Getting a FAIR COMPLEXION

Complexion refers to the natural color and appearance of the skin of a person. Human skin color can range from black to pinkish white. In pinkish white complexion the skin color is actually colorless, showing pink color of the blood in the skin. On average, women have slightly lighter skin than men.

In general, people originated from sunny regions have darker skin color than people from regions of less sunlight. Nature has powered human body to protect itself from any harmful effects of sun. Therefore, people who live for long periods in sunny regions, i.e near the Equator have larger quantities of melanin, a protein molecule in their skins to protect them against high levels of exposure to the sun. This makes their skins dark brown or black.

Many names have come from the person’s complexion. For example

The Indian names Kalu, Bhure Lal or Gori Bai: a person with black, brown or fair color.
The Scottish surname Bain : a person with a fair-hair.
The Irish surname Rogan : a person with red hair.
The English surname Brown : a person with darker complexion.
The English surname White : a person with light complexion.
The surname Gough : a person with red or ruddy complexion.
Dunn hair : a person with a brown or dark hair.

Are you concerned about your complexion? For a beautiful personality, complexion is not important. There are many beautiful women who have dark complexion and there are many “not so beautiful” women who have fair complexion.

Many fair complexion people wish to change their fair skin to a dark one. Similarly, dark complexion people, mainly girls want to get a fair complexion.

How to improve skin complexion

Also read: Facial Cleanser Recipes

Lime or lemon juice, turmeric, honey, etc are natural bleach that improve complexion. They remove tan and make your skin fairer. (Note that lemon juice is more effective than lime juice for getting fair complexion). Cucumber juice can be applied on dry as well as oily skin to get fair complexion. To make cucumber juice, grate (kaddukash) cucumber (with skin) and squeeze it. Only 1/2 to 1 teaspoon is sufficient for a single application.
Drink 10 glasses of water daily. It will help in getting rid off any dark circles under eyes.

Foods For Glowing Complexion

Eating apples, guava, pears and peaches, with their skin, gives a glowing complexion.

Try the following pastes, mixtures or scrubs. If done daily, you will see a difference in about 10 days. The fair complexion remedies are also given for small babies.

All the mixtures, pastes and scrubs should be prepared freshly as they do not keep for a long time.

• Apply a mixture of equal amounts of lemon juice and honey on the face and whole body. Leave it for 15 minutes and wash off.
• Apply a mixture of equal amounts of lemon and cucumber juice on the face and whole body. Leave it for 15 minutes and wash off. If your skin is dry, use honey and lemon juice.
• First scrub your face with cucumber slices and then apply cucumber juice (with skin on cucumber) to your face, leave it there overnight and wash in the morning.
• Apply a gram flour (besan) and turmeric or haldi paste on face and neck. After sometime when it dries, scrub it off gently. This would gradually reduce body hair over a period of time.
• For 15 days, apply a paste of gram flour (besan), milk (2 teaspoon) and lime juice(3-4 drops) on face and neck for 15 minutes and wash with water. You complexion should improve. Repeat every 2 weeks.
• Apply yogurt to the face.
• Apply grated white radish or its juice for fairer complexion.
• Mix honey with equal amount of almond oil. Apply on the face every night.
• Mix oatmeal with yogurt and tomato juice and apply on the face. Wash it with cold water after 15 minutes.
• Apply a mixture of 3-4 drops of lime juice and a grated tomato on face and neck for 15 minutes for 15 days. Wash with cold water.
• Mix some turmeric to yogurt and apply it on the face, neck and arms for 30 minutes. Then wash with cold water.
• Make a paste of turmeric (haldi) powder with fresh lime juice and apply.
• Make a scrub of sandalwood powder mixed with almond powder or almond oil and milk. Massage gently on the darker areas like neck, around lips, below eyes, etc.
• Cut lime in slices and rub on the face slowly 2 – 3 times. Leave for about 5 minutes, then wash with cool water. Repeat 3-4 times a week.
• Make a paste by grinding mint leaves in water. Apply on the face and neck for 20 minutes and then wash with water.

  Skin Toner

  Take a leaf of an aloe-vera plant, break it into two and mix its juice mixed with rose water. Apply it on your face and neck for skin protection from tanning and clogging. This also helps to overcome the skin allergies, itching and rashes.

• Make a paste by mixing a pinch of cinnamon powder to ½ teaspoon honey. Apply on the face every night.
• Protein mask:
  Make a paste of 1 tablespoon urad dal (black gram dal)and 4 almonds soaked in water overnight. Apply it your face and neck and wash it off after half an hour. It will nourish your skin and also bleach it.
• Make a paste of 4 almonds soaked in milk overnight. Apply it your face and neck before going to bed. Wash with cold water in the morning. Repeat daily for 15 days. It will make your skin fair.
• Fair look, oily skin:
  Apply a mixture of equal amounts of lemon and cucumber juice on the face and whole body. Leave it for 15 minutes and wash off.
  Apply cucumber pulp with yogurt on your face and neck for 20 minutes and then wash with cold water.
  Make a paste by mixing papaya, honey, milk, and milk powder. Apply on face and leave for a few minutes and wash, your face will look fairer.
  Apply egg white to your face.
• Make a paste of honey, milk, yogurt, and ground sesame seeds in equal proportions and apply on face and whole body.
• Mix 4 parts milk, 1 part honey, and 2 part lemon juice and apply the mixture on the tanned areas for 15 minutes. Wash with cold water when dry. This acts as a bleach.
• Sneha suggests to take some tulsi (besil) leaves, grind it and sqeeze them to get the juice. Mix this tulsi juice with lime juice and massage it on your face and neck for 10-15 minutes. You will definately find the results in 15 days.
• Fair look, dry skin:
  Apply a mixture of equal amounts of cucumber juice and honey on the face and whole body. Leave it for 15 minutes and wash off.
• Dark hands: To remove a tan from the hands, apply a paste of sunfloweroil, lemon juice and sugar for 15-20 minutes and then wash with cold water.
• Dark feet: Soak feet in water containing some lemon juice for 10-15 minutes.
• Dark ankles & elbow: Soak in water containing some lemon juice for 10-15 minutes.
• Dark neck: Apply a mixture of lemon and cucumber juice (equal amount) with 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric powder. Leave for 20 minutes and rinse with lukewarm water.
• Dark lips: Many men and women complain that their lips used to be pink but they have become dark or black. Read the following remedy.
  If your black lips have been caused by drinking too much tea, coffee or by smoking, you will need to cut it down. Apply Vaseline with a few drops of lemon juice to your lips regularly at night. This keeps lips moisturised. In the morning, rub your lips with a toothbrush to remove dead skin.
• Dark armpits
• Smelly Armpits
• Fair Skin For Babies: Massage the body with almond oil or any other oil once a week. Give baby a bath after 15 minutes.
• Complexion of unborn child
  Some people believe that the complexion of an unborn child can be improved if the pregnant mother eats certain foods during pregnancy.According to Chinese, a woman can influence the colour (complexion) of her baby’s skin by the type of food she eats. If one want to have the baby with fair complexion (light color), one should eat light colored food during pregnancy.Some Indians believe that if you drink milk with a few strands of saffron add to it during pregnancy, then the child will be of fair complexion. However, there is no study available on these sayings.