#HealthBytes: Five effective home remedies to remove sun tan
What's the story
Let's face it, summer or winter, a suntan is really hard to hide from.
While SPF sunscreens help a great deal in protecting from harmful UVB rays, sun exposure for longer hours can fade the skin.
The intensity varies from person to person but people with sensitive skin are more prone to tanning.
Here are quick home remedies to reverse the stubborn tan.
Gram flour
Curd, gram flour, fresh cream/milk, lemon juice and papayas
Mix two tablespoons of gram flour with curd to make a thick paste.
Apply evenly onto face, neck, and other tanned areas. Wash off when dry.
In case of dry skin, substitute curd with fresh cream or milk to retain moisture.
A paste of mashed papaya, lemon juice, and gram flour not just removes the tan but leaves the skin glowing as well.
Multani mitti
Multani mitti has several benefits for skin and hair
Multani mitti or Fuller's Earth is packed with goodness and has a couple of benefits when it comes to skin and hair.
Gently scrubbing the tanned area with a multani mitti and aloe gel scrub will help reverse it.
Alternatively, you can also apply a pack of multani mitti and milk or curd.
Make sure to wash it off before it completely dries off.
Lemon
Apply a pack of lemon juice and honey
While lemon is rich in vitamin C and has excellent bleaching properties, the antioxidants in honey treat dull and damaged skin.
Mix a few drops of lemon juice with honey. Apply this mixture to the tanned areas. Wash off after 15 minutes or when dry.
Applying this pack twice a day quickly removes tan and makes the skin glow as well.
Oats
Make use of the goodness in oats
Oats is a natural cleanser and is great for both oily and dry skin.
The antioxidant properties of oats reverse the damage caused by the sun, pollution, and other chemicals.
You can either make a pack out of oats and honey or mix it with fresh curd to make a scrub.
Applying a pack of oats and gram flour also improves skin tone.
Tomatoes
No time for elaborate masks? Use tomato pulp
While all of the above-mentioned packs are quick fixes, if you feel lazy to mix them up, tomatoes could be your savior.
Directly apply sliced tomatoes or their pulp to the tanned areas and wash off after some time.
For a more elaborate pack, add powdered oats to it for preparing a scrub.
Lemon juice mixed with tomato pulp is just as effective.