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.
Maria had good results in fading dark underarms in 3 weeks with turmeric, lemon and cucumber juice. She wrote, “I’ve been trying turmeric powder, lemon juice, and cucumber juice to treat underarm hyperpigmentation and its realy working! I’m amazed that in 3 weeks using it 4x a wk it has already made a significant difference…… Yay… .”
She also kindly shared her method:
“I only use it on my underarms so I don’t need a lot of the mixture.
1. 2 tablespoons of Lemon Juice
2. 2 tablespoons of Cucumber Juice
3. Less than half a teaspoon of turmeric powder.I recommend you add turmeric powder in pinches so that you can see it becomes a very orange color. With the half a teaspoon I use, it becomes a little sandy too. I don’t mind the roughness and I do notice a tan color after I wash off, but I suppose that means it continues to work even after I wash off. But if you are light-skinned, you might want to try adding 1/4 teaspoon and then just take it from there. I leave mine on for 15 minutes at night, then I wash it off and apply coconut oil. Then I just shower in the morning and wear my deodorant. Hope this brings you great results, let me know how it works for you.”
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 more convenient to do.
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 turmeric works to lighten pigmentation
A powerful component of turmeric (curcumin) inhibits the production of melanin (pigment) in human skin cells (click here to read about a study, opens a .gif). Experiments have shown that melanin content and tyrosinase activity were “significantly inhibited” by curcumin.
Turmeric also 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 completely (for both oil- and water-based mixes). You’ll be able to wash most of the turmeric off, but there would usually be a yellowish tinge left on the fingernails exposed to turmeric. If this bothers you, use plastic gloves. You can also use an applicator like a facial sponge or a soft brush instead of your fingers.
Turmeric will also stain some porous surfaces such as plastic (you can remove turmeric stains on plastic 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. For turmeric stains on cloth and linens, Pronojit recommends washing them and putting them out under the sun to dry, where the stains will fade after a few hours of sunlight. I’ve tried this myself and it really works!
Ok day 1 mixed 1 teaspoon of turmeric with 2 t spoon of lime and half t spoon of honey . No irritation ,no yellow stain just came out with water. Am I doing it right???
Yes, that sounds fine. I think being consistent with daily applications should eventually yield some results. Good luck!
I am getting small pimples when apply my mask they went away the next day . Uhhhhhhhhhhhh I want to see some improvement real bad . Day 2 only
Day 4 . I hope it works . can’t stand the disgust I see in my husband’s for me any more 🙁
mix to make a paste of turmeric with sandalwood oil with jojoba, whole milk and lemon.
Pls answer. How can turmeric whiten underarms when it stains a lot?
The yellow stain is only temporary, it is the compounds in turmeric that reduces pigmentation over time.
turmeric is good i love its effects
I have needed to use Turmeric on my skin lately. I find that if you mix the powder into an oil it comes out of fabric easier. I thought some clothes were ruined but the stains came out. Just wanted to give that tip to someone else in case they need it.
Thanks for the tip! Drying it in the sun can also remove turmeric stains. It worked for me.
Hi, please can i add turmeric to my cream n soap? And Hw do i get rid of green veins from cream. Plsssssssss i need help
Hi I really want to whiten my skin fast what can be mixed with turmeric fast that can give me this result and how fast can it be plsss kindly reply asap thanks
Thanks for the tips,
I would like to ask are the results temporary or permanent with Turmeric whitening?
Abby.
Hi Abby
If you use turmeric to lighten dark marks such as those from pimples (i.e. hyperpigmentation), the marks won’t redarken after they have faded. So this would be more or less permanent. But of course, if you get new pimples, you might have new marks.
If you use turmeric to fade a tan or lighten skin (i.e. natural pigmentation), your skin would redarken as you spend more time under the sun again (as per what is normal for you). So this is more or less temporary. The effect would last longer if you’re able to avoid the sun after using turmeric though.
Hope that helps.
Thanks so much for this response, I was searching all over the internet to see if the effects of turmeric were permanent or temporary in regards to fading acne hyper pigmentation. This answered it! Thanks again!
