plant, is now a popular skin discoloration treatment. It’s also great when you want to achieve brighter skin. How it works is that arbutin prevents the skin from producing melanin. Arbutin is useful for sensitive skin because it is not as irritating as chemical lighteners, so if you are saddled with both dull, uneven skin and skin that gets irritated easily, then it’s a valuable choice.

5. Kojic Acid

This acid is actually a natural ingredient that occurs from fungi. Like some of the other whitening ingredients, kojic acid also blocks melanin, thus preventing pigmentation. A good idea is to look for it in skin whitening creams. Sometimes kojic acid can be a skin irritant, but when it is scientifically formulated and the cream contains other soothing ingredients, then this minimizes possible side-effects. The result is clear and lustrous skin.

Lighter skin doesn’t always mean a trip to the dermatologist for an invasive treatment. There are many natural ingredients known for their skin whitening properties that will give you great results with less hassle.

The Best Ways to Lighten Skin: Should You Choose a Cream or Treatment?

If you want to achieve a lighter, more radiant skin tone, you might not know where to start. There are so many products and methods out there that figuring out which one to try can be overwhelming. A cream can be a simple solution to many pigmentation issues, but deep treatment can see lasting results.

Read on to discover the best way to lighten skin in a safe and quick way!

DIY: Should You Try It?

There are loads of do-it-yourself recipes that promise lighter skin. What makes them so appealing is their convenience: you simply mix together some ingredients in your kitchen and apply them to your skin. As with any other skin lightening method, some ingredients that work better than others.

Since it is rich in Vitamin C, lemon is a natural skin brightening agent and can be applied to discoloured areas of the skin to clear them up. Another ingredient to consider is turmeric. This spice contains curcumin, which is a melanin regulator. Using curcumin on your skin will even it out and make it brighter.

The benefit of using homemade ingredients to lighten skin is that they are natural, but they take longer to work. Being patient with your skin lightening efforts is not always easy when you want results to show!

Creams that Lighten Skin

For faster skin lightening, science comes to the rescue. Scientifically-formulated skin-lightening products have stronger whitening ingredients. Some of them contain chemicals that can actually make your skin darker or discoloured while also being dangerous to your general health, so you need to tread carefully. You should look for products that contain natural, botanical ingredients, are gentle on your skin; and scientifically formulated to give you skin lightening success.

There are different types of skin lightening products, depending on your skin’s needs. You need to take these into consideration for the best outcome.

• If your skin is in need of general brightening, a product containing an exfoliating ingredient such as oats or sugar will prove most useful to slough away dead skin on the surface that often contains discoloration. A great product to try is Sepiwhite Lightening Bar that replaces your daily soap bar to replenish and exfoliate your skin.
• If your skin has patches of discoloration or you want to get a lighter complexion, you need more intense whitening agents. You should start out with a mild or ‘regular strength  product, such as Sepiwhite Facial Lightening Cream Regular Strength that is formulated to be gentle on sensitive skin.
• If you want greater lightening results after using one with regular strength for a few weeks, move onto a stronger product, such as Pre-Whiten Face Penetrate Maximum Strength. This product deeply penetrates the skin’s layers to give you faster whitening while nourishing your skin with antioxidants. Starting slow is important to allow your skin to adjust and open up to the whitening process.

Treatments that Lighten Skin

There are two popular ways your dermatologist can lighten your skin: with chemical peels and laser treatment.  

• Since chemical peels deeply exfoliate the skin with ingredients such as Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs), they can help to eradicate any discoloration or dead skin. The drawback is that the treatment is invasive, resulting in redness and flakiness that can cause you to want to hibernate at home until it clears up (usually within a week). There are also other side-effects that can occur, such as skin infections, scarring, or skin tone changes.
  
• Laser treatments whiten your skin with the use of chemicals that reduce melanin. They might seem appealing because they can give you all-over lightening while the laser can target darker spots on the skin. Although laser treatments are fast, there are side effects that could occur for up to two weeks after a session, such as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, skin flakiness, and blisters.

Which Skin Lightening is Best?

Although invasive skin treatments can give you results, often skin lightening can be successfully achieved with just the use of creams. Research shows that bleaching agents which are topically applied to skin are still the most successful when it comes to skin lightening. Natural creams make use of whitening ingredients such as arbutin or koji berry extracts. These are increasing in popularity and are known to be successful skin lighteners.

