My Fight with tanning! (using home remedies)

I love sunny days and prefer summers over winters. Somehow I can go out happily at 40 degree's, but no force on earth can get me out of a blanket in winters. Infact my main reasons for not continuing a regular job is because I don't work in winters.

Tanning however, is the worst part of summers! and its the one thing that's been haunting me.

Left to Right : 

Haldi day wedding celebrations(Nov. 2012), Shimla right after the wedding(Nov. 2012), South Africa first day(Dec. 2012), South Africa last day (Dec. 2012) , Goa first day(March 2013), Goa last Day(March 2013)

The only thing I am super glad about is that last year I was pretty much the same 'color' so my wedding went off with no drama, but post-marriage its like my skin is playing holi!

South Africa is a wonderful country no doubt and if your planning to visit then do apply sunscreen every hour! ( I am not sure how much truth there is in this fact but someone at a shop in South Africa told us that sunscreen brought from Indian are not effective against the harsh South African sun and its better to just pick up a sunscreen from a local shop there..)

Anyways, here's what I did to remove tanning :

1. Uptan : 

This is probably the most used and super effective way of removing tan. This time around however I did feel the tan lighten and almost go away (see Goa first day picture Vs South Africa last day pic) but.....aahhh....

its difficult to explain...ok let me try, I have a golden undertone skin but after coming back from South Africa it was like the skin changed its undertone color and I got tanned from within where as Indian tanning is just the top layer.

So Uptan helped me remove the outer tanning but the inner tanning remained, which can't be really seen in some pictures but in others its like an alien color.....(does that make sense at all?!?)

As for you lovelies, Uptan is really good!

How to make :

Mix together :
1. Besan 1-2 spoons
2. Haldi half teaspoon
3. Lemon half
4. Honey a little
5. Milk to mix
6. Choker 1spoon
7. a little Rose water ( if you have any)

Basically Besan, Haldi and Milk are the most important components the rest if you have them, then add them otherwise those 3 do the job well.

The mixture should look semi-solid.

What to do with it?

Apply it all over your face, neck, hands, legs where ever you want.

Let it dry (til it gets a little hard)

Then you can either wash it off or scrub it off. I personally prefer scrubbing it off.

People generally advice to not use soap after this!


2. Tomato's

Again great for removing tan, but I think it works better if its a recent tan, as in you do this end of the day and the same days tan would go away easily. Using it twice a week, once middle of the week and once on the weekend makes it more effective.

How to make : 

Cut a medium size tomato into 2 parts

What to do with it? 

Apply it to your face and/or your hands, squeeze it a little to get the juice out directly on your skin

If you find this a little messy you can extract the juice first and then apply it on.

Leave it for 15 min. There might be a slight tingly sensation but that's just the tomato juice working its magic.

Wash it off. 


3. Malai Saffron

I am in love with this solution! This is the only homemade tan removal pack that has removed the weird alien skin color (mentioned above). Also the only one which lightened the sleeve tan (tanning on the shoulders which is left  behind because...of the sleeves..(huh?!)..blogging is getting tougher with just words)

How to make :

Take out Malai from the milk

Soak 3-4 strands of Saffron in malai overnight

What to do with it?

Apply it all over your face and hands (avoid on the face if you already have oily skin)

Let it dry for 15 min.

Wash it off by gently rubbing.

I don't use soap when I use this.

Stink Alert! make sure the bathroom is cleaned afterwards, it leaves behind a nasty stink but the skin is super soft and 'chikni'


Well now I am pretty much back to my normal skin tone, my golden undertone is back because of the malai-saffron tan-pack and I am now finally able to look at mirrors again! (does that sound vain?!)

Anyways with summer heat about to leave and wedding season approaching, don't forget to protect your skin! It took me around 4-5 months to get my skin back! Take Care!


For better skin see more home made face pack at http://www.crazyindianwedding.com/2012/09/home-remedies-taking-care-of-your-skin.html