Tamarind for Skin Lightening – Benefits and How to Use

Tamarind for Skin Lightening – Benefits and How to Use – Taking care of our skin is important to keep it healthy. After all, healthy skin is a huge asset in itself. But skin care doesn’t always has to be expensive. Your pantry/kitchen is the best place to find solutions for every single skin problems, be it acne, dry skin, dull skin or skin darkening. Tamarind, one of the kitchen staples in Indian household, is highly beneficial for skin. It works wonder to boost our complexion naturally. Here in this article, we will tell you how to use tamarind for skin lightening. The tangy, zesty tamarind is the heart of various chutneys and curries. Along with pleasing our taste-buds, it can help us achieve great skin. The best of both world, right? Read below how to use tamarind for skin lightening.
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Why to Use Tamarind for Skin Lightening

• Tamarind is a great source of AHAs or Alpha hydroxy acids. AHAs help exfoliating our skin wonderfully, clear up the pores and keep breakouts at bay. Also they help lightening age spots, acne marks, scars and give us clear skin.
• Tamarind contains vitamin A and C, and both of them are known for skin lightening and brightening benefits. Vitamin A helps reducing spots and marks by promoting cell-regeneration process.
• Vitamin C, an anti oxidant, helps boosting collagen production in the skin, which plays a vital role in lightening spots and scars. The amino acids found in collagen help minimizing the appearances of spots, marks and scars caused by acne or other skin issues. Being an anti oxidant, Vitamin C protects our skin from free radicals caused by UV exposure. Further, this vitamin helps reducing the melanin production in our skin, which lightens hyper pigmentation, brown spots and makes the skin radiant.
• Aging can make our skin appear dull and dark. Plus, it also leads to hyper pigmentation. Being rich in anti oxidants and flavonoids, tamarind is not just a great choice for boosting our complexion, but it also helps repairing skin damages caused by premature aging of skin.
• Tamarind has wonderful anti inflammatory properties, that helps soothing skin irritation and inflammation. Tamarind is also known for its amazing wound healing properties, due to its anti microbial properties.

How to Use Tamarind for Skin Lightening?

1. Tamarind and Turmeric for Skin Lightening

How to use tamarind and turmeric for skin lightening?

Take 30 gm of tamarind and boil it in 100 ml of water until it softens. Remove from the heat and let it cool down a bit. Next, extract pulp from tamarind and mix it with a generous pinch of turmeric powder. Apply the resultant mixture all over the face as well as neck and wait for 15-20 minutes. Wash off with plain water. Reapply this face pack with tamarind and turmeric for skin lightening thrice in a week.

Why it works?

We know that turmeric has been used since ages to lighten and brighten our skin complexion. Melanin is the main factor that determines our skin color. When the melanocytes skin cells produce too much melanin, our skin becomes dark. Turmeric has the ability to control melanin production. Turmeric contains a very powerful anti oxidant, known as curcumin. Curcumin helps controlling melanin production and lighten the hyper pigmentation to improve our complexion over time.

Aging is a major factor that can cause skin pigmentation and make our skin look patchy and dull. Turmeric comes with powerful anti inflammatory as well as anti oxidant properties, that help combating premature aging of skin. Studies have confirmed that skin care products containing turmeric can significantly reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, smile lines as well as lightens pigmentation.

Sun damage is another factor that can make our skin dry, thick and cause skin darkening. Turmeric is a great remedy to fight off sun damage. Excessive UV exposure increases the production of an enzyme known as MMP-2, which damages our skin by decreasing the collagen content between skin layers. Turmeric can inhibit the production of MMP-2 enzyme and prevent skin damages as well as skin darkening caused by sun exposure.

Acne breakouts also makes our skin look uneven with ugly and stubborn acne scars. The curcumin found in turmeric has powerful anti bacterial properties, that help combating acne and also lightens acne scars. Turmeric also offers gentle exfoliation benefits that further helps with lightening spots, marks and boosts skin complexion.

Excess oil build up on the skin can make our face look dull, oily and patchy. Turmeric helps to control the oiliness of the skin. Our skin gets oily when the sebaceous glands produce too much oil. Turmeric contains fatty acids and phytosterols, that reduce the oil production by the sebaceous glands and prevents oil build up to freshen up our skin.

2. Tamarind and Yogurt for Skin Lightening

How to use tamarind and yogurt for skin lightening?