As you can see, there are many ways to achieve a more radiant, even complexion. However, to lighten your skin in a healthy and effective way, choosing a skin cream is your healthiest and most effective option.

Causes and Treatment for a White Spot on Skin

When you hear of pigmentation and skin spots, you might imagine marks on your skin that are darker than your skin tone. But spots can also be lighter in colour, which is commonly referred to as “white spots.”

What causes white spots to appear on your skin? Here’s what you need to know about where they come from and how to eliminate them.

Common Causes of White Spots  

Fungus. If you live in a humid region, white spots could be a result of fungus called tinea versicolor. Everyone has yeast that grows on their skin but humidity stimulates its growth. If tinea versicolor is the culprit of your white spots, they will most likely be dry, flaky and sometimes itchy. Your doctor will prescribe you a cream to eliminate it but you can also self-treat with a cream containing sulfur or selenium. It’s important to stay out of the sun to give your skin a chance to heal as UV exposure can make the white patches more pronounced.

Ageing. Another cause of white spots is from natural ageing. These spots, known as asidiopathic guttate hypomelanosis, are flat and up to five millimetres in diameter. However, sun exposure can make them worse and you’ll tend to see them appear in areas that receive lots of exposure to the rays such as your hands, shoulders and face.

UV Exposure. Brown spots on your skin are commonly caused by exposure to the sun, which accelerates melanin production. Interestingly, a white spot on skin can also be attributed to sun exposure. However, instead of making melanin, the skin stops producing melanin altogether in this area of skin due to sun damage. The result is a paler, white spot (or group of spots) known as hypopigmentation.

Autoimmune Conditions. Don’t confuse white spots with a condition known as vitiligo. This is when your body stops producing melanocytes, due to an autoimmune disease, causing white spots to appear. These could spread to larger patches affecting your entire body. Treating vitiligo includes the use of creams and sunscreen to protect the skin from further damage as well as evening out your skin tone. However, it’s wise to consult with your doctor who might also prescribe topical corticosteroid creams and immunomodulators that will regulate the body’s immune system.

Treatment: Should You Get a Tan?

If you have some white spots on your skin, you might assume the best way to deal with them is to get a tan to make every part of your skin the same shade. But this isn’t going to help. Instead, tanning will make the problem worse! Since your skin isn’t producing any melanin, it won’t be able to tan. You will be left with an even bigger contrast between your tanned skin and the white spots. In addition, getting a tan damages your skin, so it's not worth the risk.

Treatment: Lighten Up Your Skin

A better option is to lighten your skin so that you can create less contrast between the white spots and the rest of your skin. This is also great for removing any darker spots that can sometimes be present, too. Skin whitening creams give you a brighter, even tone that will make your skin look much healthier all over.

Of course, to keep it that way, you should always wear sunscreen. This is important when lightening your skin because skin whitening creams often contain melanin-blockers, such as soy and liquorice, that inhibit melanin so your skin becomes more susceptible to the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Treatment: Top up on Vitamin B

Sometimes a vitamin deficiency can cause white spots to appear on your skin. This is especially the case if you’re lacking Vitamin B12. Therefore, it’s important to eat a diet that is rich in B12, such as fortified cereals, dairy and meat. Since Vitamin B12 is only found in animal sources, you need to ask your doctor about a supplement if you are vegan.  

There are many reasons for a white spot on skin but you can treat spots by spending less time in the sun and paying attention to your diet. Lightening creams are a great treatment to even out your skin tone and replenish your beautiful complexion.  

How to Choose the Best Dark Spot Remover

Having a dark spot or two on your face is never fun. It makes you feel self-conscious, unconfident and less gorgeous than you’d like. Although hiding the discoloration with some foundation and concealer can be a short-term solution, it’s never guaranteed to stay put. Plus, you want your skin to look good without any extra help! That’s why you need a dark spot remover. Here’s how to choose the perfect one for your needs.

Look for Vitamin C

While you always have Vitamin C in your diet, such as in the form of red bell peppers or grapefruit, bear this in mind: Vitamin C is much more effective at zapping dark spots when applied to the skin topically! When it comes to clearing up discoloration, Vitamin C is the antioxidant that should be in your skincare arsenal because it’s an effective skin lightening ingredient. However, it also gives you another bonus: firmer skin. Vitamin C stimulates collagen production so your skin remains youthful. Choose Vitamin C-packed products if you want to get youth-boosting and lightening results in one go.

