Home Remedies for Brown Spots on Skin

The years of unprotected sun exposure are best revealed by unsightly brown spots. However, even if prevention has failed not everything is lost as there are several home

remedies that can help you make them less apparent. Try a few inexpensive and natural solutions that will enable you to look younger if applied consistently.

Brown spots are a common problem of skin aging. While some take these sun spots as a part of the natural aging process and embrace them, other would like noting more than to have them removed and prevent them in the future as much as possible. While prevention is fairly easy as it only requires using sunscreen and avoiding overexposure, making them a little less visible will most likely take more time.

Although there are many creams available on the market to help treat this problem, many women are concerned with the potential side effects these treatments might have. If hydroquinone based creams are exactly one of the options you have in mind for treating this problem, natural remedies might be a better choice. While natural does not necessarily mean side effect free, certain natural treatments are better tolerated by the skin. If you've decided to go on the natural remedy root, here are a few simple recipes you can try:

Avocado, cucumber and carrot paste

Puree these ingredients for a natural, quick and simple treatment that will leave your skin nourished and well moisturized. Carrots are a great source of vitamin A while avocado contains a lot of healthy fats that can improve the condition of the skin. Along with cucumbers the mix has both a soothing and a nourishing effect on the skin. Let the paste dry and then remove it with cool water.

Lemon juice and honey

This combo is one of the most popular ones for a variety of skin problems from freckles to skin whitening as it has natural bleaching properties. While the lemon juice is a potential irritant, especially for those struggling with sensitive skin, the honey is a great moisturizer with a multitude of benefits, including anti-inflammatory ones. Other variations include lime juice, turmeric and parsley leafs for a similar effect. 

Mashed chick peas

If you are interested in international beauty tips, this brown spots remedy inspired by Israelite women might spark your interest. This recipe calls for 1/3 cup of canned chick peas or boiled chick peas. Mash the chick peas and add a little water. Smear the paste on the targeted areas and rinse it off with lukewarm water once the mixture starts crumbling. Being a gentle mixture, it can be reapplied every night without any problems.

Onion and vinegar mix

This might not the the best smelling combo from the list yet it can be effective in treating this problem. Grate an onion and squeeze it with a cheesecloth until you get a teaspoon of onion juice then add two teaspoons of white or apple cider vinegar. Massage the mixture gently into the skin and rinse off with cold water after 15 minutes.

Castor oil

This is thought to be one of the most beneficial oils when it comes to treating brown spots. Thanks to its ability to penetrate the skin deeply and its acid content, castor oil can be a useful addition to your beauty routine. To enjoy its benefits simply make sure to apply castor oil over the targeted areas, twice a day. Make sure to avoid eye contact when dealing with castor oil and only use it externally.

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Bad Habits that Age Your Skin

A healthy, glowing-looking skin is every girl's dream. In order to achieve this is important to avoid all negative factors that can cause serious premature aging and different skin

problems. From sun exposure and smoking to an unhealthy diet and stress, there are numerous bad habits that age your skin.

We would all love to have a flawless skin but sometimes without being forced to make sacrifices. Still, it's good to know that there are different bad habits, which we might consider rather harmless, that can seriously damage your skin and can strongly contribute to its premature aging. Smoking, sun exposure, an unbalanced diet and lots of sweets, an unhealthy lifestyle, stress and anxiety, but also an inappropriate skin care routine represent some of the bad habits that may have noxious side-effects upon the skin.

Sun exposure

Did you know that ultraviolet rays are responsible for 80% of premature aging? In fact, UV rays don't just beautifully color the outer layer of the skin but they also penetrate deeper, causing damage to the collagen and dehydrating the skin. It is crucial to understand the importance of sun protection against the aging effects of the sun that can cause wrinkles, freckles, dry and rough skin, age spots, and even skin cancer. Remember to always apply generous amounts of sunscreen 30 minutes before going outdoors. However, the best thing to do is to avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Smoking

It is already known that smoking causes premature wrinkles and not just on the face but also on the body. The signs may not be visible now yet in time, after about 10 years of smoking, you'll notice the damage caused by this bad habit, consequences that are, unfortunately, irreversible. But how does smoking affect the skin and accelerate the wrinkling process? First of all, smoking narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outermost layers of skin, and therefore decreasing blood flow. In consequence, the skin lacks oxygen and nutrients, such as vitamin A, that are essential for its health. Moreover, smoking also alters collagen and elastin that are responsible for its strength and elasticity.