Boil some tamarind in water and extract the pulp. Take a tbsp tamarind pulp and add a tsp fresh and unflavored yogurt to that. Mix together and apply the face mask all over the face as well as neck. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes. Wash it off. Reapply this remedy with tamarind and yogurt for skin lightening twice or thrice in a week.

Why it works?

Yogurt has excellent skin bleaching properties. It helps to decrease skin discoloration and restore glowing, even toned skin. Yogurt contains lactic acid (an AHA) which exfoliates the skin and gets rid of dead skin cells and other impurities. Also lactic acid helps in lightening acne marks, age spots and other marks and scars on the skin.

Yogurt can also control melanin synthesis. We know that the presence of melanin determines our skin color. There is an enzyme known as tyrosinase, which directly influences the melanin production. Yogurt has the ability to inhibit the production of tyrosinase enzyme, thus reducing melanin secretion and making our skin radiant.

Yogurt is rich in B vitamins, which are known for their ability to improve our skin texture as well as color. It contains vitamin, B2, B5 and B12. Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, helps with skin hydration and glow. It also boosts healthy cell growth and regeneration, thus contributing to skin lightening. It has anti oxidant benefits as well, that protect our skin cells from oxidative damage by free radicals and prevents skin darkening.

Vitamin B5 in yogurt helps with manufacturing of healthy fats in skin cells, which further helps to brighten dull skin and lighten acne scars as well as dark spots. Vitamin B12 in yogurt also helps with lightening skin discoloration. Along with these vitamins, yogurt contains several minerals, such as zinc, calcium, etc. that help with skin lightening.

Acne and acne marks make our skin look dull and patchy. Zinc comes with anti inflammatory properties, that helps combating acne and lighten acne scars. This mineral is also necessary for healthy cell reproduction and tissue growth, that help improving complexion. Zinc can also prevent oil build up on the skin, thus making our face look fresh and glowing.

Dryness of the skin also causes skin darkening. Yogurt contains calcium, which is a vital mineral to achieve smooth, soft and supple skin. The epidermis layer of our skin contains a high amount of calcium. It helps preventing dry and rough skin as well as facilitates skin renewal process, thus making our skin healthy and radiant.

3. Tamarind and Papaya for Skin Lightening

How to use tamarind and papaya for skin lightening?

Prepare tamarind pulp by soaking some tamarind in warm water until it softens. Extract the pulp and separate the seeds and the skin. Take few ripe papaya cubes and blend them to prepare papaya pulp. Mix together a tsp each of tamarind pulp and papaya pulp. Apply the mixture all over the face and neck. Massage gently with your fingertips. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes and wash off. Do follow this DIY treatment with tamarind and papaya for skin lightening twice weekly.

Why it works?

Papaya works great for skin lightening. Papaya is a source of papain, a special enzyme, that helps with skin cell regeneration by providing excellent natural exfoliation. Through exfoliation, it lightens marks, scars and other skin pigmentation to boost our complexion.

Papain comes with anti inflammatory properties which help treating skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, eczema etc. It also treats dry skin to help us achieve soft and bright skin. Papaya contains potassium, a vital mineral for our skin. Potassium helps to hydrate and moisturize dry skin. Furthermore, it has vitamin A, the most important vitamin to get relief from dry skin. Vitamin A helps to increase sebum production and heals dry, flaky skin. Vitamin A also helps to reduce the appearances of dark spots and acne scars.

Papaya contains alpha hydroxy acids or AHAs. Together with papain, they help exfoliating the skin and break down the bonds between dead cells. This helps with easy removal of dead skin cells and makes the skin soft and radiant.

Aging is another factor responsible for skin pigmentation. Vitamin A in papaya helps reducing the appearance of wrinkles and lines. Papaya is a good source of vitamin C, which has anti oxidant properties to help fighting off skin aging. It boosts collagen level in the skin to restore plump, healthy skin. Improved collagen content further boosts skin elasticity and firmness and the amino acids present in collagen lighten the appearance of marks, scars etc.

Papaya contains lycopene, which has anti oxidant benefits. It fights off the free radicals and protects our skin from  UV damage. The beta carotene content in papaya can boost skin cell regeneration and leads to healthy, spotless skin.

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4. Tamarind, Gram Flour and Raw Honey for Skin Lightening

How to use tamarind, gram flour and raw honey for skin lightening?

Take a tsp each of tamarind pulp and raw honey in a bowl. Add some gram flour to that. Mix together and prepare a paste. Apply it evenly all over the face as well as neck and wait for 15-20 minutes. Wash it off. Reapply this remedy with tamarind for skin lightening 2-3 times weekly.

