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Lighten your skin in citrus way

Submitted by Kavitha Thomas

Lemon has exfoliating properties: rub half a lemon on your face with a hint of sugar granules to remove dead cells and lighten a tan.

You can also rub on hyper-pigmented areas like elbows to lighten them. Mix with a little cucumber juice to make a natural astringent

Visitors comments

works!!! Comments By: anon on 2005-05-28 i used this on my knees and it worked!!!!   Question Comments By: Anon on 2005-06-12 does this lighten your skin as in it makes it look whiter? and does it fade away, by meaning you have to apply it every day? Tipking says: I would think that it is something you will need to re-apply   After shower Comments By: A on 2005-07-25 If you rub lemon juice on your skin after showering it does remove dead skin cells. Does lemon juice lighten african-american skin?   YAYEEEEE Comments By: Cindy on 2005-08-14 My skin is so fab!!!! i love the feel of it know. ive been uswing it for like eva! i mean goooooo girlfriends use it every day it rocks. U shud feel my skin!! its so exuberant. mwah   wooooooooooooooow Comments By: SIMRAN on 2006-04-01 it works the skn bcomes soft GOOOOGLY WOOOOGLY   Not true Comments By: Anon on 2007-04-03 This is not true my skinned was burned by this recipe.Its a lie   it works Comments By: Mimi on 2008-03-05 it should give u that burning feeling.. thats when you know its working. Dont go out in the sun while its on ur face, then it will literary burn ur face. But other than that, its great!   bit harsh Comments By: anon on 2008-03-10 you are very much wrong when u say "that burning feeling means its working" any product used that gives u the tingling burning feeling means its irritating ur skin n plus lemons contain citric acid which irritate or give u an alergic reaction at the first time of use or over a period of time on sum people also ur skin is slightly acid - pH 5/6 n citric acid as a pH of 2/3 pretty harsh   how long? Comments By: anon on 2008-07-29 how long will it take? how many times must u apply it ?   Is it ok for pimple skinned person????? Comments By: Arya on 2008-11-05 Hi. i have pimples on my face. will this treatment affect my face and will the pimples bleed???   dark elbows Comments By: jessica on 2009-02-05 PLEASE HELP ME!!! i have a tanned skin tone but my elbows are EXTREMELY dark....it almost looks like dirt or mock. Will applying lemon juice directly on it help or would i need to mix in something else so the acid done't damage my skin but help rid the dark markS???   it works Comments By: redlawyergurl on 2009-05-14 ive ben using for a week and my skin is sooo bright and pretty. Im about Gabrielle Unions complexion, real red undertones, I used lemons mixed with sugar to exfoliate and bring my skin tone more to be "reddish" or "red bone" like queen latifa, and i've achieved just that. Not that I wanta look like queen latifa or anything but becuase I just love the red in my complexion. The lemon juice worked w/in a week. As well as I exfoliate w/ a loofa and apply a lotion that's called skin beuatifying milk that supposedly maximizes for clearer brighter skin. hth!   DOES IT REALLY WORK? Comments By: NISHA on 2009-07-16 I have tried many skin lightening cream but nothing worked, waste of my money!!! i was googling natural ways to lighten skin and i came across this web. Does lemon lighten light brown skin?   it really works! Comments By: Tamz on 2009-08-17 I'v only been using it for 3 days and i can see a difference already. The lemon juices has lightened my light brown skin 2 shades. I love it. Another great way to lighten skin it to use licorice root extract mixed with water. Also works wonders and doesnt contain any chemicals.   really dark skin Comments By: black as hell on 2009-09-13 i tried to lighten my already dark skin with bleaching cream but never used sunscreen now im even darker than before. do i rub lemom on my face after washing it or before   Comments By: Anon on 2009-09-28 I used salt insted of sugar cos it leaves your skin feeling really soft and cleaner, the first time i tried it i could easily tell my skin went lighter. Though i wud put lemon on your neck area or else your neck and face wud be two different colours x   It works wonders!!!! Try it! Comments By: Lemon Believer on 2010-01-28 I was little skeptical when i started reseaching lemons a month ago. I had terrible darks spots as a result of using Makari products. I use lemon and honey(honey to reduce the acidity and moisturize my skin) and my spots are almost gone. am not sure it lighten my skin. but i can say it looks a lot more even-toned..I'm hoping it will eventually lighten it up 1 - 2 shades. am about gabrille union shade now. which i still love anyway!   