A product that contains Vitamin C as well as other nourishing and lightening ingredients will gently but effectively erase your dark spots so that you can unleash your brightness to the world.

Consider a Peel

Sometimes, the pigment that’s causing dark spots on your skin is lingering in the surface layer. Getting rid of the pigmentation with exfoliation, such as a chemical peel, will eradicate it after a few sessions. Peels can sometimes be annoying, though, because you have to wait a few days after the treatment to get rid of any flakiness or redness (you might look sunburnt for a while). In addition, peels are not a good choice for darker skin types as it can lead to a temporary or permanent increase of pigmentation.

An alternative to peels is to choose a dark spot remover with exfoliating ingredients, so you get both exfoliating and lightening in one treatment. Great exfoliating ingredients include oats, walnut shells, and glycolic acid which is a common ingredient in chemical peels.

Try a Natural Ingredient

You don’t have to search for long on the internet to find skin whitening recipes you can make yourself that will eliminate dark spots on your skin. A really easy recipe is with aloe vera extracts and rosewater. Place both in a container and mix them well before applying the blend to your face. Sit with it for approximately 20 minutes.

The only catch when using homemade recipes to lighten your dark spots is that you have to be patient. Results might take weeks to show. An alternative is to choose a skin lightening product that contains the natural ingredient you’re interested in, such as aloe. The blend of nature with scientific formulation will make your skin clearer within a few days.

Stock up on Sunscreen

While you’re finding the perfect product to remove your dark spots, bear in mind that you need to wear sunscreen every day. There are many reasons for this:

• Skin whitening treatments and products remove melanin in the skin. Although this is good to prevent discoloration, it also means your skin’s natural defense against the sun is removed - not a good thing! It’s important to protect your skin with a broad spectrum sunscreen.

• In addition, sunscreen helps not only to protect your skin against discoloration (and skin cancer), but if you already have discoloration it will prevent it from getting worse or appearing in a different area of your skin. Always make sure you finish off your whitening process with a slathering of sunscreen.

There are many effective choices for eradicating dark spots on your skin. The key is to stick to a treatment and avoid abrasive ingredients that can damage your skin!

You Are Probably Making These Mistakes When Treating Darks Spots On Skin

So, you’ve started to notice dark spots? On skin, these unflattering flat, light brown clumps, also called age or liver spots, can be a nuisance even if your doctor has assured you there is nothing to worry about.

You’ve tried topical creams, skin bleaches and even dermabrasion. No matter what you try, they don’t seem to get any lighter. You’re not alone. Many people make the same mistakes when undergoing treatment for dark spots.

Are you giving up on a treatment too fast?

There may come a point when an approach to treating dark spots on skin just isn’t working for you. You have to know when to switch gears, but that day is a lot further off than you might think. Most treatments actually need months before they start to produce results. Even laser treatments and freezing take several appointments. Remember, you’re trying to undo years of sun damage, so unless you’re having a reaction to your treatment, stick with it.

Are you trying too many treatments at once?

Piling on different treatments in the attempt to speed up the lightening process can have the opposite effect. Several dark spot treatments can be irritating to the skin on their own, so doubling or tripling up can cause inflammation. Be patient and let the treatment do its work. If you do decide to try more than one, incorporate the new treatment slowly and monitor your skin’s reaction.

Are you being consistent?

Whatever treatment you pick, you need to be doing it regularly. UV rays will continue to penetrate your skin, which becomes more sensitive to damage as you age. The longer you delay active, consistent treatment, the more damage you’ll have to undo.

Are you thinking about prevention?

You may think that the appearance of dark spots on skin means the damage has been done, so why bother with sunscreen? Sunscreen actually becomes more important after you start to see UV damage because damaged skin is more susceptible to a range of issues. Even if you’re treating your dark spots effectively, not using SPF will undo all your hard work.

Are you exfoliating?

And, for that matter, are you taking care of your skin in general? Overall skin health is crucial to lightening dark spots on skin. Wash your face regularly and use a moisturizer if your skin feels dry. Exfoliating with a light acid, like glycolic or salicylic, twice a week will slough off dead skin cells and help topical creams penetrate the epidermis to the damaged area.