Glad it helped you 🙂
Can turmeric be used on a child’s skin??
Do we put turmeric mask on effected area only or the whole face ???
Please help me
in childhood i was suffered from chickenpox
and its left 5 to 10 dark holes in my face please tell me some tips,
i tried turmeric poweder to but dont know wat to do please help
Great article! I was wondering if I could use lemon juice from the bottle with turmeric or do I have to squeeze the juice from an actual lemon. Does it make a difference? Also, can the mixture be stored or does it have to be freshly made for each use?
Thanks in advance! 🙂
Hi Timah, fresh lemon juice is always better. Anytime something is manufactured and bottled, there’ll be added preservatives. What you buy will also be old, it’s not unusual for packaged food/drinks to be many months old and having sat in boxes in warehouses or store shelves for a long time before it’s actually bought, opened and used.
I would also doubt the usefulness of any fruit juice that’s months old. So use it fresh or squeeze extra, keep in the fridge and try to use it within a few days 🙂 That would still be *loads* better than any bottled lemon juice.
Ok great.. Also, how much lemon juice and turmeric should I use. I read someone’s comment above who used 2 tablespoons of lemon, 2 tablespoons of cucumber juice and 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric but I won’t be using cucumber juice. Could I do 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric? What do you recommend? And is it necessary to use cucumber juice?? Does that help with faster results? Sorry for all of the questions! 🙂 I just want to get it right because I tried other topical treatments before that made my pigmentation worst :/
Use actual fresh lemons. Usually lemons presqueezed have preservatives
Ok great.. Also, how much lemon juice and turmeric should I use. I read someone’s comment above who used 2 tablespoons of lemon, 2 tablespoons of cucumber juice and 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric but I won’t be using cucumber juice. Could I do 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric? What do you recommend? And is it necessary to use cucumber juice?? Does that help with faster results? Sorry for all of the questions! 🙂 I just want to get it right because I tried other topical treatments before that made my pigmentation worst :/
Just start with low amounts and test to see what works for your skin best.
Everyone’s skin is different so it’s best to find what works for you instead of relying solely on what others have done. Some people have thinner skin while others thicker/more damaged skin, so acidic topicals like lemon juice will have a different effect on each person. Turmeric also feels hot on the skin so start low (maybe a pinch) and see what you can take comfortably.
If something stings or burns more than you like, you can just wash it off and try again with less lemon juice/turmeric next time, or by diluting your current mixture by adding more water or oil. Not a big deal 🙂
Don’t worry too much, natural products typically have temporary or no adverse effects compared to man-made chemicals. You can forgo cucumber if you’d like.
Hope that helps.
I want to know if tumeric +castor oil+lime juice will lightens my sun damage which left side of cheek brown.
I used lime juice and sugar for few days ,is lightening slowly.
Can honey and turmeric powder be mixed and kept in bottle for a month or so?
Hello, If I use Turmeric and lemon juice for dark spots on my face do I only apply it to the dark areas?
I use the Turmeric Lemon juice and milk the milk seem to make it stain even less, I can just wash it off with worm water and soap. I learned this the hard way I use to mix Turmeric and lemon juice and it stained my skin yellow for days on end.Try it you will like it..
I just mix turmeric with raw honey to make the mask. No measuring. Lemon juice is an acid and can cause your skin to become more sun sensitive so I stay away from it because sun spots can become worse. Turmeric however fights cancer cells and lightens skin (reduces acne) safely. Raw honey is oil free, has moisturing and healing benefits and keeps the mask from cracking and flaking.
i have used tumeric in milk and it has lightened my eyes?! !
Did it really? How did you mix it and applied it? Was it the turmeric powder?
They say to buy Turmeric in the grocery store, but I suggest buying organic only, from your local health food store, or from a reputable health store store online so that you will be sure of it’s purity. Sometimes when you buy from the grocery store other things could get added in, unknowingly.
