How To Get Rid of Tan and Get a Lighter Skin Tone: Ask IMBB

Ask IMBB Gang

Maya Asks

Hi,

This is for my friend who is getting married after 2 months. Its a love marriage kind of situation but families have agreed to cooperate. Now, she is dusky but very very good looking. So, good looking that once she was approached by an ad agency for a photo shoot. Her would be in-laws are all fair. Throughout the engagement ceremony, my friends future MIL was pointing out the fact that my friend is dusky and tanned. My friend does not use much of cosmetics, but please help me out in making a detailed plan for her for getting rid of her tan and give her a nice glowing skin tone.

1. Please suggest anti-tan products.
2. Something to make her skin tone lighter. My friend will kill me if she get to know this.

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73 thoughts on “How To Get Rid of Tan and Get a Lighter Skin Tone: Ask IMBB

  1. Hi Maya, wishes to your friend on her engagement and for teh wedding!
    To remove tan and to get a glow…I follow the following…
    grate a half a cucumber.. add 4-5 drops of gylcerin and the juice of half a lemon. Apply this on your face and neck and even on hands and rest for 15-20 mins. Wash your face with water. You will immedietly see a difference in your skin…it will be brighter and tan would have reduced…ask your friend to keep doing this… Hope this helps ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Hey Maya, you can use curd to egt rid of tan.Once a week you can do it.I keep this routine for weekends esp for face ,hands and feet.
    For a lighter skin ton, you can try the facepacks with more of fruit ingrdients.You can make them yourself.And yes,apart from these face pcaks,facials, creams,etc, you can add 1-2 serving of fruits to your daily eating habits.Defenitely you get a healthy glow! ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. I totally agree with you. I thought of posting this comment, but then thought its rude to say that. How can a women point d fingers on skin tone of a girl who is going to be his sons wife soon? I hope your friend looks stunning in her natural skin tone on the wedding day Maya.. ๐Ÿ™‚

              1. I was just mentally filtering out certain words in my head while deciding what to post here. Totally agree with everyone here. What total crap is this! Today the MIL is whining about the skin tone, in a year’s time she will mutter darkly about how the DIL has not borne any grandchildren yet, and if there is a female grandchild a few years down the lane, she will be weeping into her pallu about how the ‘vansh’ is not going to continue. Okay, rather Orwellian to go on about such drastic situations but really, such women should be pointedly ignored instead of appeased.

            1. So true! We discriminate against people from our very own country based on complexion, features nd whatnot yet we are the 1st to whine ever so loudly when there are racist attacks on us in other countries…

    2. actually you should show my facebook page to your friends MIL. i’m the only dusky person in my current family, whatever be it – guy is fine and she would b blessed with kids like him… Actually i started to look for products and reached IMBB 1 year ago for the same tan removal reason. It all happened after my daughters birth… She is the fairest among my husband family and no1 believes i’m her mother….

  3. Tomato is good for removing a tan though it takes time. She can use it before bath daily by rubbing it over the tanned area.

  4. and your friend in the meantime needs to go do some shooting and get married to the RISHTAS that come across after her pictures are been published. talk of bipasha basu,rani mukherji,sridevi,eesha,kajol and my recent fav chitrangada!!!

  5. One should not really care if they are fair or dusky. When she is so good looking despite not being fair there is nothing to worry about. She should be comfortable in what she actually is. Trying to get fairer just to score MIL’s points is not going to last long.
    However, removal of tan is another thing.
    1. Lemon, raw milk help remove the tan. Mix it with honey to reduce the tingling caused by lemon. 2. A mixture of glycerin and lemon rubbed on face, neck, elbows, etc for a few days will also reduce the tan. Make sure its kept for 15-20 mins. Wash it of with cold water and apply some moisturiser. If left dry, may cause more darkening again.
    3. Till the wedding, ask her to wear full sleeved clothes, socks in feet, to avoid tanning when outside in sun. Use a good sunscreen or sunblock, glares and umbrella/cap.
    4. Bleach is another option to go for just before the wedding. it will reduce the tan and even out the skin tone.
    5. Marriage preps, shopping out in the sun, the usual marriage anxiety and stress might affect the skin. Ask her to keep a balanced diet, exercise, and a good bed time skin regime to follow.