Make sure you drink enough water, get enough sleep, eat right and exercise while you’re at it. Holistic health is essential to seeing improvements in your skin!

Resolution Solution: How To Get Rid Of Liver Spots in 2016

Now that the ball has dropped and the champagne flutes are put away, it’s time to fulfill that New Year’s resolution of finally getting rid of pesky liver spots!

Despite the name, your midnight toast isn’t to blame for liver spots. The flat, darkened patches of skin are actually caused by years of UV exposure, which is why they often affect people over 40 and appear most often on hands, feet, face or shoulders.

Liver spots aren’t medically dangerous, but you should see a doctor if spots have an irregular shape, change shape, or are accompanied by tenderness or bleeding. Since liver spots develop over many years, they aren’t going to go away overnight. Commit to regular treatment and don’t be disheartened if you don’t see results right away.

Here are some general tips for getting rid of liver spots this year:

Wear Sunscreen

The first step to treating liver spots is to prevent any more from popping up. Apply sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher, to any exposed skin each day and reapply several times throughout the day. Wear UV-blocking sunglasses to protect the sensitive skin around your eyes and long sleeves whenever possible. UV rays can even damage your skin during the winter or on cloudy days, so make sunscreen a part of your daily routine year round.

See a Dermatologist

Liver spots are a signal of damage to your top layer of skin, or epidermis, so your treatment has to penetrate the entire layer to be effective. A dermatologist will be able to use medication, dermabrasion, chemical peels, laser pulse treatment or freezing to remove the damaged area quickly and safely.

Creams and Skin Care Products

Topical creams are a less expensive option if trips to the doctor’s office aren’t in your schedule or budget. Luckily, there are plenty of options from high-end anti-aging creams to drugstore brands. Hydroquinone is a potent bleaching agent that is available as either a prescription or over the counter, but it may irritate your skin. Fendel Skincare offers a line of skincare products without harsh chemicals.

Try a combination of spot treatment and all-over brighteners containing retinol, kojic acid, licorice extract, vitamin C and alpha-arbutin. It also wouldn’t hurt to exfoliate regularly with a glycolic or salicylic acid. Removing a layer of dead skin cells allows the treatment to penetrate your skin while giving you a little extra glow.

Home Remedies

Liver spots can also be treated right out of your kitchen cabinet. A combination of apple cider vinegar and onion juice applied to the skin for 30 minutes daily has been shown to be effective. Lemon juice is a natural lightener, but will make your skin more sensitive to the sun. More soothing options are aloe vera or castor oil, rubbed right into the spot.

When it comes to treating liver spots, remember that you’re trying to undo years of sun damage. It’s less important which treatment you choose than whether you are able to do it every day. Make it an enjoyable part of a daily self-care routine and you’ll be likely to stick with it until you get results.

Why Skin Lightening Soap is The Most Important Beauty Product to Buy in the New Year

Every now and then you might add a new skincare or beauty product to your routine, which is good to keep your skin fresh and healthy. It’s also fun to try new things. Before the New Year rolls around, spoil yourself with a skin lightening soap. Here’s how it can make you more beautiful.

You Clean and Clear Your Skin in One Go

Using a skin lightening soap instead of your regular bar when you hop in the shower will keep you clean and smelling fresh, while also cleverly clearing up any discoloration that you’re experiencing. You should look for a soap that contains natural ingredients because these can achieve both of these goals in one lather: natural lightening antioxidants and agents, such as licorice, help to brighten up your skin; while natural enzymes kill odour so you can smell and feel luxuriously clean.

It’s Gentle and Gives Your Skin TLC

The idea of being able to lighten your skin with a soap is a lovely one because it lathers into a refreshing and brightening formula. Natural skin lightening soaps are gentle on skin while cleaning it, so they’re especially great if you have sensitive skin. Whitening your skin can leave it prone to dryness, so you want a natural skin lightening soap bar that will also contain moisturizing ingredients, such as seed oils and honey. Now you can step out of the shower and feel like you’ve had a luxurious treatment at the spa.

It’s Practical and Easy to Use

What could be easier than getting skin lightening benefits from your daily soap? Lightening your skin in this way fits into your daily schedule without any effort on your part - you have to shower anyway so you might as well make it work for you by giving you glowing, soft skin! A skin lightening soap also allows you to reach all parts of your body when you shower or bathe, so you can get a gorgeous even tone easily.

