Are you tired of having an uneven skin tone? Do you wish that you could get rid of dark spots and have more even skin? If so, it’s time to consider skin lightening treatments that you can do at home. Whether you purchase skin lightening products or you choose homemade remedies, you can lighten your dark skin, whiten it and make it brighter.

How Can I Lighten My Face?

There are many different facial skin products to choose from. The products are designed to lighten the skin’s tone and can be called ‘skin lighteners’ or ‘skin bleachers’. The products work by reducing the amount of melanin found in the skin. Usually, these skincare products are used to treat specific skin problems, including acne scars, age spots and discoloration. However, those with darker skin can use skin bleach to naturally whiten it.

Which Face Cream Is Best for Skin Whitening?

Many people dislike the DIY approach because it takes longer. It’s much easier to buy something, put it on, and let it work. Generally, when looking for a face cream for facial skin lightening, you want to make sure it protects your skin from the sun’s UVB and UVA rays. It should also brighten the skin, reduce the appearance of age spots, and slow down aging.

Look for a cream that uses natural ingredients. It should also be hypoallergenic. This means that you’re less likely to be allergic to it. Just to make sure, you should perform a skin test. Of course, you also want something non-comedogenic, which means it isn’t going to block the pores. Clogged pores lead to acne, and you don’t want your skin lightening products to cause unwanted skin conditions.

How Can I Lighten My Face Overnight

When it comes to skin bleaching, you can find a variety of products to use. However, you can also make your own. One recipe is to mix honey and lemon juice and apply it to your face. Then, mash up a ripe tomato (peel on) and add more juice to it. Apply the concoction over the honey mixture and survey the skin lightening action.  It’s going to work pretty quickly. Once you have the skin fairness you prefer, wipe it off with a damp cloth.

A Quick Warning

Whitening the skin on the whole body can be dangerous. Many skin lighteners on the market contain mercury, which is toxic. It can be used in small amounts, but in large quantities can lead to mercury poisoning. The poisoning can cause neurological, psychiatric, and kidney issues. If you’re pregnant while using a skin lightening product containing mercury, it can pass onto your unborn baby. Please note that skin whitening products with mercury are banned in the U.S. but you can still buy them outside the U.S.  If you decide to do so, pay careful attention to the ingredients.

DIY Approach

You can make your own skin lightening creams, which are considered healthier and safer for the skin. Often, you already have the necessary ingredients in your home, which makes it easy to start the facial skin lightening process. Here are some of the most common ingredients used.

Lemon

When it comes to bleaching the skin, lemons are your best friend. They’re highly effective and can reduce the look of darker spots and blemishes. Just cut a lemon in half and rub one half onto the skin. Leave the juice on your face for about 10 minutes and then wash it off with cool water. Make sure you don’t go out into the sun right after putting lemon on your skin.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera can also be used to bleach skin. It has a cooling effect and is often used to treat minor sunburns. That’s because of its anti-inflammatory effects. When you apply it to the skin, it promotes repair of any damaged tissue and new cell division. If you have hyperpigmentation, this is an excellent choice. Melanin aggregation is essential for skin lightening and the Aloin chemical compound within the plant that promotes this process. Just apply the gel onto the face and leave it on for about 20 minutes. Then, rinse it off with slightly warm water.

Papaya

Papaya has many health properties and is therefore used in many skin care products. Papaya can give the skin a healthy glow and a brighter complexion. Plus, it’s a natural skin lightening agent. To use it effectively, mash it together with a banana. Add honey to the concoction and mix well. It will have a pasty texture. Put it on the skin with your fingers or a makeup brush. Leave the mixture on the face for about 20 minutes and then rinse it off with some warm water. Make sure that you only pat the skin dry.

Is Skin Lightening Permanent?

No, there is no skin lightening treatment out there that is permanent. You may talk to your doctor about a prescription that can provide long-lasting results. However, you must use it every day.

The same applies to OTC creams and homemade remedies.  They do not include potent ingredients. Instead, they use an extract and other ingredients that enhance the beauty of the skin and make it healthier.  

You also need to do your part. Make sure to wear sunscreen when you go out into the sun. It’s best to avoid damage from sun exposure so that you don’t have to use brightening agents on the skin.

Conclusion

Skin lightening may be something to consider if you have age spots and other pigmentation issues. However, you shouldn’t treat your entire body. When using creams, make sure they are reviewed and safe. You may also want to read the risks involved with all of the ingredients on the product. These items can be the best solution if you want minor change and don’t want to undergo an aggressive cosmetic procedure such as laser treatments.

A New Era for Environmentalism

The modern environmental movement began as a result of a series of events throughout the 1960s and 1970s that placed the horrors of pollution front and center on the world stage. These events, such as the publication of pesticide toxicity in Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” made consumers aware of the grave dangers of rampant consumerism.

