6 Home Remedies to Lighten Elbows You Probably Did Not Know

Thursday, December 11, 2014, 9:57 [IST]

Dark elbows can ruin the look even if you are dressed gorgeously. You might have faced instances where you had to give pretty little white dress a pass simply because of the darkened elbows. There are various ways to solve this issue; the most common being rubbing lemon on the elbows. We list down of the quick and effective home remedies to lighten the dark elbows.

Skin Care Tips To Remove Dark Spots

Elbow skin is on the thicker side and tends to lose more moisture than rest. This makes elbows rough; and the more you ignore the worse it will become. Some of the reasons why elbows become dark are lack of exfoliation, moisturisation and application of sunscreen. So, it is necessary to take care of the elbows.

If you want to achieve flawless elbow skin, read these simple and effective home remedies to get rid of your dark elbows.

Go Minty:

Mint, an essential herb used in every day cooking, works efficiently in lightening the dark elbow skin. Take fistful of mint leaves and bring them to boil in half a cup of water. Squeeze half lemon in the boiled mint water. Apply the mixture with a cotton on your elbows. Wash it with warm water after 15 to 20 minutes.

Sugar and Olive Oil Help:

Mixture of sugar and olive oil acts as an exfoliator as well moisturiser on the skin. Take equal quantities of olive oil and sugar and mix them to make a thick paste. Rub the mixture for five minutes and wash it using mild soap and water.

Baking Soda and Milk to the Rescue:

Make a thick paste of baking soda and milk. Apply this on your elbow and scrub gently in circular motion until you see your skin becoming lighter. The lactic acid in milk helps reducing pigmentation while baking soda exfoliates dead skin cells.

Go Nuts Over Coconut and Lemon:

In a bowl mix one tablespoon of coconut oil and half a tablespoon of lemon juice. Apply the mixture on the elbow and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes. Wipe away the solution with tissue. Coconut oils is a hydrating agent and natural bleacher.

Yogurt and Vinegar Mixture:

Mix 2 tablespoon of yogurt with 2 tablespoon of vinegar. Apply it on the elbow skin and leave it for 20 to 30 minutes. You can consider wrapping a cloth so the mixture remains intact. Wash it away with lukewarm water.

Yogurt is rich in lactic acid whereas vinegar is loaded with acetic acid, both of which helps in lightening.

Classic Besan Pack:

We all have used besan (gram flour) packs for our faces. You can use them on you darkened elbows too! Make a smooth besan paste with curd and apply it on the elbows. Once it is dried scrub away in a circular motion and wash it with water.

You can also mix lemon juice instead of curd. Take lemon juice and mix it well in besan. Apply this mixture and rub in circular motion. Let it dry and wash it with water.

Besan and curd has brightening properties and effectively reduces blemishes and pigmentation while lemon is a natural bleach.

Soothing Skin with Aloe and Honey:

Aloe vera plant is probably sitting right now in your balcony without coming to any use. Now use aloe vera gel and honey to remove pigmented elbows. Make paste out of aloe gel and honey and apply it on the elbows. Wash it after 30 minutes.

Luxurious Turmeric, Honey and Milk Pack:

With its antiseptic properties turmeric protects the skin while lightens the skin. Honey is a natural moisturiser. Mix equal quantities of turmeric, milk and honey to make a smooth paste. Apply this pack on the elbow skin and leave it for 20 minutes. Before washing it with water rub the paste for 2 minutes.

Pro Tip:

In case you have dry skin and lemon juice stings you, it is advisable to moisturise the elbow with either petroleum jelly or body lotion a night before the application of lemon-based mixture.