  6. She can use tomato juice on face for removing the tan. Curd also helps, but it breaks me out everytime ๐Ÿ™ Shahnz husain pearl facial is good. Exfoliate regularly because this helps in removing the dead cells and makes the skin glow. Use olive oil for face massage. I used Body Shop Vitamin E oil at night and i absolutely love it. You can bleach the face to lighten the facial hair so that the skin tone will look more even. I hope these help your friend ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. I try this following recipe and it never fails

    Take curd/ yogurt and chickpea flour (Besan) and squeeze lemon into it
    it should be two parts flour and one part curd
    apply it to your face/body and let it dry for 15 mins and wash off while massaging

    it gives
    > instant glow
    > balances oil & moisturizes (so good for both dry and oily skinned beauties)
    > removes tan
    > makes skin ultra soft

    i bath with this paste on every alternate night ( yes! i know ! so much for good skin:P)
    and i am sure you will benefit from this
    goodluck ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Lemon juice when used regularly helps in getting a lighter complexion. Also let her use a good sunscreen( for me neutrogena is The best).
    Some other ingredients which help to get rid of tan are coconut water, curd (basically all dairy products), chickpea flour, sandalwood powder, turmeric. She could combine all or some of these ingredients to make a ubtan. But there is not much that can be done if one is born dusky. And ask her to inform her MIL that Draupadi who was the most beautiful woman in the whole of India at her time was also dusky!

  9. ouch.. MIL hope she understands in the future that she got a lovely DIL.. best of luck to ur friend..
    whatever home tips u do.. maintain it with lots and lots of sunscreen always.. not only on face but feet and arms too… and back of neck…and ears..
    ciao…

  10. Maya……I think your friend needs to be seriously aware of her future MIL…..:((. For lightening, curd+turmeric+besan combination works, using tomato slices also works to get rid of tan.

  11. hahaha best wishes to her
    here r the things that have worked a 100% for me :
    1. besan+lemon jucie+curd
    15 mins pack daily for 20 days
    2. grated potato alternate days for 15 days
    3.grated cucumber everyday for one month (great for summers)
    4.rub half cut tomato everyday for pores(not for sensitive skin)
    5. for oily skin: multani mitti + cucumber juice once a week
    6. powdered dal mixture work good as a scrub
    7.ground rice + curd for scrub use as and when needed

    phew!
    these work guaranteed!

      1. i did when i had time surabhi
        ek bar 20 days at a stretch for tan ๐Ÿ™‚
        but if u r sensitive to lemon then skip it
        may be alternate day
        and u can use one or two of the above daily or alternate days
        not all ๐Ÿ˜› maya tell ur frend ๐Ÿ™‚

          1. nope why dryness
            just some drops have to be used …
            besan and curd are soothing so i dont think that wud be a prob
            i have used it and so i can safely say … can be used by others too

  12. arey errr ….. she has to be comfy with the complexion but since she has to feel best fr her wedding so its good to use these tips
    and tan removal is not a crime u see..

  13. And for the record, all the homes remedies that are mentioned here would only work for tan removal. I don’t think anything would change a person’s natural complexion unless they are Michael Jackson, and I am sure the MIL would not want a moonwalking bahu.

      1. and i dont think there is anything wrong with taking care of ur skin
        no matter wat ur complexion is
        the skin shud be even toned and healthy thats all
        dont do it to appease any one but for own self
        so no harm in trying the above remedies for ahealthy skin

        1. I am definitely not against taking care of the skin. I am pretty obsessive about skin care myself. ๐Ÿ˜› What I meant about appeasing the other person was in reference to the MIL’s snarky remarks. I just found it ridiculous that this girl needs to take care of her skin not because she wants to but because she is being forced to satisfy someone else’s idea of beauty. So, it wasn’t an attack against your remedies. ๐Ÿ™‚ I was just ranting against the MIL. ๐Ÿ˜›

          1. yup hmmm i see
            no matter wat the skin tone
            healthy skin is always in haina? ๐Ÿ™‚
            i have bad skin ever since i came to chennai
            but i want a clear skin and not fair skin
            not to mention i have enough dusky beauties around in chennai
            who look gorgoues with their skin tones ๐Ÿ™‚

            1. yeah I just have to say that this creepy white skin obsession/post colonial hangover is obscene – and yes please not – anti tan remedies will fix the tan but wont actually make u fairer !

