If you want to turn your dark brown skin into lighter brown skin, there are some simple remedies you can attempt. While skin color is mostly genetic, there are certain things you can do to keep your skin from turning darker or even lightening it. Some skin lightening remedies are all-natural and can be formulated at home, while other remedies will require commercial products. Turning your dark brown skin into a lighter brown shade is not permanent, however, so you will need to repeat these procedures daily.
Keep out of sunlight and wear sunblock to prevent your brown skin from turning darker. The sun can turn your skin several shades darker in a matter of hours or days. Slather sunscreen with an SPF of 30 on every inch of skin that could be exposed to sunlight.
Purchase a skin bleaching creme with the ingredient alpha-arbutin, which inhibits melanin production. Find these products online, since they may not be found in drugstores or beauty stores. Before you go to bed, put one layer of lotion on the areas of your skin you wish to lighten. The lotion may bleach clothing, so wear old clothes or white pajamas.
Squeeze the juice of one lemon and mix it with a bottle of regular body lotion. Use this lotion every morning over the parts of your body that you wish to lighten, since lemons are a natural bleaching agent.
Get a chemical peel once a month from your local dermatologist. Chemical peels remove the top layer of your skin, revealing lighter skin underneath.
Tip
You can apply a sliced lemon directly to your skin for faster bleaching.
Warning
Do not use hydroquinone products on your skin.
References
Writer Bio
Susan Reynolds has been a writer since 2008. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of South Florida and is a licensed real estate agent in Florida.