It Can Exfoliate Your Skin for Extra Radiance

Some natural skin lightening soaps are also filled with ingredients that scrub your skin, eliminating dead skin cells. Regularly exfoliating your skin is important because the accumulation of dead skin can lead to dryness, dullness and it’s a hotspot where pigmentation can accumulate.

Look for exfoliating ingredients such as rice bran oil, which sloughs away dead skin while also stimulating blood circulation so that skin can glow. Another top ingredient is citrus peel extract that gently scrubs and invigorates the skin. You can find both of these exfoliating ingredients in Original Sepiwhite Lightening Bar that will make you feel pampered and luxurious.  

It Makes Skin More Receptive to Skin Whitening

If you’re just starting out with the skin lightening process, a soap is perfect for you because of how it’s gentle and easy to use. Trying it out and seeing what it does for your skin will make you feel more confident about trying other skin whitening products, such as creams. Skin lightening soaps are the perfect first step in the process of achieving brighter skin and you should team them up with creams and lotions to give you even better results.

When you’ve used a skin lightening soap and have stepped out of the shower, seal in that silky smooth and pampered feeling with a skin lightening moisturizer or body gel.

From exfoliating your skin to nourishing it with softening ingredients, a skin lightening soap has many benefits. Make your skin look and feel refreshed, smooth and vibrant. It’s a skincare must!

How Skin Bleach Can Give You Gorgeous Skin the Healthy Way

When it comes to bleaching your skin, the saying ‘No pain, no gain’ definitely does not apply. Although the idea of bleaching your skin might sound scary, dangerous and full of chemicals, it really doesn’t have to be. It can actually be a good thing for your skin.  

Here are things you should know about it before you try it.

Skin Bleach Has Medical Uses

One of the most common reasons why people consider skin bleaching is to eliminate pigmentation that arises after inflammation, such as acne. In such situations, dermatologists prescribe skin bleaching formulas to even out the skin tone and fade the discoloured area. However, skin bleaching can also be used to give you a radiant complexion that is free of dark spots, such as age spots or melasma.

Natural skin bleaching products are highly beneficial for treating a variety of dark marks on the skin, and they are especially good for preventing acne, too. When they contain pimple-busting ingredients such as salicylic acid, these creams prevent breakouts while whitening ingredients such as Vitamin C and azelaic acid help to even out your complexion.

There’s No Bleach in Skin Bleaching Products

Although it’s called “bleach”, skin bleaching doesn’t contain the bleach you have in your home. However, you can find other chemicals in these products that can be dangerous for your skin and overall health, such as mercury. Choosing natural ingredients that whiten your skin without giving you potentially risky side-effects will infuse your skin with health so it can look its best. Some of the leading natural ingredients that safely whiten and brighten your skin include azelaic acid, arbutin, kojic acid and aloe.

You Need to Follow Safe Skin Rules  

As with any product that you’re putting on your skin, you need to use it as intended so that it won’t irritate your skin. One of the problems with skin bleaching is that people are sometimes desperate to clear up their skin so they might overuse the products or not follow the package insert, which can lead to side-effects.

Another important note is that you should only use skin whitening creams on the area of the body where they are meant to be applied. Using body whitening lotions on your face, for instance, is not a good idea as the skin on your face is different to that of your body.  

Stop Sun Worshipping!

You also need to be sure that your lifestyle isn’t clashing with your skin bleaching efforts. If you are exposing your skin to the sun, this is always dangerous but it becomes even more so if you’re in the process of whitening your skin. Some ingredients, such as citrus extracts, make your skin more sensitive to the rays. In addition, the whole process of skin whitening makes you more vulnerable to the sun because it has removed melanin from the skin, which is your skin’s natural protection to UV exposure.

Natural Products Are Better Than DIY Home Remedies

Although there are many skin bleaching home remedies available on the internet, these take a long time to work. A skin bleaching product that has been formulated by experts and contains a fine blend of natural ingredients can help to speed up the whitening process without putting your skin’s health in danger. This is a much better option for you, plus it prevents you from irritating your skin with home remedies. For instance, although lemon juice is usually mentioned as a DIY way to bleach your skin, you should avoid putting it on your skin as it can irritate it with its high acid content.  

Now that you know a bit more about skin bleaching, you can focus on using safe, healthy products that will boost your skin’s health and even out your complexion.

