How To Whiten Skin

Natural Formulas

Orange peel contains an essential oil and vitamins that are effective in skin whitening. To use, dry orange peels in the sun. When they are fully dry, grind them using a food processor or blender until they form a powder. Mix enough milk with the powder to form a paste. Apply this to your face until it dries. Rinse with lukewarm water. Follow this regimen until desired results are achieved. Potatoes also contain natural bleaching agents. Apply potato juice to your skin daily to reduce pigmentation. You can also take a handful of almonds and soak them in water overnight. Peel them, and make them into a paste with a little honey. Apply this to your skin, allow to dry and then rinse. The almond masque whitens skin and gives your complexion a youthful glow. Some models apply lemon juice to portions of their skin they would like to whiten. The acid in lemon juice lightens the skin. Apply the juice of a lemon or a slice of lemon to the entire face or to skin discolorations. Leave the juice on the skin for five minutes, and rinse. The lemon juice remedy may be the cheapest way to naturally whiten the skin.

Exfoliation and Water

Weekly exfoliation can also help to whiten skin. Store-bought exfoliation creams are available, or you can make your own. For example, oatmeal, a teaspoon of brown sugar and milk formed into a paste is a great-smelling and effective remedy. Sometimes the skin can become discolored because the body is dehydrated. You might be surprised what drinking plenty of water can do for your complexion.

Use Lemon Juice

Lemon juice has been a folk remedy for treating age spots and freckles for a long time. This homemade skin whitener is safe and natural. The citric acid in lemons act as a mild acid that exfoliates or removes the epidermis or top skin layer. By removing the dead skin cells, excess oil and dirt, the lemon juice can better penetrate the skin and fade the discolored areas. The skin renews itself faster after the surface of the epidermis is removed. When the new skin reaches the surface, it is less discolored. Squeeze a fresh lemon or buy a bottle of the juice. Apply the lemon juice to the hyper-pigmented areas with a cotton ball. You can apply lemon juice a few times a day. Results will be seen within a few weeks.

Use Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is a popular bleaching substance. Many hair coloring kits and teeth-whitening products have hydrogen peroxide as one of the main ingredients. Hydrogen peroxide has many uses (such as a disinfectant) so many homes already have a bottle of peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide sold in drug stores is in a dark-colored bottle because sunlight and artificial light lessens its potency. Use a cotton ball to apply a small amount of the peroxide to the areas you want to lighten in color. As with lemon juice, you can apply hydrogen peroxide a few times a day.

Use Buttermilk

Buttermilk is also recommended to fade discolored areas and lighten skin. The lactic acid in buttermilk works in a way similar to citric acid. The lactic acid exfoliates the epidermis and helps to fade the age spots or scars. Buttermilk can be applied to the skin and used as a facial. Leave on for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse off with warm mater. You can have a buttermilk facial a few times a week.

By: ehow.com

Beauty Secrets, Tips and Tricks

Truer words were never spoken. Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. There is a special uniqueness and individuality that sets us apart from the rest. Besides the obvious beauty that we all hold within ourselves, women have found many secrets that can improve their finer features and solve nagging problems.

So what beauty secrets are there that can still be considered "secret?" Apparently, they're no longer secrets if they're out there for the general public to read. However, there are many tips and tricks that Hollywood stars would prefer to be kept exclusive. After all, why would they want to share these with their competition?

The best beauty secrets are those that make you say "wow, this really helps." Others may help you find an easier method of applying makeup or hair color. What's really fun, are those secrets that celebrities let slip out, whether by accident or a true desire to help other women. Here are a variety of free secrets that have been let out of the bag.

Skin and Makeup

Charlize Theron does a switcharoo with her eye shadow. Instead of applying the darker color on her eyelids and the lighter color above, she applies the lighter color on her lid and the darker shade above. This enhances her beautiful blue eyes and adds to her youthful appearance.

Thick foundation and powder makeup falls into pores, fine lines, and wrinkles. Too look younger, use a moisturizer as a base, before your foundation. Apply makeup with a light hand and quality brushes.
The tan ain't always natural. Celebrities often go to salons and have their tans airbrushed on, not only to darken their skin, but to cover up blemishes and flaws.

US Weekly reports that "Desperate Housewives" star Nicollette Sheridan goes to L.A.'s Jim Wayne Salon for monthly Super Performance Facial Treatments to help treat her dry and sensitive skin.

Botox is no secret to celebs, but just take a look at some of their faces when they're trying to express themselves. If natural lines don't appear in their forehead and around the eyes, they've probably been Botoxed. Scarier yet, are those reported Botox parties before awards events.

Tyra Banks revealed during one of her shows that drugstore brand makeup works just as well as those pricey bands found in department stores. Hence, it's not always the brand which you choose that's important, it's the technique in which you apply it.

Crisco can be used to remove makeup and moisturize extremely dry areas on your face and body.


Hair
To look younger, celebrities avoid too short or too long hair. Shoulder length, layered hair is versatile and ideal for more youthful styles.
Don't add hair color to freshly washed hair. Natural oils help protect the scalp and make the hair shaft absorb color more efficiently.

Baby shampoo is gentle. So gentle that is helps preserve hair color and treatments such as perms and straighteners.

Professional stylists know that by setting their blow dryer on a low, cool setting and using a diffuser makes hair less frizzy and easier to achieve the desirable hairstyle.

Body and Shape

A model's best kept secret is using duct tape around her waist and stomach to trim off extra pounds. Beauty pageant contestants have also done this.

How do celebrities get those white, picture-perfect teeth? If they're not born with them (most aren't,) porcelain veneers are bonded to their teeth to cover up imperfections such as chips, misalignments, and discoloration.

Dentists don't want you to know that you can whiten your teeth at home with a simple solution of peroxide and baking soda.