Turmeric is awesome…I take it for a number of health reason, mainly for health maintenance, but how ironic that just a couple of weeks ago, I was trying to figure out what exactly I was doing that was helping the dark spots to fade on my skin. I use my homemade C serum,, but I had missed a week and had been out in the sun. I knew that it had to be something, maybe something that I had added to my diet that I was eating….well, in this case, drinking, because i drink it as an elixir. Glad I know….thank GOD for this article.
What exactly do u do to fade the dark spots on your skin? What is your homemade C serum consist of?
Can turmeric fade my acne marks on face? If so how long will it take? Plz answr me fast!
mam how many days we should avoid going out in sun after applying turmeric in our face….i have heard that if we apply turmeric than we shoul avoid going out in sun for atleast 2 to 3 days otherwise it will darken our skin more..my face have pimples so i m applying neem turmeric paste can i also add lemon juice in it….and plz reply i have to go out in sun wether i can use turmeric in my face or not…..
Hi Meenal, I think it depends on how your skin reacts to the turmeric. I’ve had no skin darkening from going in the sun the next day after using a turmeric mask (or even the same day)—it could be because turmeric doesn’t make my skin more sensitive. I actually feel it gives me *more* sun protection.
But if your skin feels sensitive or looks pinkish/red after using turmeric, then it’s best to avoid the sun for at least a day and use a good sunblock. Also, adding lemon juice to anything will definitely make skin more sun-sensitive, so you may want to skip the lemon if you’re worried.
just to share my experience with turmeric mask. I mix turmeic powder equally with raw honey. I’ve been applying this mask for nearly 2 weeks with 3 times a week. The result is superb! My acne improved a lot. Talking about acne, i suffered huge acne on my jawline and cheeks area. Sometimes it looks like im having abscess on my face. The mask really helps curing my acne and my skin is smooth and glowing too. How i removed the yellow stain-after wash off the mask, i used wet tissue to wipe the stain until there no stain mark on the wet tissue. Another tips-whatever treatment you are doing, ALWAYS have the sunscreen cream on!
is it only for face because I have problem with my legs
Yes, you can use turmeric on legs and arms as well.
I simply got into the site..just to check if drinking turmeric milk had any role in skin whitening because just a few days back i started taking turmeric milk due to its beneficial effects, however i saw that my skin looks different..its looks nice…its glowing…i have pigmentation marks on my face since 2007…i used the most expensive creams…but with this turmeric milk i really really found the difference. I have taken just for a few days…will continue taking for some more time. Try it…no harm in trying….also this is no advertisement for Turmeric as is for all the creams.
Thanks for sharing your experience, maria 🙂
i have white spots on my skin i tried the dandruff shampoo its really not working i am going to try tumeric and lemon juice or tumeric and milk is that ok i need some advice
i been ready the nautural remedy and going to try it
regards
lorraine debruyn
Can I use honey and tumeric power on my skin . Will it lighten my skin and remove dark spots .
Yes, you can also use honey and turmeric. Honey could help with blemishes as well so it’s a good combination to try.
Hie l need help lve been bleaching for 3yrs and now my fingers remain black, wat can l use? thanks in advance.
Hi,I started using turmeric,honey and lime face mask last week and I can’t even say if I’m getting results cuz my breakouts started increasing,I’m really confused here??,please reply me soon
And I drink turmeric and milk
I had applied turmeric and honey on my upper lip and slept. After i had washed it in the morning my upper lip complexion was brighter than my face complexion. Should i apply turmeric to my entire face to even my complexion or leave it as it is? My age is 14.Please help!!
Hi sheena, was the brightening temporary? In my experience, it’s usually not such a drastic change, especially in just 1 night.
If your upper lip is still noticeably brighter than the rest of your face, you can of course use turmeric all over to try to even it out a bit. Good luck!
is orange possible instead of lemon juice
plis helps
can I use turmeric only for my face there is melasma I don’t want to mix other juice can I use only turmeric how long and how much can I use it please tell me the way of using turmeric with water only
Hi samantha, im washing my armpit with soap after applying the mixture of turmeric tea with lemongrass and Virgin coconut oil for 10 min. Should I wash it with water only and not with soap? And also turmeric tea with lemongrass doesnt stain. Should I use the turmeric tea only? Thank you for answering 🙂
Can I ask I have upper lip shadow dark pigmantation what’s the best option
can I mix turmeric with Rose water in the case of skin lightening?
