Turmeric – a traditional skin remedy to lighten skin and pigmentation
What it does: Turmeric has been found to cut the skin’s melanin production. It also helps suntanned skin return to its normal shade faster.
How to do it
You can apply turmeric topically on your skin or ingest it (or do both!). There are many ways to use turmeric on your skin — below are a few simple methods.
Do note that turmeric will stain your skin and some surfaces yellow, scroll to the bottom for some helpful tips.
1) 15-minute mask (with lemon juice). Mix turmeric powder with cucumber juice or lemon juice to make a paste. Apply to the affected area. Leave on for fifteen minutes. Rinse off. With daily use, skin pigmentation will even out.
2) Mask or cream (with natural oils). For a more penetrating and longer-lasting treatment, mix turmeric with a natural oil to form a paste and apply this paste as a mask. You can leave the mask on for as long as you are comfortable as unlike lemon juice, it will not sting. Some good natural oils you can try are extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and castor oil (castor oil is probably the best as it can penetrate more deeply into the skin). Depending on your preferences, you can either make a thick paste (more turmeric, less oil) or a very thin, diluted mixture (less turmeric, more oil).
3) Turmeric-infused oil mask. This is very easy to prepare, and as it is “pre-mixed”, it’s also the most convenient method.
Just add some turmeric powder to a natural oil of your choice in a small bottle (use a clear or see-through bottle so you can see when the mixture separates in the next step). Shake well. The oil will immediately turn an orange or a deep yellow and will look ‘cloudy’.
Leave this bottle to stand overnight. The next day, the turmeric powder would have settled at the bottom and you’ll get a beautiful, clear orange oil at the top for your use.
Take a small amount of this turmeric-infused oil and rub it into your skin or face thoroughly. Leave on for at least 30 minutes (longer if you feel comfortable) and wash off.
You can continue to use this pre-mixed oil for some time, but as natural oils will eventually go rancid, you should make a fresh batch when you need to. It will keep fresh longer if you live in a cold climate or if you keep the mixture in the fridge. Nonetheless, it’s a good idea to make a fresh batch every few weeks as the older the oil, the less potent it becomes.
Remember that using natural methods such as these require patience. Give these methods consistent use for at least 1-2 months before deciding if there is any improvement or not. Keep in mind that the skin only renews itself every 30 days or so.
4) Ingest turmeric (eat it or drink it). Apart from putting it on your skin, turmeric taken internally also benefits skin. Some of the ways you can take turmeric are: 1) in food (many Asian dishes such as curries contain turmeric); 2) mixed in hot water or a drink; 3) or in supplement form. To boost turmeric’s absorption in your body, add some black pepper and fat. This can be easily done if you take turmeric at mealtimes.
Vienna Mendes kindly shared her success at fading a tan by drinking turmeric with milk. She wrote, “I had suntanned skin, one fine day I started drinking warm milk with turmeric powder in it. Guess what … my suntanned went off, my skin started glowing… everybody at my workplace started commenting. I was amazed, I couldn’t realise what had happened to me. Then I realised the milk & turmeric brought changes in me. It took just 15 to 30 days for my skin to improve. It really works.”
Why it works: Turmeric has powerful antioxidant properties, protects against environmental toxins, and has antibacterial properties.
Where to buy turmeric powder
You can find turmeric powder easily in most supermarkets nowadays. As it is used mainly in Indian dishes, you can also easily find turmeric in grocery stores that cater to this market. If you live in a large city, the local ‘Little India’ is a good place to buy turmeric cheaply.
Check the labels to make sure you’re getting only turmeric powder — this is because some pre-packaged turmeric products also contain other spices for cooking.
Yellow stains from turmeric: simple precautions and tips
When turmeric is mixed with oils like in methods 2) & 3) above, the yellow stains on the skin become much easier to wash off with soap and water afterwards. You will have to lather up a few times and be thorough, but the yellow stains will come off your skin with washing.
