Uneven skin tone can leave you with a lack of confidence when it comes to how you look. Our skin is important for many reasons. It is the first thing people see when we are out and about. The skin on our face gets the most exposure of any other part of our bodies. But our skin also needs to be healthy because it is our first line of defense.
Keeping out skin tone looking and feeling nice as well as healthy is something that we all care about, or at least we should. But how do we improve our skin tone naturally? We have done some research and put together expert tips to improve your skin tone naturally.
Not all of these tips involve products or items to put directly on your skin but also include lifestyle changes and things that we put in your body. It is also important to know the causes of uneven skin tone so you can try to prevent some of it before it starts. Let’s dive in and start evening out that complexion.
What Causes Uneven Skin Tone?
It isn’t by chance that our skin tone becomes uneven or that our complexion dulls. It may seem sudden but it is usually a slow burn that has been happening over time for one or more reasons. Sometimes it is just your body changing with age but sometimes it is due to not caring for your skin the way you should.
The five most common reasons for uneven or dulling complexion are explained in further detail below. Don’t get discouraged as you read these because next, we are talking about what you can do to help reverse it and restore your skin tone.
Sun Exposure
This is a big one. How many of you have neglected to wear sunscreen on your face every day? I need to raise my hand too. Sun damage is one of the leading causes of uneven skin tone and other types of damage and even skin cancer. Quite a few moisturizers and foundations now have SPF built into them but if you don’t use any of those products, then it is likely you have not been wearing daily sun protection on your face.
This type of exposure doesn’t do your skin tone any favors and even if you don’t worry about when you are young, one day you will regret it. So be kind to your skin and wear sunscreen every day.
Hormonal Changes
For women especially, this is inevitable. Men of course, have hormonal changes throughout life as well but it happens more often for women. When women hit their teen years, have babies, and go through menopause there are hormone changes.
Each of these changes can wreak havoc on your skin tone. Even though there isn’t anything you can really do about hormone changes you can help your skin recover from the damage.
Acne Scars
Acne scars are another culprit that causes uneven skin tone. If you suffered from acne when you were younger or even have an adult-onset acne then your skin will likely bear the redness and scars leftover form the worst parts of acne.
These scars and complexion issues can fade over time with some of the natural remedies in this article recommended by skin care experts.
Too Much Oil Production
This may not make sense at first. How can excessive oil production cause uneven skin tone? But stay with me and it will all come together. When your pores produce too much oil it can actually make your skin every bumpy. It can also cause certain parts of your skin to become thicker than others.
When these two things happen it will produce uneven tone and will damage your complexion. It can also make the texture of your skin uneven and rougher in some places.
Age
None of us like to talk about aging. It isn’t our favorite topic and acknowledging that we are all getting older can make us all a little sad. But this natural process of aging can have an effect on our skin tone and complexion. The damage that has happened to your skin when you were young will catch up with you as you age.
But don’t despair, there are plenty of natural remedies and changes that you can make that will improve the appearance and health of your skin.
How Can You Improve Skin Tone Naturally?
There are many methods that you can use to improve your skin tone. Some of them are not natural so we will not be talking about those. We are going to be focusing on changes to the way you live everyday life that you can make as well as natural remedies to help speed the healing of your skin.
Lifestyle Changes
Some basic lifestyle changes are a natural way to help your complexion brighten up. Sometimes looking at how you live your life and what you put in your body will give you an idea of why your complexion is uneven. But it also isn’t intuitive. Some of these things are common knowledge while some may surprise you.
Hydration
Most of us know that the body is 80 percent water. Our skin covers the whole of the outside of our bodies and is made up of several layers that require adequate hydration to operate efficiently.
Staying hydrated is a great way to start the process of healing your skin and getting that healthy, even skin tone back. Drinking at least eight glasses of water a day is the recommended best practice when it comes to appropriate hydration.
Water can come in the form of tea, lemonade, or other drinks that have a water base. Sorry to disappoint you though, coffee does not count toward your water intake.
Food Choices
The foods and beverages you put in your body have a huge impact on the health of your skin, among other systems in your body. Choosing to avoid certain items and replace them with healthier choices will do wonders for your skin.
Below is a list of foods and drinks that should be avoided for the most part. Like anything in life, moderation is the key here. Having a drink or a great trip to your local Mexican restaurant once in a while will not spell doom for your skin tone but indulging all of the time will.