How to Choose a Skin Whitening Cream That’s Best For You

If you’re interested in using a skin whitening cream to even out your skin tone and zap discoloration, you should choose products that are healthy, free of dangerous chemicals, and natural. But there’s more to think about before choosing the right cream: your specific skin requirements! Here are some questions to consider.

Do You Want Anti-Aging Products?

If you’re older and your focus is on choosing anti-aging skincare products, this should also be your priority when choosing a skin whitening cream. You don’t want to achieve skin that’s free of discoloration but reveals other signs of aging, such as lines or wrinkles. The great thing is that there are skin lightening creams that contain ingredients to target both pigmentation and wrinkles, so your skin is youthful in all ways.

Look for ingredients such as Vitamin C that stimulates collagen production in the skin so that it can be elastic and supple. You should also look for ingredients that nourish and moisturize your skin. When skin lacks moisture, it shows up in the form of pronounced wrinkles, so by keeping your skin hydrated you also increase your skin’s youthfulness. Top natural moisturizing ingredients include oils such as coconut and olive.

Do You Have Acne?

Pimples or acne on your skin are a sign of inflammation, so you want to treat your skin gently to prevent any irritation. That might make you want to avoid skin whitening creams, but it doesn’t have to - as long as you choose products infused with natural ingredients that take care of your skin without being harsh.

Skin whitening creams that contain acne-fighting properties can help to keep your flare-ups under control while targeting any discoloration that’s making you want to hide your face. Besides for salicylic acid which is a common and effective treatment option for acne, you can also find natural skin whitening creams that contain azelaic acid. This kills bacteria and exfoliates your skin to prevent pores from being clogged. Azelaic acid is also becoming quite popular as a natural treatment for pigmentation.

Do You Need to Boost Your Skin’s Brightness?

Dull skin is never pretty, but it doesn’t just happen. It’s often a side-effect of dryness or lack of exfoliation that causes a buildup of skin cells on the surface of skin. To combat it, you need to moisturize your skin and exfoliate it. Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) are commonly used as exfoliating ingredients in chemical peels but you can find them in skin whitening creams. Other ingredients that will tackle dryness include natural exfoliating agents, such as sugar, salt and oats. These products usually contain moisturizing ingredients, such as shea butter, so that you get brighter and softer skin in one application.

Do You Need to Get Rid of Sun Damage?

While preventing sun damage with good SPF and natural sun blockers such as shea butter is important, what happens if you already have sun-damaged skin? It might surprise you to find out that some natural skin whitening creams can help to reverse it!

You need to look for skin whitening creams containing antioxidants. These fight free radicals in the body to prevent damage, but they can also help you return to healthier skin. Antioxidants restore your skin’s beauty and wellbeing. Some of the best include:

• Vitamin E: Research has found that it makes free radicals inactive, which prevents skin damage as well as more serious conditions that can arise from free radicals such as cancer.

• Vitamin C: It’s great for getting younger skin. Studies have found that applying it to your skin daily for three months can visibly reduce wrinkles.

• Green tea extract: Studies have found that green tea hydrates skin and improves elasticity, both of which can be decreased by UV exposure.

When choosing the right skin whitening cream, make sure you spare some thought for what your skin needs as well as any skin issues you want to heal. There are so many ways skin whitening can benefit you, from increasing your skin’s youthfulness to creating a healthier complexion.

Hide Brown Spots on Your Face with Easily With Makeup

It’s disheartening to look in the mirror and see brown spots on your face, but learning some important makeup tricks can help to shift them out of sight. Here’s how to expertly send that discoloration packing.

Slough and Smooth  

After cleansing and toning your face, you should exfoliate if you haven’t done so in a week. This buffs away any dead skin containing pigmentation while helping to give you all-over brightness. Exfoliation is important to keep your skin fresh and soft, and it can also help to eliminate dark spots that are a result of a breakout.

Bring in the Vitamins

After your skin has been cleaned and exfoliated, apply a moisturizer containing a natural brightening ingredient, such as Vitamin C. This not only makes your skin more radiant but it also treats pigmentation. Moisturizer keeps your skin well hydrated so that makeup looks smoother when applied.  

Slather on the SPF

Never forget to apply SPF to your skin after moisturizing it so that it will keep your skin protected against the sun. This prevents future dark spots while also ensures that current ones won’t get worse due to UV exposure.  The sun is one of the most common causes of dark spots and skin damage, so you want to keep it out of the picture!