i dont really no if it works yet Comments By: debbie on 2010-04-22 when i rub lemon on my face it burns alot but dont no if it will help clear up the pimple marks on my face   SUPER QUESTION Comments By: Angie on 2010-05-19 how do i get the lemon juice? do I slice the lemons and squeeze the juice out? Can i put the lemons in the blender? HELLP TipKing says: You squeeze the juice out of the lemon   this actually works Comments By: Rachel on 2010-06-24 yes it burns like HELLLLLL it sux but after i applied it on my knees and elbows i noticed a big difference and this may sound wierd but i put it on my feet too...cuz at one point i was annoyed that my feet were lighter than the rest of me so i just tanned only my feet and then they were too dark so i put lemon juice on that too so now its back to the normal color lol and to answer someone else question im african american so yes it works on black skin...well im kinda light...soo if ur darker then idk   I CAN SEE A CHANGE Comments By: latifah on 2010-07-06 i think it works but it works very slowly, iv been using lemon juice on my face now for about 3 months, but it hasnt made a dramatic change. i was kind of light skin anyway but i wanted to be lighter, but wen i put it on, and wash it off, my skin feels really soft, and my complexion looks nice but after a few hours, my skin starts to look darker and dry. :/ ..   what to do Comments By: lovegirl on 2010-07-14 So do I get leamon juice and shugar and mix them together??? Or what...im confused   pleaesee help !!! Comments By: rokia on 2010-09-12 I got a tan a while ago and i relly want my old skin color back ... how much lemon and honey do i apply and how many times a week ... and wat time >>> how long do i keep it on .... please answer my questions ... thank you   can i buy? Comments By: anon on 2010-10-09 can i buy lemon juice that comes in those bottles or do i actually have to buy lemons. do i squeeze the juice out or do i just rub the cut lemon on myself?   marks fader and lightens skin Comments By: anna on 2010-10-19 I have highly sensitive and irritated skin and had scars on my hands due some skin allergy..the allergy was gone but left me with a lot of scars on my hand neck area..i just used freshly squezzed lemon juice with equal quantity honey...this really worked for me..my scars are gone in around 2-3 weeks..and my skin looks brighter and healthier..lemon juice is acidic but honey is a moisturiser so this really works..this combinition does not burn!!!and works wonders!!   how long Comments By: Kiana on 2010-10-27 ive just started putting lemon juice and honey on my skin today, ive put quite alot on and it hasn't hurt or anything, which is good. how long do i do this for? and how much doi put on? if i put it on my face does it get rid of spots?   makari product Comments By: chi on 2010-11-02 this product ruin my skin. the company need to be closed as they are reaping people off their hard earned money. I hate them so much for having spent alot of money and still get the worse skin which lemon and sugar I have used for years restored back.   does it work on the back of your thighs?? Comments By: kenya-Lashay1993 on 2010-12-11 i want to know if this works im looking for a better way to brighten me up..but the cream"Ultra Glow" isnt working as i planned..i have cheerleading camp and i dont want to go..looking a hot mess...so DOES THIS WORK and if so HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE UNtIl i see some results???????????????   