- Alcohol
- Spicy Food
- Refine Sugar
- Dairy
- Greasy Foods
- Highly Processed Foods
Natural Ingredients That Help Skin Tone
There are natural ingredients that you should look for in your skincare products that will aid in smoothing out your skin tone and bringing back your healthy, glowing skin. When choosing a product, make sure you look at all of the ingredients and know what should be avoided.
Some of these ingredients can be taken as an oral supplement, eaten in foods rich in the ingredient, or even applied on the skin by itself.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is great for so many things when it comes to your body and your health. So it comes as no surprise that it is good for your skin too. It is an antioxidant that protects against free radicals that can harm your skin.
To get the greatest benefit from Vitamin C you can either take a supplement or eat fruits and vegetables rich in it.
Niacin
This nutrient is absolutely critical for healthy hair, skin, and nails. It helps your skin tone stay even and beautiful by keeping it hydrated. Niacin can be found in supplements but is also naturally occurring in poultry, tuna, mushrooms, and peas.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice helps even out your skin tone because it is a spot remover and skin lightener. The best way to see results is by using freshly squeezed lemon juice on your face twice a day.
Witch Hazel
If you haven’t heard of witch hazel you are really missing out. This item is so good for your skin among other things. It is a natural anti-inflammatory that reduces redness and irritation. Applying it directly to your skin is perfectly safe. However, you can also look for skincare products that have it as an ingredient.
Rosehip Oil
This oil helps with the natural production of collagen. It helps to reduce wrinkles plus it helps even out your skin tone. This is another product that should be on everyone’s skincare shelf.
In order to see the optimum benefits on your skin, you should apply it directly to your skin. There are also products that have rosehip oil in them and those will work as well.
Unusual Ways to Improve Skin Tone
Along with these natural ingredients, there are also some lesser-known ways to improve skin tone. These other methods are also natural and will probably not require you to actually purchase anything.
Most people will have these things in their homes or just be able to add the activities into their daily routines.
Ice
Unless you are not a fan of ice, most people will have a refrigerator/freezer complete with ice maker in their homes. This is something that can easily be added to your evening facial cleansing routine and you will see an almost immediate difference in your skin tone.
After you have cleansed your face go to the kitchen and wrap some ice in a towel. Proceed to roll the ice-filled towel on all over your face, focusing on your problem areas. Do this for about fifteen minutes. Your complexion will thank you.
Exercise
All of us should be exercising anyway to maintain a healthy body but did you know that it can give you healthy skin and a clear complexion as well? By exercising you are supplying all areas of your body with increased blood, oxygen, and nutrients.
This will help your body increase its collagen production which will in turn smooth your skin tone and complexion. Also, sweating while exercising removes toxins from the body and cleanses your pores naturally and this can only help your skin tone.
Tea Bags
If you love having a cup of hot tea every day don’t throw away those used tea bags. once they are cool they can be used to rid your complexion of dark spots and puffy circles as well as inflammation from an acne breakout.
This may seem unusual and you may feel weird laying on the couch with tea bags on your face, but the benefits will outweigh any awkwardness you may feel if someone sees you.
Coffee Grounds
Apparently out favorite morning beverages can be a lifesaver for our skin. Coffee grounds are next up on your list of unusual ways to even out your skin tone naturally. However it does need some help. Mixing it with sugar will produce a homemade skin scrub that can tighten and even out your skin.
Your skin will also look brighter, just like your day when you have that first cup of coffee.
Shorten Your Shower
I know, this isn’t my favorite either. If you are anything like me then you love a nice long hot shower to end your day. It is so refreshing and just melts my stress away. But it isn’t good for your skin.
The water from your shower can actually remove the water from your skin. Showers dry out your skin. We talked earlier about hydration being very important when it comes to even skin tone. While it is okay to shower every day, you really need to keep it short and use a good moisturizer to keep your skin tone even.
24 Best Tips to Improve the Skin Tone
Exfoliation
The topmost layer of the skin, also known as Epidermal, gets dirty easily. The skin absorbs dirt particles and affects the inner layers of the skin. It is quite necessary to scrub the face with the help of cleansing grains. After scrubbing, your skin will become extra, smooth, and clear. There is a natural way to scrub your skin at home. You have to take a cup of rice powder, oatmeal, and lemon rind powder. Mix it well and then store it in an air-tight jar. Take 2 tsp of the mixture with milk or rose water to scrub your face gently. Wash it with normal water and pat it to dry.