Apply a Primer

Now that your skin is in great condition, you can start applying makeup. Always begin with a primer. This is an important step in hiding brown spots on your face because it makes your foundation and concealer last longer on your skin, giving you greater coverage. Primer also makes your skin smoother, which will allow makeup to get applied better.

Dab, Don’t Rub

When you apply foundation to your skin, only do so to areas that need the coverage. You don’t want to cake on the foundation - a thin layer is enough. You should also dab your foundation, not rub it in. This makes it look more natural. Use a sponge to gently blend the foundation into your skin, using upward and downward motions.

Add Colour with Your Concealer

Once you’ve applied foundation, don’t worry if your spots are still showing - concealer will see to them! You might think that any concealer will do, but you have to remember that you’re dealing with spots that aren’t your natural skin tone. You therefore need a concealer that will neutralize the colour of the darker areas on your face. For instance, you should opt for one with a yellow or orange tone to target darker spots but if the spots are more on the yellow side, then a pale green or lilac concealer will work well.  

These concealer colours work to effectively cover up the spots and give you a clearer complexion. After applying them, remember to dab on some of your regular concealer and blend it in well to create an even tone.

Set it

A dusting of powder is the perfect finishing touch. You want to use a makeup puff and dip it into some translucent powder before lightly dusting it onto your skin. A puff is better than a powder brush as it won’t ruin the makeup you’ve so carefully applied. Powder is great to make your big cover-up last all day long and should always be used as a final step in your makeup routine.

Covering up brown spots on your face doesn’t have to be a difficult process. Follow the above steps to keep that discoloration under wraps while also treating your skin so that you banish it for good.

Build Up Your Skin’s Defence Against Brown Spots on Your Skin

Although discoloration on your skin is an annoying cosmetic problem, it can also signal damaged skin. In order to prevent and beat it, you have to strengthen your skin so that it can be healthier and clearer. Here are some important tips.

Throw Some Shade

The sun is not only dangerous because it can cause cancer, but it accelerates the rate at which skin ages. This is because UV rays destroy collagen, causing skin to sag and wrinkle. Sun exposure makes your skin old, but it also makes it look old by causing brown spots on your skin, such as in the form of dark patches or age spots (solar lentigines) that crop up on your face or body. When you are in the sun, your body creates more melanin so that skin can protect itself against the UV rays, and this is what produces that discoloration. Prevent it from getting worse or appearing at all by staying out of the sun.  

Prevent Vitamin Deficiencies

Not getting enough nutrients your body needs to be healthy can show up on your skin in the form of discoloration, which is why it has been said that those dark spots can actually be a sign of a deeper problem. Patches of discoloration have specifically been linked to a folic acid or amino acid deficiency. This is especially the case during pregnancy when your body requires more folic acid to be healthy - it’s like your skin warning you to top up on this crucial nutrient! By ensuring your diet is full of vitamins, you can keep discoloration at bay. The bonus is that many vitamins are also antioxidants, helping to prevent sun damage from striking.

Avoid Harsh Skin Products

When your skin is battling with an issue such as discoloration, you don’t want to irritate it as this can make the condition worse. A way in which you might create problems is by using skincare products that contain abrasive or chemical ingredients. These strip the skin and aggravate it. Make sure you avoid any products that make your skin burn or sting - this is a sign that they are too harsh. When using skin lightening products, choose natural ones that will care for your skin and help it regain its beauty rather than ones packed with chemicals that can do greater harm than good.

Skip Your Beauty Treatments

Some beauty procedures should also be placed on the backburner to prevent skin irritation or inflammation. They include:

• Waxing. Skin experiences pain during the process and can become inflamed, which can also make your skin discoloration worse. It’s better to stick to shaving as this does not put skin under so much pressure.

• Chemical peels. You might think they’re great to give you a brighter skin tone and banish pigmentation from the surface of your skin, but peels can cause irritation and redness. This can also take many days to completely heal. It’s a better idea to include exfoliation in a natural skin lightening cream so that you achieve the benefits of exfoliation without putting your skin at risk of inflammation. These creams contain glycolic acid and salicylic acid to exfoliate your skin and treat brown spots without being too tough on skin.

Don’t Ruin Your Healing Efforts!