do not use it is a lie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Comments By: imz on 2011-03-24 lemon burns your skin it burnt mine im currently recovering do not use it !!!!!!!!!!!! im being serious   wow Comments By: kate on 2011-03-11 does it really work i want it to worrk soo badly inshallah it will   Um , yeah Comments By: D.j.m.S on 2011-04-06 So I have been doing this lemon juice thing fo about a month now and although my moms said she saw a lighter tone on my face I haven't seem any results , so um just wondering , how long do I have to continue this process befo I see results . I'm not dark dark , I just have dark under eye patches , ave I want my skin to be even tone . I have used bio oil a well and that helps . I might try the lemon and sugar thing too , since that seems to have a quicker result (: lemon juice works , it just depends on how much time yhu are looking to wait befo yhu get to the right tone yhu want , and btw , cut the lemons in halves , squeeze juice in a bowel , do cotton balls in bowl and pat on face , use syn screen after , I didn't have any sunscreen so um guessing that'd why I haven't seen any results like I should have (:   Awaiting results.... Comments By: Rahi on 2011-04-02 I have tried lemon on my face for the past week, when i have applied the lemon juice its looks fresh...uncertain if its lightening the skin though. Obviously things dont happen overnight, so watch this space i guess, insha'Allah its works :)   how long Comments By: karyssa on 2011-06-28 does anybody know how long it takes for the lemons to take affect   Stop trying to be white! Comments By: Latoya on 2011-07-02 I understand if you are using lemons to remove dead skin and/or brighten your skin but trying to LIGHTEN your skin because you hate your color is ridiculous. Black skin IS beauty. It is a blessing! I LOVE having brown skin and don't want to be "lighter." Seeing these posts make me sick to my stomach. I was reasearching how lemons can make my skin better, not trying to have "fairer" skin. I don't want to be white. I want to be ME. I pray that some of the ladies on here will adopt the same mentality.   Love who who you are Comments By: Seattle on 2011-07-19 I agree with the last post of Black or Dark skin women hating the color of the skin they were born with. People TAN to have the complexion you have. Embrace it, Love it, and be envied by those who can't have it!   were not trying to be white Comments By: d on 2011-07-21 Oh shut up no one is trying to be white, some people just wanna lighten up a bit . You're ridiculous!   dark neck but fair Comments By: sabrina bissoon on 2011-07-31 please please help me out i reall want to get it out i use to lemon thing and it is work because my neck look lighten !!!!!!!!!   Calm down Comments By: the more you know on 2011-08-29 Some people are looking to fade tans. For instance, skin can become almost permanently tanned on areas that have been exposed to a lot of sun, while the rest of the body remains light. Also, some people are looking to lighten hyperpigmentation. Lemon does not lighten the natural color of your skin. It works as an exfoliant. If it really did bleach the skin, there would be lots of white people walking around. That said, even as an exfoliant to fade sun tans and hyperpigmentation, lemon is an epic fail. Yogurt and/or turmeric do a much better job. Also, give it time. In addition to staying out of the sun, some of you may need to increase your vitamin C intake. Vitamin C deficiency (sometimes caused by tobacco, drugs, or alcohol use) can reduce your skin turn over rate, causing you to hold your tan for a longer period of time... and to tan on top of a tan. Not only is the skin then darker, but also duller, drier, and tougher. Sugar is better than salts as it's gentler on the skin. However, salt scrubs are okay for areas with tougher skin such as the knees and elbows. After the skin has soften, you can ditch the salts and use sugar exclusively. Goat milk soap is also wonderful for getting rid of dead skin. Baking soda is good, but can be a little irritating or harsh on the skin. Oil cleansing is another great method to remove dead skin and dirt. Also, remember to use plenty of moisturizer when you exfoliate... this is a must. Castor oil is another great way to soften dry dead skin, and speed up the exfoliation process. I know these things because I worked hard for 4 months to successfully fade a farmers tan that I had for 2 years. Sun exposed areas of my body were easily 5-6 darker than the rest of me. There's only so much you can do at one time as, if I'm not mistaken, it takes a month for the average individual make a new layer of skin... and for the old to be shed. Tans, hyperpigmentation, and scars usually penetrate more than one layer of skin.