Why it works?

Gram Flour –

Maintaining the ideal pH level is the secret to healthy and brighter complexion. Gram flour, with its alkalizing properties, helps to maintain the acid-alkali balance of the skin, thus keeping skin healthy and beautiful.

Gram flour has excellent absorbing benefits, which help to soak up the excess oil present on the skin. It helps keeping the skin oil-free and fresh.

Dirt, dead skin cells and toxins build up on the skin can lead to skin discoloration. Gram flour has great cleansing benefits for our skin. It exfoliates and deeply cleanses the skin to remove deep rooted impurities and makes skin clear, soft and radiant. Through exfoliation, it also helps with healthy cell regeneration, that results in bright and fair skin.

Besan or gram flour is very effective closing the open pores on the skin. Open pores, as we know, is the root cause of many skin problems, including acne. By closing the pores, gram flour protects our skin from acne as well as acne marks, and make it look smooth and fair.

Raw Honey –

Raw honey works as a natural bleach for our skin. Honey, when applied on the skin and kept on for some time, can release hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide has natural bleaching properties that helps lightening dark spots, acne scars, etc. This way it improves our complexion.

Honey deeply cleanses our skin. It contains various natural enzymes and AHA (Gluconic acid) that work together to exfoliate our skin and boosts our complexion by removing the dead skin cells and other impurities. Honey is a great source of vitamins and minerals. It contains vitamin B1, vitamin B3, vitamin B2, vitamin B5, vitamin B6 as well as minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, etc.

Honey penetrates the skin deeply and nourishes the skin cells with its vitamin and mineral contents. This helps to repair the damaged skin cells and restore glowing and even toned skin. Along with vitamins and minerals, honey contains anti oxidants as well. These anti oxidants also help to lighten our complexion by protecting the skin from oxidative damage as well as environmental damage.

UV exposure darkens our skin tone and honey is highly effective in treating sun damaged skin. It enhances our skin’s ability to rejuvenate itself. This further helps to lighten sun tan and restore healthy skin.

Acne, as well as acne scars also make our skin look patchy and dull. Honey, with its anti bacterial as well as anti septic properties, fights off acne and helps to get blemish free, healthy skin.

5. Tamarind and Lemon Juice for Skin Lightening

How to use tamarind and lemon juice for skin lightening?

Prepare some tamarind pulp and add a tsp diluted lemon juice to that. Mix together and apply the resultant mixture all over the face as well as neck. Leave it on 10-15 minutes and wash off. Reapply this face pack with tamarind and lemon juice for skin lightening twice weekly.

Why it works?

Lemon juice has wonderful skin lightening properties. It is rich in vitamin C, which helps to improve our skin tone. Also, lemon juice contains high amount of citric acid that plays a vital role in lightening our skin tone. The dead skin cells, dirt and other impurities often accumulate on the top layer of the skin making it look dark and patchy.

Citric acid deeply exfoliates the skin and removes the impurities from the top layer of the skin and makes skin clearer and brighter. Through exfoliation, citric acid also helps to boost skin’s cell regeneration process, which in turn enhances our complexion.

Vitamin C is a powerful anti oxidant. It can neutralize the effects of free radicals and protect our skin from various damages. It helps to reverse the damage caused by UV exposure and other environmental factors that cause skin darkening.

Vitamin C also improves skin’s natural re-generation process. This further helps our body to repair the damaged skin cells and thus, keeping our skin healthy. Vitamin C helps boosting collagen production in the skin, which plays a vital role in lightening spots and scars. The amino acids found in collagen help minimizing the appearances of spots, marks and scars caused by acne or other skin issues.

Furthermore, this vitamin helps reducing the melanin production in our skin, which lightens hyper pigmentation, brown spots and makes the skin radiant.

Lemon juice has natural astringent properties, which also help improving our complexion. Excess oil deposit on the skin makes our face look dark and dull. Topical application of lemon juice removes the excess oil from the face to leave us with fresh, bright and glowing skin.

Being a natural astringent, lemon juice helps to shrink the large pores, which further reduces the visibility of marks and scars and smoothens our skin texture.

Here we discussed five DIY tamarind face masks for skin lightening. These face masks are all natural and you can customize the ingredients as per your skin’s requirement. They are safe for our skin as well. Do try these DIY treatments at home and you’re in for a surprise for sure!