              PS – as someone that tans really quick and a lot (my skin tone moves between NC 35 and NC 42) – the quickest way to de-tan is STAY INDOORS or at least out of the sun !!! and while i understand that isn’t logically possible – it just means keep yourself covered outside, use sunscreen, umbrellas etc and your tan will recede on its own (if you nudge it along with all the fab face packs then thats even better)

    1. mmmm sorry triveni
      i was recommended bet c for a skin allergy i had got
      i had heard that this one is the strongest out of all the betnovates u see ๐Ÿ™‚
      so not to take a chance before wedding or with skin na ๐Ÿ™ wat do u say?

      1. I would advise you all to never ever use Betnovate C unless your skin is in extremely bad condition. Its is the highest form of steroid for skin. Due to ignorance , i used that cream for almost 2 years and m still repenting ๐Ÿ™

        Never use steroids , unless thats the last resort !!

  14. Hahahahaa jabberwocky has beat right on the bush XD Its human nature to perceive the grass as greener on the other side ,if she had been abroad ,people wouldve gone gaga over her ethnic looks .If she wants to look fresh for her wedding night , she can opt for all these natural remedies suggested by imbbians in the previous posts which are nonetheless informative.

    I`d suggest she can use creams with rightening ingredients like Mulberry extract ,arbutin (taking the help of her dermatologist ofcourse ) – Dr Reddy`s clearz ultra is one for example ,

    limit her exposure to the sun – as the UVA,UVB rays do harm the skin (and I am not talking about skin darkening in particular ) ,

    eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies , citrus fruits –

    exercise regularly for improved blood circulation ,

    and be happy – for most rational people believe and know for a fact that the happiest girls are definitely the prettiest ๐Ÿ™‚ Clear skin is beautiful skin , and coupled with a sensible head on her shoulders , she`ll definitely conquer her to-be family …remember Jennifer Lopez in Monster in Law ? ๐Ÿ˜€ wish your friend all the best..wear a beautiful ethnic ensemble and co-ordinate your make -up and just GLOW ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. and i thought betnovate C cream is used for the following symptoms :

    An eruption of hard nodules in the skin accompanied by intense itching (prurigo nodularis).
    Eczema.
    Infected insect bites.
    Inflammation of the skin around the genitals or anus, caused by skin surfaces rubbing together (genital or perianal intertrigo).
    Inflammation or irritation of the skin caused by a reaction to irritants (contact dermatitis).
    Inflammatory skin condition with greasy, red and scaly areas (seborrhoeic dermatitis).
    Inflammatory skin disease known as discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE).
    Psoriasis.
    Thickened skin rash caused by excessive scratching to relieve itching (neurodermatitis).

    Err, so umm , ..does she need it ? shouldnt it be prescribed by a dermo or something ?

  16. Dear Maya,

    Glad to hear that ur frnd is doing luv marriage and the families are cooperating but i guess her MIL is quite frustrated bcuz his son is doing luv marriage. Plz tell ur frnd that she shud be witty enough to answer her in a polite manner but if she silently listens to her badmouthing then it will increased and spoils the relations or annoy ur frnd like anything. I am telling with my personal experience…

    For her complexion, looking radiant and fresh is more important than complexion but she can go to some good parlours and take packages well in advance.

    few home remedies are:

    Take raw milk and keep it overnight in a copper pot (tambe ka lota), in the morning splash it on the face and wipe with cotton, regularly doing will increase glow and improves complexion.

    In some malai put a pinch of haldi, keep it for 15-20 mins, rinse with warm water.

    Masoor dal powder in raw milk pack

    Orange powder scrub

    All the best for the future ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Well said! Being witty always helps in such matters whereas suffering silently leads to souring of relations

  17. omg! even i wanted to post a query regarding tan removal…. can i use the same things for my feet…
    as my legs are fair but feet complexion has grown 2-3 shades dark… i have tried lemon and curd vali recipes but to no avail… plz suggest….

    1. tanu, for feet since they tend to get tanned very badly compared to the face and neck and we dont even use sunscreens there, you need something stronger than regular packs..what I suggest is a bleach…oxy bleach is the best I have used so far..and you dont have to worry about any reactions since the feet skin is not sensitive (do a patch test if you are still worried though)..oxy bleach helps in tan removal to a great extent and the results are very noticeable!! do try it out..