I don’t see why not. I’ve not tried it myself, but it shouldn’t cause any harm.
pls I have problem with my skin have used many creams,spot remover and others all what I could get is my skin was lighter but leave the darks area am ashamed of wearing anything short
Hi Samantha,
I have been battling melasma for 10 years now, and it is slowly spreading to my upper lip. Am I able to use a combination of turmeric, honey and milk and add it only to the dark areas? Also, would you say there is benefit in adding some pure aloe vera gel to this mask? Thank you!
Hi Monica, yes, you can try your homemade mask and add aloe if you wish. If the melasma is epidermal (i.e. not dermal or deep), it could help.
You may also be interested in reading Melasma and Hormone Imbalances.
Good luck 🙂
Can I use turmeric powder and lemon juice to fade dark spots on my face? how much each should I mix each?
Yes, you can use turmeric with lemon juice. Just use enough turmeric to make a paste. You can dilute with water if it’s too strong.
Hello,
Thanks a lot for the info, but I need to ask something.
U said earlier the effect will probably fade away if exposed to sun and that’s normal for any skin. But if NOT exposed to sunlight, will pigments start working again after a while from stop using turmeric, or does it stop producing pigments permenantly? If it will come back, how long will it take. And I am talking about normal skin, not hyper pigmentation or sun tanned skin.
Hi Sara, don’t worry, turmeric cannot make the skin stop producing pigment permanently. There are few things that can do something so drastic to the skin like that, and they definitely do not include plants and herbs in their natural forms.
As to how long the skin will regain it’s normal pigmentation, it would depend on when it’s exposed to sunlight and UV rays again. Healthy skin can bounce back fairly quickly.
Actually I am looking forward to whiten skin permanently if ever possible without the deadly chemicals of bleaching that ppl use. So does it really lighten skin!! or just gives a brighter look as the skin becomes more tender and healthy. My skin is not really dark to start with but i want it pure white. The thing is it’s not making any effect and i’ve been using it for 10 days by nw. I started by testing it on a small patch in my stomach that has a dark spot caused by a pimple. Literally no effect. Are there some skin types that it doesn’t work with at all. Or does it take months to make a change.
What you’re looking for isn’t possible with turmeric.
Will turmeric, plain yogurt and raw honey help remove dark hyper pigmentation and freckles? Also I’ve heard using raw potato juice and rubbing it on the problemed area will work too.
Can only cucumber and lime juice be use for skin lightening
Am dark and want to get fair
Yes, you can try that. Lime juice is a good acid exfoliator, but may make skin more sun-sensitive so take care not to go out in the sun right after using it.
Hi, I drank turmeric juice and have feeling headache. Is that how it work?
I’ve not heard of turmeric causing headaches… Maybe it’s just not suitable for you?
Pls can tumeric and honey work for anti aging?
hi my name is Eliza i have been using turmiric mixed with bottled lemon juice its been 8 days now but i dont see any different so far but i see breakouts of my skin, what can i mixed turmeric with so that i can get the results quickly. i have a terrible pigmentations and have a bad discoularation. thanks in advance
Hi Eliza
Could it be the bottled lemon juice you’re using? Anything “bottled” will most likely contain chemical preservatives — these are of course not meant to be applied on the skin and could have led to your breakouts.
If you don’t have lemons to get fresh juice from, just eliminate it altogether and try turmeric mixed with water instead.
And if you still get breakouts from a plain turmeric and water paste, then you should stop using turmeric altogether as it’s not suitable for your skin for some reason.
Hope that helps.
Sam
thank you so much Sam for your response hope it will work, wishing me luck.
But turmeric stain cannot clear
Why
Being half Asia n half Mexican I drink warm milk n turmeric 6 months so I look as if I had s tan so I don’t have get my skin burn