Companies across consumer sectors reacted to the advent of the environmental era by developing environmentally-friendly products. Such goods were made of natural ingredients and materials as opposed to synthetic ones. Many in the consumables industry sought to move away from wasteful single-use products to sustainable ones that people were able to reuse. One prime example was the reusable grocery tote bag trend. Unlike plastic bags, which are made of nonrenewable petroleum and are difficult to recycle, these totes were made to last year after year following their production.

However, the problem with this initial wave of eco-conscious goods is that they often came at a high cost that was inaccessible to people with average means. As a result, the use of these trend-led green products became ascribed with higher societal status – or eco-status.

A Paradigm Shift

Fast-forward to present times, justice for the environment is beyond a trend. Eco-status seems to be fading, and eco-shaming is quickly taking its place. The prestige synonymous with living green has shifted from a marker of wealth to one of moral responsibility. Making an active effort to care for the environment is now seen as an expected societal standard. On the other hand, a lack of regard for the environment is characterized as irresponsible.

There are some key factors in modern times that have been instrumental in this trend in attitude from eco-status to eco-shame.

Trend One: More Ways Than Ever to Be Environmentally-Friendly

Consumers today do not need to search far to find green alternatives to standard consumer goods. From packaging solutions to personal hygiene products, they span a wide variety of products across all sectors. Unlike in the past, where they were viewed as a luxury of the wealthy, environmentally-conscious goods are now competitively-priced relative to their conventional counterparts. This is a result of economies of scale – as product manufacturing is scaled to meet a rapidly-growing demand, the cost to produce them becomes increasingly cheaper. Even more, consumers are becoming aware of the intrinsic benefits, like money saved over time, of making sustainable purchases.

Thanks to a number of innovative companies in the green sector, the ability to make environmentally-friendly decisions extends beyond consumables. The trend of rideshare services provides commuters a mode of transportation that decreases their carbon footprint. There are even consulting services that work with companies large and small in order to help them implement green systems within their organizations.

Trend Two: Increasingly Interconnected World

The ubiquitous nature of social media makes it the perfect vessel for engaging in environmental activism, even in parts of the world where such freedom of expression is not the norm. The barriers to entry are low and accommodate all levels of activists, especially new ones who want to spread awareness about an issue in their immediate communities. All an activist needs to utilize one of the primary networks is an email address for account registration. From there, he or she now has a globally-reaching way to advocate change for that issue.

The key to successful activism is relentless exposure. Once activists plant the seed of change that exposes their cause, many people find it difficult, if not impossible, to follow updates. They may also be inclined to search for more information on that issue and related issues. As this buzz is created, the issue transforms into a trend. Successful activists are known to use a variety of media, such as pictures, status updates, blog posts, and videos, to gain a following. This method of eco-shaming has been successful not only sparking debate about crises in the environment but also in influencing new policy needed to get governments on board with environmentally-motivated causes.

Trend Three: Normalization of Environmental Stewardship

People do not need to search far to see how embedded environmentalism is in our current society. Waste management systems in most municipalities provide residents with trash receptacles for both trash and recyclable materials. Recycling programs in many communities even incentivize people on a per-unit basis when they recycle scrap metal items like aluminum cans.

As regulation related to the environment becomes the standard, people trend toward seeing themselves as stewards of the earth. Consumers today are ever-aware of their consumption patterns, and the vast number of ways they can participate only increases with each passing year. Whether engaging in environmentalism means choosing between walking, using a ride share service, or buying a hybrid vehicle, there are avenues for consumers of all socioeconomic statuses to engage.

Concluding Thoughts

Environmentalism is no longer a trend associated with social class, but rather a social contract between people and the world they inhabit. Virtually no part of the globe is untouched by pollution, and activists play an indispensable role in shedding light on new issues year after year, as well as reviving discussion about ones that still persist. The destruction of the environment has an exceptionally disparate effect on communities that are already impoverished. The normalization of social media as a platform for all voices is thus a trend with positive implications for activism. It has empowered such marginalized peoples to make their concerns known, even when their countries do not traditionally permit such freedoms of speech.

Many countries have responded positively by outlawing the exploitation of specific resources and the hunting of endangered animal species. Violation of these laws comes with hefty penalties, not to mention the eco-shaming that comes with breaking a widely-accepted social contract.

However, there are still gaps in educating people in effective stewardship of the environment. Although many search for this knowledge on their own, the trend aspect of environmentalism means that a great number still follow and support it without fully understanding its inner workings. There is a stark difference, after all, between engaging in environmentalism to promote a positive outward self-image and engaging in order to impact real, authentic change to the system.