Take Care of Acne and Pimples
Millions of women suffer from acne and pimples. They hide red and painful acne with makeup, which unfortunately makes them worse. It is essential to take proper treatment of pimples instead of hiding them. If you take care of your skin regularly, you will not get skin problems like acne and pimples. Make sure that you keep your skin clean, and you must drink lots of water. You can use a skin tonic that contains mint or camphor to reduce bacteria and pimples’ occurrence.
Clean Your Skin With Tomatoes
If your facial skin has open pores, you might have observed that it is more likely to acne. The skin with open pores does not look good. Therefore, you might take some remedies to shrink them. You have to take a raw tomato, cut it into two halves, and keep it in a refrigerator. After a few hours, take it out and start rubbing on your skin. Your skin will absorb the tomato juice, and after 15 minutes, wash it off. You will observe improvements in your skin in a few days.
No Blackheads
Blackheads look ugly on your face and make the skin tone dark of areas like nose, chin, forehead, cheeks, etc. Blackheads can be a symbol of uncleanliness. Have you wondered what they are? These are black hardened sebum that is present in the skin pores. You can get rid of blackheads with proper cleaning and skincare routine. You have to clean your face regularly with a good cleanser.
It is mandatory to scrub the skin and clean out deep blackheads at least once in every four weeks. Your skin tone will start improving with time if you take care of your facial blackheads. You can take orange peel powder along with rose water to scrub the blackhead area. Squeeze the blackheads gently and clean it using a towel.
Add More Fruits and Vegetables in Your Diet
Some ingredients, like Vitamins A, C, D, B12, etc., are available in fruits and vegetables. You must consume these A-level veggies like mushrooms, carrots, pumpkin, cucumber, spinach, and many more for good skin quality. Some fruits like orange, apple, berries, watermelon, strawberry, grapefruit, pineapple, etc., boost your metabolism and keep your skin away from acne, wrinkles, and pigmentation. Having a balanced diet keeps your body healthy and beautiful.
Nowadays, people are consuming fast food with too much oil and harmful ingredients with no essential vitamins and minerals. Such food makes your health worst and makes you obese with lousy skin health. Try to avoid eating fast food as much as you can. Adding lots of fruits and vegetables, improves your health as well as your skin quality.
Hydrate Yourself
Water is a fantastic source to wash all the toxins from your body. Many body reactions, like inflammation, blemishes, acne, etc., are caused due to a lack of water quantity. Water helps in transporting oxygen and nutrients to skin cells and prevents premature aging and dehydration. It is recommended to drink eight glasses of water every day. You can also add different flavors to the water to drink sufficient water.
Snack Mixed Dry Fruits
Dry fruits like almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, and brazil nuts are good for skin health. These crunchy and nutty ingredients include vitamins, minerals, copper, omega-3 fatty acids, and much more. Munching dry fruits helps in increasing skin elasticity. Make sure that you consume in an adequate amount, not too little or not much. It will add a natural glow to your skin and repair skin breakouts. Dry fruits play an essential role in a balanced diet.
Make Your Body Sweat
When our body sweats, all the toxins come out via our skin pores. Sweating helps you to make your skin clear. It is essential to exercise regularly to improve blood circulation and cleanse your skin. If you cannot exercise, then at least brisk walk for at least 30 minutes daily.
Make sure that you should not apply any makeup while exercising. It will block your skin pores, and the toxins will not be removed from your skin. You can apply a toner to reduce the production of oil. After that, you exfoliate your face and use olive oil or shea butter for skin moisturization.
Sleep Properly
A night of good sleep is essential for beautiful skin and improving skin tone. It is necessary to have enough sleep for at least 8 hours every night. If your body lacks sleep, then your skin will also get tired and sagging. Therefore, you should not skip this vital part of your daily routine.
Get your beauty sleep by going to bed early. Sleep deprivation leads to low blood circulation that makes your skin pale. Sleeping time is the best to rejuvenate the skin cells. Before going to bed, wash your face with a good cleanser and then moisturize your face. Make sure that cleansers and moisturizers are free from alcohol.
Honey for Smooth Skin
You can apply honey two or three times a week to get smooth skin. Honey heals your facial skin from breakout and gives you soft skin naturally. When you apply raw honey on your skin, it balances the amount of bacteria and prevents acne. This effective ingredient speeds up the healing process of skin cells.
Rose Water
Rosewater is a natural skin toner that can prevent eye puffiness. It helps in maintaining the PH balance and hydrates skin cells. The pure rose water is quite gentle to your skin. You can clean the oil in skin pores and tone your skin well. It also reduces skin irritation and inflammation. You can daily apply rose water on your face and allow it to settle on your skin pores.
