The Real Fouz

Our skin reflects on how we feel, how healthy we are and also reflects on how much we care for it and maintain it. You can easily tell the difference between someone who’s suffering from emotional trauma from someone who has acne, and from someone who has trouble sleeping and is dehydrated from someone who regularly gets facials, uses moisturizers and is hydrated. It’s a package that we, with time, care for more and more as with age we notice changes within our skin and how “higher” maintenance it can be, especially with young girls and women, changes in hormones, sun exposure and environmental pollution can leave a huge mark on our skin in the long run, if not taken care of.

Living in the Middle East, or geographically in an area or country where you’re exposed to extreme heat, weather changes, dehydration and sun can eventually take a toll on your skin and even skin color. You start to notice darker spots around your face and even around your body, in areas such as the chin, around your lips, forehead, elbows and knees. What’s even worse is that with time these areas tend to darken even more when not treated, some people even go as far as peels and lasers to either lighten or remove these areas. However, if your case isn’t as severe and extreme as to those who go for peels and lasers, I’ve come up with a few home recipes that you can try out to lighten these dark spots, and keep in mind any allergies you have as well as that these remedies tend to take time to show results, and are not medical or chemical for you to see results on spot or shortly after, natural ingredients take time but also are very useful for your skin and body as a whole.

1.    Yoghurt

You can always use yoghurt mask or apply it to certain areas to lighten darker spots as yoghurt contains lactic acid which is known for its bleaching properties.  Try adding a table spoon of honey as well as some lemon juice to make this mask a bit harsher. Keep the mask on for 10 to 15 minutes, and you can repeat this daily.

2.    Oranges

The most important ingredient in skincare is Vitamin C, as it’s known to bleach your skin tone as well as improve the overall texture of your skin. This recipes is done by grinding dried orange peels to powder and adding a pinch of turmeric powder along with one tablespoon of yoghurt. You can do this twice a week maximum, and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes each time.

3.    Aloe Vera

Hyperpigmentation takes place when you have uneven skin tone and aloe vera restores your skin making it even and glowing. The cooling effect it has rebuilds damaged tissue as well as regenerates new cells. All you have to do is cut an aloe vera leaf in half, squeezing the gel-like substance from inside, or simply use aloe vera gel from any pharmacy, and apply it on your skin or darkened area for about 30 minutes then wash off. You can repeat this twice daily, and up to two weeks.

4.    Potatoes

If you ever suffer from dark under eyes or notice that you’re getting dark circles due to exhaustion or lack of sleep, always go for a potato! Slice it up, you can even mash it, apply it to your under eye area for a few minutes (5-10 minutes) then wash off. The starch absorbs the hyperpigmentation and restores your skin tone as well as triggers the production of new skin cells.

It’s essential to maintain your skin for a more youthful and healthy glow, it’s something that’ll always make you stand out, because no amount of make up or products can cover up unhealthy and damaged skin, but always go for what works best for you and not everyone else.