Summer is a cheerful holiday time, from pretty light floral dress to breezy beaches, everything about this season is fantastic- but no one likes the harsh burning tan on their skin.
In summers, the heat doesn’t just dehydrate our body but also absorbs all the skin moisture, making it look dull and dry. Most of us have been a victim of lousy suntan.
The risk of premature aging of the skin increases because of tanning. We all take care of our face and neck as far as suntan is concerned; we often ignore our hands. Exposure to the sun causes an uneven skin tone and discoloration; our hands are subjected to the maximum amount of UV rays as they are rarely hidden from the harmful rays.
People opt for various harsh methods like bleaching their hands, which causes further skin darkening and makes it dry and rough, to remove tan.
What is tan?
Skin tan or sun tanning is a process where a person’s skin gets darkened or tanned due to the exposure of ultraviolet (UV) radiation to the skin. The ultraviolet rays can get into the layers of your skin and make it darker or tanned.
The tanning can cause severe problems like harming the skin tissues, bad pigmentation on patches of the hands that look bad in the long run, skin cancer as the skin is exposed to the UV rays for a very long time.
Why does tan occur?
It is a known fact that UV rays are the rays that penetrate the lower layers of the epidermis on the skin. They are the rays that activate the cells that are called melanocytes. Melanocytes are the cells that produce melanin that cause the skin to tan and get pigmented.
Melanin helps the body to make brown pigmented patches to avoid skin burning.
The following are the 15 best ways to avoid skin tanning or remove tan from the hands:
1. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, and lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that helps the skin prevent being harmed from the UV rays and protects the skin from being burned and pigmented from the UV rays.
Tomatoes are sumptuous for the skin as they have healing properties. They can help prevent skin cancer and soothe skin due to their cooling properties, tighten larger pores, and even stabilize blood vessels.
How to apply?
Make a tomato pulp and mix it with gram flour to make a paste
You can use this pack twice a week or after prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays.
2. Cucumbers
Cucumbers are a known ingredient to make a scrub that works like magic for reducing under dark eye circles.
Along with protecting the hands from tanning, it also hydrates the skin and softens skin. The properties present in cucumbers helps not only in preventing skin tanning but also help to get a lighter skin tone.
How to apply?
Cut the cucumber into slices
Rub them on your hands up to your shoulders for 10 minutes every morning for effective results.
3. Fresh Lemon Juice
Extracting juice from fresh lemons is one of the best ways to reduce tanning and protect your skin from getting tanned further. Lemons have antibacterial and antioxidant properties. It means that they help protect a person’s skin from any severe damage due to the exposure of the UV rays to the skin and repairs the skin cells.
Lemon juice helps speed up the process of new skin generation and helps in brightening dull skin.
How to apply?
Squeeze the lemon and rub it on your palms
It’s recommended to apply it during bedtime just the way you apply moisturizers.
4. Papaya Pulp
Papaya is the best fruit used by people to reduce tanning and get a brighter skin tone. It is medically proven, and a lot approves it of highly rated dermatologists.
The dermatologists say that papaya has enzyme papain present in the papaya that helps in lightening the skin and removing blemishes. It also reduces sunspots, helps in cell renewal and regeneration due to its Vitamin A and C constitutes.
How to apply?
Cut the papaya into cubes and then mash them.
Apply this paste on your hands and leave them for about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Coconut Water
Coconut water contains lauric acid, which is the most soothing ingredient you can use to soothe a person’s skin. Suntan irritates the skin that can be harmful. The lauric acid present in the coconut water helps in soothing the irritation and helps maintain the pH balance of the skin.
Vitamin C in coconut water also helps in brightening up the skin.
How to apply?
Use coconut water on your skin about 4 to 5 times a day and let it get soaked entirely in your skin.
6. Curd and Honey
Curd is known to be the most effective ingredient to help you get rid of all the skin problems that you are facing. It has lactic acidosis that is a natural brightening and skin lightening ingredient. It helps prevent sunburn, skin pigmentation; dead skin cells remove dull skin and other such things.
Honey is an ingredient that is an antibacterial and anti-tan agent and combining both the ingredients – curd and honey will do magic to your skin.
How to apply?
Take a bowl of curd and add two tablespoons of honey.
Mix them well and apply them to your skin for about 20 minutes.