When turmeric is mixed with water (or water-based liquids like lemon juice) instead, it’ll leave a yellow stain on your skin for several hours and may require a few washings to fade it. As I told Sara in this comment, although this is inconvenient for most people, this yellow staining—where turmeric remains within the skin itself and not just sitting on top of it—may actually be more beneficial.
However, turmeric stains on fingernails do not wash off (for oil- and water-based mixes), so use plastic gloves when handling turmeric if this bothers you. You can also wrap a small piece of cling film/plastic wrap around your fingers to protect your nails.
Turmeric will also stain some porous surfaces such as plastic (you can remove these stains by soaking them in bleach – thanks to King C for this tip!). However, turmeric washes off non-porous surfaces such as steel, glass or ceramic (e.g. most regular sinks). If you’re not sure what turmeric will do to your surfaces, lay down some old newspapers to protect them.
If you use turmeric on your skin overnight while you sleep, it will also stain your pillowcase and bed linen, so line them with towels first or use old linens that you don’t mind getting stained.
Good luck in your journey, meg.
it is very useful for skin care and brightening in skin.
Hi there
its good for brigthening the skin before amajor event like a wedding… mix the paste with coconut oil, apply to face and neck area, then uwash it off with yoghurt.
This stains your skin a yellowish shade – freaks me out. I read that the stains are not permanent but still … something to consider if u want to try this idea. I tried the Lemon Juice/Turmeric idea but will probably not do it again, the yellow stains which I PRAY are just temporary scare me, my finger nails are yellow, as are my fingers, the lines in my palm etc… Good Luck
to prevent the stain from occuring,drop a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil to your mix of turmeric, and even as it dries on your skin, when washed off, no stain occurs.
I have been using Turmeric powder for a few days because an Indian friend recommended the skin toning and hair inhibitor properties. So far it looks good, but I can’t tell much about the hair inhibitors yet, she said it takes awhile of regular use. Several times a week for maybe two months. One problem is that I have an opposite complexion of her, with light hair and fair skin and I fell victim of the yellow stain. It looked like a highlighter marker all over my face and arms where I had applied the paste. Soap and a loofah didn’t make much of a difference, but for all of you who have had this problem I wanted to let you know that my facewash took it right off. I use Mary Kay their Timewise cleanser. Then it helps me know I’m ok to use the product without fear of long lasting stains.
I know for a fact that turmeric has healed my staph infection, though it’s left me looking like a splotchy pumpkin. That’s ok with me. Does anyone know if it lightens hair on the face? I thought I read something about turmeric stopping hair growth, has anyone had any results in this department?
Yes, for fair tones the tumeric may stain more. So, it’s best to use the night or 2 before so that the stain will have time to fade.
I have been reading about turmeric a lot lately due to its anti inflammatory properties. It seems counter-intuitive that something that could stain my kitchen counter so badly could actually lighten skin color. From the people who have tried it though, it does sound as though it works. Something to keep in mind. Thanks for the info.
I have been using tumeric with honey twice a week. It does not stain my skin, but my skin is already looking brighter after only 3 weeks of use. Will continue using it.
I have brown patches spreading on my forehead & blotches on both cheeks. Had the fairest & beauty of skins before my 4. I now look horrible with severe pigmentation!! Does the tumeric & honey really work cos I’m at the stage where I’ll try anything as long as it is natural & not bleaching creams containing hydroquinne which UK have now banned due to apparantly causing severe side-effect ie cancer!!!! Anyone here can honestly say that tumeric makes a difference, then I’m seriously gonna give it a try…… Watch this space…..
Hi, have you considered the possibility that the hyperpigmentation might be melasma? In which case, any topical methods might be helped by going the internal route as well (eg dietary/lifestyle changes, supplements etc.)
I i have dark neck,inner thighs,knees,and armpits. what is the best combination of turmeric to help lighten these areas. i would really appreciate your help.