Dark underarms can be so embarrassing. It prevents you from wearing those gorgeous sleeveless tops or dresses you want to wear in the summer. You end up feeling insecure and self-conscious about your dark underarms, and this can slowly start to affect your self-esteem.
Shaving, use of harmful chemical substances from hair removal creams, deodorants or antiperspirants are major causes of dark armpits. Thankfully, there are effective home remedies that can help make your underarms lighter. Using natural products is the best way to lighten your underarms as chemical products will do more harm than good. I’ll share some natural home remedies that will help lighten dark underarms.
You can lighten your underarms naturally in 3 ways:
1. Bleach your underarms
Certain foods contain bleaching agents which help to lighten your skin. Lemon is quite effective when it comes to bleaching dark areas of your skin. The acidic properties in lemon help lighten your underarms and exfoliate dead skin cells.
Lemon Application:
Rub a lemon segment directly on your underarms or apply lemon juice with your finger tips. Massage it in for a couple of minutes before you take a shower. Do this daily. Lemon has the tendency to dry your skin. So, moisturize your underarms to prevent it from drying out.
If you have sensitive skin, lemon may cause an irritation. This is because lemon is extremely acidic. Potatoes are a great alternative to lemon as they have mild acidic properties. This makes potatoes ideal for lightening sensitive skin.
Potato Application:
Rub a slice of potato on your underarms for 5-10 minutes, then wash it off with warm water. You can also grate the potato to extract its juice and apply the juice on your armpit. Do this morning and night for best results.
2. Exfoliate your underarms
When dead skin cells accumulate on your underarms, it can make it look dark. Gently exfoliating the area removes the dead skin and makes your underarms look lighter. Baking soda is an effective exfoliant. Aside from the fact that it’s natural, baking soda acts as a natural deodorant and antiperspirant. It even prevents odours.
Application:
Mix baking soda and water together to make a thick paste. Then apply the mixture on your underarms. Using your fingers, gently scrub your underarms for some minutes and then wash off the mixture with some warm water. Make sure you don’t scrub too hard to prevent any injuries.
3. Oil your underarms
Interestingly, oiling your underarms can lighten your skin. Coconut oil is rich with vitamin E. The Vitamin E in coconut oil helps to lighten your skin naturally. Just another reason to stock up on some coconut oil.
Application:
Rub some coconut oil on your armpits before you take a shower. Massage the coconut oil for a few minutes, then with a mild soap and lukewarm water, wash the oil off from your skin.
To experience the direct effect of Vitamin E, you can buy Vitamin E in a capsule, puncture it and apply the oil on your underarms. Massage the Vitamin E oil on your skin, and then wash it off. Do this daily for best results.
I have used these tips personally, so I know they work. May not work for you or suit your skin but it is worth a try if you are struggling with dark underarms.
What are your thoughts? Have you heard of or tried any of these tips before?
I have never felt the need to lighten my armpits but I think I would like to try the lemon application. These are some great natural remedies
Yea they are..
Great tips I always use a exfoliator on my under arms to get rid of dry skin. I’ve not tried other tips before though.
Yea it works like magic.
I am glad I don’t have this problem. I am as white as they come including underarms 🙂
Lucky you Agata…
Wow thanks this actually really helps me! love your blog x
Glad you do Elizabeth x
I bought some nivea products specifically designed to lighten underarms but I have yet to use it, thanks for the reminder x
No probs Rhian x
thank you for this! I suffer from darker underarms and will be trying out some of these tips, favourited and saved for later 🙂
Thanks Kitty x
I have never suffered with this but it’s nice to know there are natural ways to combat it x
Yea x
that’s interesting, I think underarms getting darken depends on your pigment in skin. My skin is quite olive and i was always getting tanned very fast with long lasting one but dark underarms is one of the downside. Thats actually great tips so next summer I will stock up more lemons and potatoes 😉
Nice Anna. Thanks for reading.
I have never heard of bleaching your underarms but a great idea, I would have never have thought that potatoes could lighten skin.
Yea I know..
I had no idea people did this, I am now fascinated and will probably ending up Googling and spend ages reading posts about it now x
Lol..I do that a lot.
How interesting, I have never heard of this either but it is great to know there are some really inexpensive ways to do it. Thanks for the tips
Thanks for reading..
These are some great tips. I have dark skin, so am vulnerable too, so may have to try some of these. They do say avoid shaving, so it is better to wax or use cream.
Yea it is..
Wow great tips. I have used grated potatoes before and it worked. Now I have more additions to try on with my friends. Your tips are wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
Oh nice. Thanks for reading Osime.
I have the opposite problem as have vitiligo under my arms. I used to be embarassed but it doesn’t bother me anymore
Good to know it does not bother you anymore.
I always find that exfoliation works well and not just for lightening underarms but for hair growth. I’ve never tried the coconut oil application though so definitely keen to see what happens with that.
Alina from The Fairytale Pretty Picture
It is so cool Alina.
I don’t have this problem myself and I rarely show my arms off as I hate my upper arms. These are great tips though and are things I probably would not have thought about myself xx
Thanks for reading..
I exfoliate / moisturise but I might have to give that potato tip a go too! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks for reading..
My underarms are the same colour as the rest of my skin, if not paler as they never see the sun, I never realised that this was an issue that others had! What amazing tips you have to lighten them though, I am sure this will be really helpful for them!
Yea I hope so..Thanks.
I never though of this before, great tips 🙂
tend to hide my arms a bit now I am getting older, I need to got to the gym more lol.
Thanks Claire.
Potatoes are a great natural way to lighten skin and apparently can be used on eye bags too 😉
Yea they are..
I never thought of lightening my underarms, but if i would i would use lemon.x
Lemons are amazing Anna x
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I use an all natural deodorant with lemon and coconut oil – it exfoliates too! So far so good with the results
Ah need to try that out.
superb ..
Thanks.