Some products contain ingredients that make your skin more sensitive to the UV rays. An example is citrus extracts that can be found in a variety of skincare products, including some natural skin lightening creams. Although they’re great for boosting your skin’s nutrition and Vitamin C is a natural brightening ingredient, if you use these products and then spend time in the sun it can lead to a form of dermatitis that produces intense hyperpigmentation. You therefore need to be sure to look after your skin, such as by wearing sunscreen containing a high SPF number, to prevent sabotaging your goal to achieve healthier skin.

Strengthening your skin can help you to recover from, and prevent, skin issues such as discoloration. Follow these lifestyle and beauty tips to flaunt a stunning complexion.

How to Whiten Your Skin Safely So it Glows with Health

Skin whitening has become a hot topic in recent years, with many people jumping on the trend while others have sullied it by showing how dangerous it can be. If your skin is discoloured, where does this leave you? The truth of the matter is that you can lighten your skin without putting it at risk. You just need to know what products and lifestyle tips will benefit you.

Keep it Clean

Skin bleaching has become synonymous with chemicals in many people’s minds but this is a misconception. Achieving lighter, more luminous skin can actually be achieved with natural ingredients. These include aloe, lemon (or Vitamin C), arbutin, soy and kojic acid. Although such ingredients can take longer to reveal results when used in homemade skin whitening recipes, when they’re scientifically formulated by experts, they deliver faster results without exposing your skin to dirty and harmful chemicals.

These natural ingredients work even better when used together as this enhances their whitening power.

• Pre-Whiten Sepiwhite Face Penetrate: Maximum Strength is a cream that contains Vitamin C and aloe to boost your skin’s radiance while clearing away dark spots.
  
  
• Another example of a whitening cream that combines natural lightening ingredients for maximum effect is Skin Soho Facial Lightening Parfait. It contains arbutin, green tea extract, kojic acid and lemon!  

Think of Your Skin’s Future

Natural ingredients not only treat the current discoloration that you’re dealing with, but they can also provide other skin health benefits. An example is kojic acid. Since it’s an antioxidant, it protects the skin against free radical damage that can lead to or exacerbate hyperpigmentation. Another example is Vitamin C which not only lightens skin but boosts the skin’s production of collagen. This means that your skin will be more radiant and younger. Since natural ingredients are often filled with antioxidants, you’re helping your skin, not just lightening it.

Make it Healthy

People sometimes think that skin whitening is a quick-fix to get more vibrant skin, which is why they sometimes reach for chemical creams. The truth is that lightening your skin is one part of a bigger picture. Your lifestyle has to work with your skin lightening efforts for best results.

If you whiten your skin with creams but keep exposing it to the sun, you’re not going to get the results you want. The sun is a leading cause of discoloration and the most common cause of dark spots in light-skinned people. Therefore, it’s a must to use skin whitening products while protecting your skin whenever you’re outside. This is also essential because ingredients found in skin lightening creams (such as lactic and glycolic acids) can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so always lather on the sunscreen even if it’s cloudy outside as the rays can still reach you!

Exfoliate the Discoloration

Besides for natural ingredients to look for in whitening creams, you should also keep an eye out for those that exfoliate your skin. Exfoliation has so many benefits for your skin. It gets rid of dead skin so that new cells that are free of pigment can be on the surface. This also means your skin can be bright and healthy, saying goodbye to dead cells that make it look dull. Finally, by getting rid of that layer of skin, the products you apply to your skin can also better absorbed, giving your skin the nutrients it needs to be healthy.

Skin lightening creams that contain exfoliating ingredients such as lactic acid and glycolic acid help to give you these exfoliation benefits while whitening your skin. This means you can get the best of both worlds and show off a fresh, luminous complexion.

Knowing how to whiten your skin is important to achieve the luminous results you want. Choose natural, safe ingredients so you can reveal beautiful, healthy skin that’s free of discoloration.

Fade Your Scars with a Bleaching Cream

You might think that the only people who use bleaching creams are those who want to get a lighter skin tone for cosmetic reasons. This isn’t always the case, though. These days bleaching creams are being used to heal and repair skin. An example is how they can fade various types of scars.

 There many reasons why you can have a scar on your skin. When you hear the word “scar” you might immediately think of the mark leftover from a scratch or injury, but there are other types of skin markings that can also be regarded as scars because they don’t disappear completely on their own.