  18. No matter how much we say its not about the colour, when it comes to marriage everyone wants a fair bride.. it infuriates me so much.. even a dark looking boy wants a “very ” fair and slim girl.. i’m mean wat’s with this colour obsession that people have..
    what would you do with a fair skin if the person is not good..

    anyway as a home remedy potato juice really helps getting rid of the tan.. whenever i go out in the sun i apply potato juice after comin back home…
    second is chickpea flour and kasturi haldi mixed with curd.. it very effective.

    a lot of parlours also have anti tan treatments too.

    but all this would only help if your skin has lost its natural colour.. home remidies can’t change the natural colour of the skin

  19. Curd can be used everyday before bath to remove tan sometimes when the weather is very humid curd i find curd to b oily then i use lacto tan bleach for tan removal

  20. Almost all MILs are same.. Its very difficult to change their attitude.. It s better to ignore… I think friends have given more suggestions.. I would like to add one more point; use a good night cream.. it helps in evening out the skin tone and makes the skin ready for the next day.. avoid direct sun until marriage.. ๐Ÿ™‚

  21. Thanks All,
    lalitha – -ok.. so glycerine shld work.. now is there anythin like synthtic and vegetable glycerine.
    Rama – Fruit face pack – i think biotique and himalaya hve one right?
    Flygirl, visakhi – u r right.. imagine my plight when this future MIL was talking abt my friend to me.. i was all the time protesting against wht all she said.
    And yes Jabberwocky i am also worried abt the same… I jst hope she does not hve to endure much..
    Ashu, Jismi, Leez, Surabhi- ok.. all points noted..
    Ife- yes i hve actually persuaded her toget a good sunscreem
    Jomol – thanks and i read your atricles on kumkumadi tailma, and fairness.. thanks..
    Neha – allnoted..
    Arja- i think i will ask her to consult a dermatologist..
    Neha- orange powder scrub.. home made one?
    thanks rati,
    Suni – one whole potato or just a slice..?
    And thanks a lot to all whoe names i hve missed..
    And do u think biotique coconut cream will work or shld she try fab india depigmentation cream.. Any other ready made anti tan pack..

  22. besan+lemon jucie+curd+cucumber juice/sandalwood powder definitely work.

    For hands she can apply lacto tan clear by natures essence does remove tan…in case she is looking for quick and easy solution.

  23. getting rid of tan is good, but lightening the skin tone is 1)not possible and 2)psychologically very tiring for the one involved (read the Bride here)…..
    your friend should apply curd, lemon, tomato juice, potato juice, aloe vera gel in various combinations, according to her skin type, to get rid of tan….and to get a healthy glow, she can take fruit juices, go for regular morning walks, etc….and forget about getting fair….she should relax and enjoy her wedding, and i hope she doesnt fall into the trap of ‘i wanna look fair’….

  24. Hi,
    This is a DIY I use for tan removal and skin brightening.
    Mix green gram powder, Kasturi manjal(half qty of green gram), honey, few drops of lemon, few drops of almond oil, and curd. I have noticed that using the older curd which has like a rich cream layer on top gives better results in a single use. I noticed my hyper pigmentation also lighten in a single use. Hope this helps you ladies. U can experiment on the quantity of each of the ingredients to see which works for you best.

  25. really sad to hear about the MIL situation..hope your friend has a very happy married life though..:)
    coming to tan removal..this summer was probably the sunniest and hottest summer we had in years in my hometown, so I started getting badly tanned from the beginning itself. (sigh!!) I started using the besan curd pack daily after coming home and it helped greatly with both my complexion and skin texture..however this is does not dramatically improve the complexion and I had this major event where I had to look my best..what came to my rescue was the lacto tan clear my nature’s essence!!! you can read the review here https://makeupandbeauty.com/natures-essence-lacto-tan-clear/
    this product does increase the fairness very noticeably from the first use itself and used daily will pretty much remove atleast 90% of the tan…now summer’s almost come to an end and I am tanned only very very little!! yayyyy!! ๐Ÿ˜€ ๐Ÿ˜€ ..I strongly recommend the lacto clear..cheap, effective and safe too..no breakouts! I apologise for the lengthyyy comment though ๐Ÿ˜› congratulations to your friend and best wishes from me! ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚

  26. Hi,

    For best results and throughout even face texture, just rub PAPAYA 5-10 minutes on your face daily.Let it dry for 15 minutes then wash off with cold water.IT will not only removes freckes, sun burns, spots but also tighten skin:) Best wishes:)

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