You can use this mixture twice a week to see effective results.
7. Tan Removal Creams
A tan removing cream is the one that helps a person get rid of the tan caused to their skin due to a lot of exposure to the UV rays. They lighten up the skin and form the melanin enzyme that helps to fight to tan.
How to apply?
Apply tan removal creams once or twice every day.
8. Aloe Vera and Honey
Aloe Vera is known for its healing properties for ages. It contains bioactive compounds in nature, which help reduce pigmentation or help in the de-tanning of the skin. It is said to be all skin types of friendly products that you can use to solve all your tanning-related problems.
How to apply?
Use the aloe gel extracted from aloe vera and mix it with honey to form a paste.
Apply to the affected area for about 10 minutes.
You can apply this paste two to three times a week.
9. Oranges to the Rescue
Oranges are one of the best sources to get Vitamin C. They are not only a great fruit to eat but also helps in reducing tanning. Having good exposure to Vitamin C in the body means avoiding skin problems like tanning and pigmentation.
How to apply?
Mix 1 tablespoon of orange peel powder, honey, and turmeric powder to form a thick paste.
Apply it to the affected area.
Leave it for about 15 minutes before washing it off with water.
Repeat this process two times a week for significant results.
10. Milk and Saffron
Very few people are aware that saffron has healing qualities that help the skin eliminate unusual darkness and dullness. It is a natural ingredient that you can use to repair damaged skin, helps in moisturizing your skin, and get the dewy supple glow of the skin.
How to apply?
Put a few strands of saffron in milk and let it soak for about 2 hours before applying.
Strain the milk and apply it to your hands and let it stay for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Repeat this process 1 to 2 times a week to get faster results.
11. Eliminate tan withPotatoes
Potatoes are one of the widely used vegetables for cooking. As tasty as they can be while eating, they are also beneficial in dealing with various skin problems at the same time.
Potatoes have a certain kind of enzyme called catecholase that can help lighten your skin tone.
How to apply?
You can either rub potato peels on your skin for a few minutes or grind potato juice and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Recommended using once every week.
12. Multani Mitti and Tomato Juice
Multani Mitti is one of the purest and natural healing earthy ingredients used while making many Ayurveda products, reducing skin damage, marks, tan, pigmentations, and burns.
Multani mitti has compounds that help to soothe sunburns by equally reducing tan by leaving radiant, glowing skin.
How to apply?
Mix two tablespoons of Multani mitti with one tablespoon of tomato juice.
In addition to these two things, you can add rose water for better soothing results.
Slather this paste on for 10 to 15 minutes
You can apply it once every 15 days
13. Sandalwood and Malai
Loaded with excellent medicinal properties, Sandalwood helps in making the skin glow with a radiant boost. It is also used to treat burns caused by the sun’s UV rays and repair damaged skin.
How to apply?
Take one tablespoon of sandalwood powder and mix it with fresh cream.
Apply this paste on a cleansed skin, and after it has dried gently, rub it in circular motions.
Recommended using thrice a week.
14. Oats and Buttermilk
Oats are one of our most recommended ingredients that helps remove tan, as oats have a natural ability to lighten the skin and make it soft. Oats also help in scrubbing or exfoliating off the dead skin and thus help in removing harsh sun tan from the skin.
How to apply?
Take two tablespoons of oats powder and mix it with two tablespoons of fresh buttermilk.
Add a few drops of rose water and massage it gently over your hands for about 10 minutes.
We advise you to use this paste once every two weeks because of its harsh inconsistency.
15. Removing tan with the help of baking soda
Baking soda has a natural built of healing compounds that help in reducing tan. We recommend using baking soda as a precaution beforehand by diluting it with water or as a scrub mixed with honey to remove tan.
How to apply?
Mix two tablespoons of baking soda with oats and water for gentle exfoliation on the tanned surface.
Allow it to sit on your skin for not more than 15 minutes.
You can use it once every week.
Conclusion:
Going for a vacation is the most luxurious thing to witness, but the aftermath of problems like tanning can give us a hard time dealing with it.
These are various tried and tested home remedies recommended above for soothing the burn and preventing tan.
Pre-application of anti-tan creams is one of the simplest and efficient ways to help avoid tanning, but for days when creams turn aloof, the remedies mentioned above will ease the tanning and the after burns.