Cleansing Routine
It is advisable to wash your face thrice with warm water. You can take a cleanser with ingredients like hydroxyl or beta-hydroxyl acids. Massage your face gently in circular motions to clean your face properly. You can use a natural face pack like fuller’s earth (Multani Mitti) to tone your skin.
Do Not Pop Pimples
If you get an acne or pimples problem, make sure you do not pop it up. It leads to redness, swelling, and even scarring. It is difficult to get rid of acne scars. You can clean that area with rose water to kill the bacteria. After that, you can apply a chilled green tea bag over it for 10 minutes. It is essential to clean the skin to prevent the clogging of oil in skin pores. It will stop the growth of bacteria and pimples all over your face.
Acupressure
Acupressure is quite helpful in improving the quality of the skin. Specific points of our face enhance the beauty of our skin. For example, a point located in between the eyebrows, where the nose bridge meets the forehead. If you massage the point, it stimulates the endocrine gland and enhances the appearance of overall skin. There are different beauty points on our face to improve blood circulation and reduce blemishes and dull skin.
Breathing Techniques
There are specific rhythms of breaths, that helps in getting rid of pimples and dark spots. The technique, also known as Sudarshan Kriya, is a natural rhythm of breath that harmonizes the mind, body, and emotions. If you practice it daily, your body will release the stress naturally and make your skin glowing.
Healthy Habits
People who smoke and drink alcohol suffer from various skin problems. Our body reacts adversely and shows reactions by inflammation, irritation, dull skin, acne, and much more. Your hormones may secrete differently. It leads to the production of cortisol and makes your skin more oily. You must have healthy habits, including exercise, meditation, yoga, etc. Such solutions also reduce stress and related skin problems.
Facial Exercises
You should do specific exercises of the jawline as well as facial muscles. It is essential to perform facial exercises for at least 5 minutes every day. It will help in treating wrinkles and fine lines on your face. If you stretch your muscles, the skin will become more firm and elastic.
Keep Your Mobile Phone Clean
It is found that the touchscreen of your mobile phone has more germs than a toilet seat. The viruses can easily spread through your mobile screens. When you call someone and keep your phone on your ear, it touches your cheeks and jawline. So, all the germs land over your face skin. It can cause dark spots, redness, skin allergies, and irritation. Make sure that you keep your phone clean to keep away the bacteria. Use wipes to clean the mobile and charger.
Add Dairy Products in Your Diet
Dairy products like milk, curd, cheese, etc., are beneficial to benefit your skin. It is essential to add them to your diet. If you are suffering from persistent acne, then check if you have stopped taking dairy products. According to many nutritionists, it is necessary to have dairy foods and drinks to balance the hormones and improve skin quality.
Avoid Touching Your Face
When it comes to hygiene, you should not touch your face too much. Our hands touch the surrounding objects that are full of bacteria and viruses. It is unhealthy if you touch your skin with your hands. Make sure that you touch your face by hand only when they are well washed and sanitized.
Avoid Steamy Shower
Too much hot water can strip the natural oils from our skin. It can also burn your skin and reduce the cooling of skin vessels. It can cause skin redness and inflammation due to the extreme dryness of the skin. Try to take a bath with lukewarm water so that it releases stress hormones and does not affect the skin severely.
Pay Attention to Your Neck
Whenever you apply any product or natural ingredient, make sure that you apply it on your neck also. If we neglect the neck, you will experience adverse changes on the neck like wrinkles, uneven skin tone, fine lines, and much more.
Shield Your Skin from Pollution
Nowadays, the cities are loaded with vehicles, factories, etc., that cause severe pollution. It is necessary to protect your skin from pollution. You cannot stop yourself from going outside, but you can do a few things to safeguard your skin. The harmful substances in polluted air can cause premature aging and damage healthy skin cells. You can cover your face with a cotton cloth or apply sunscreen while going out in the pollution.
Wear Sunglasses to Prevent Wrinkles
You can protect your under-eye area from wrinkles and fine lines by wearing sunglasses while going out in the sun. The skin around the eyes is very thin as compared to the face. It cannot handle direct sunlight and tends to get wrinkled. You can wear a pair of polarised sunglasses that prevent UV rays from entering the eye area.
Conclusion
There are plenty of ways to prevent and repair the damage that has been done to your skin by one thing or another. While some of these things can be done simultaneously, you may not want to try them all.
Choose one or two to try at first and see if your skin responds and the skin tone starts to even out. If it doesn’t after a period of time then try something else. Your skin is important and we want to help you care for it in the best way you can.