Unhealthy diet and sweets

Usually, our skin is the reflection of a healthy body. Different studies have shown that what you eat directly influences the condition of your skin. A diet rich in antioxidants, minerals and vitamins is extremely beneficial and can really make a difference. Eat fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and don't forget about the essential fatty acids in oily fish. Try to stay away from unhealthy foods, too many fats, sugars and salt. We know that is impossible to eliminate sugar completely yet your should know that a diet rich in sweets damages the collagen and elastin.

Improper skin care routine

Studies reveal that there are two types of aging: intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external). If the first one cannot be prevented since it's the body's natural aging process, the effect of the second one, which is caused by numerous environmental factors, might be reduced. For this, it is crucial to embrace a healthy, good skin care routine. But, first off all, determining skin type is necessary and based on this you can start choosing the appropriate products. Remember to cleanse and moisturize, but also exfoliate and apply masks once a week.

Stress

Managing stress is vital when it comes to skin aging. Stress increases the risk of skin diseases and premature aging by affecting its oil production. On long term, chronic stress leads to wrinkles at a relatively young age. Anxiety, depression and lack of sleep can also trigger skin issues. Meditate and try to do things you enjoy!

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How to Apply Sunscreen More Efficiently

Thanks to the massive campaigns that warn us about the dangers unprotected sun exposure, we have become pretty aware of the need to use sunscreen on a

daily basis. However, when it comes to apply the knowledge there are many things that can go wrong even if the process seems simple enough. Boost the efficacy of your sunscreen and be more protected with some of the following tips.

Delaying aging and preventing skin cancer in a single step can truly be considered an important step when it comes to modern skin care. However, even with increased knowledge, we can still fall short in terms of the actual protection we are getting. Whether we have an overly relaxed attitude or we hold onto a series of myths, taking unnecessary risks should not be an option.

Among the sunscreen rules that have come to be well known is that of selecting a broad spectrum sunscreen which protects against both UVA and UVB rays. However, although the issue of selecting the right type of sunscreen for you can be easily fixed through a few trials and errors, when it comes to applying it, things become a little more complex. That's because we are often more concerned about applying it than making sure we have everything right. Not using enough sunscreen is a real problem as it can greatly diminish the protection we are getting.

Experts recommend using about 1 ounce of sunscreen or a shot glass full to cover our entire body. However, it is not only the right amount that should be your concern. The formula you choose is also important. The way you apply it can also diminish its efficiency.

If you rub it vigorously to speed up the process, you might reduce its efficacy by as much as 25%, so make sure that you are gently enough. While it can be easy to determine the right amount of cream you should use, if you prefer spray formulas, it is believed that you need about 15 to 20 seconds of continuous spray to match the 1 ounce equivalent for cream.

Another detrimental habit that many women have, is using lip gloss all day long. During summer this habit can be particularly problematic as it can easy cause your lips to burn, especially since they don't have melanin to protect them. The nice sheen can also facilitate burning so skipping it and using a lip balm with SPF is highly advisable. If you don't want to give up lip gloss, make sure to choose one with SPF and don't forget to reapply. If the necessary amount of time to reapply sunscreen is about every 2 hours or more if you are swimming and sweating, even if you are using a waterproof formula, for lip balm it is necessary to reapply after you eat or drink. 

Not being aware of sun sensitivity is another common reason why people tend to not be as diligent about their sunscreen habits as they should be. The truth is that many medications have sun sensitivity as a side effect. Typical examples include blood pressure medication, birth control pills, certain antibiotics or even natural remedies such as St John's wort. Avoiding sun as much as possible when using some of these medication might be a good choice.

Relying on makeup with SPF is another mistake many women tend to make. But just because some of the makeup products you use have SPF doesn't mean that it's ok to skip sunscreen. It is estimated that you would have to apply seven times the amount of foundation you normally use to be able to get the same benefits that applying sunscreen on bare skin offers.

Applying sunscreen even when cloudy is another step that should not be neglected as a whopping 80% of UV rays still hit your skin even if you can't see the sun. Also make sure you hit all small areas such as the back of the ears, behind the knees, your heels, your toes and so on.

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