Dark underarms causes, unnecessary embarrassment when you have that nice bikini wear. It may keep you from wearing sleeveless tops or participating in outdoorsy sports. Just like skin blemishes and skin discoloration, dark armpits may induce low confidence and low self-esteem.
Let’s demystify the causes of dark armpits
- Chemical irritants in deodorants and antiperspirants
- Dead skin build-up. The gel or bar soap we use doesn’t remove simple dead skin cells. This results in a build-up of dark armpits .
- Shaving. After shaving the armpit hairs, a dark skin appearance may occur. This is mainly caused by hair growing back into stubble.
- Bacterial infection. This leads to conditions such as Erythrasma or Corynebacterium minutissimum bacterium. This condition starts out as pink spots on the underarms. Acanthosis nigricans is commonly prevalent in people suffering from diabetes.
Other causes include:
- Wearing tight clothes
- Lack of exfoliation
- Hyper-pigmentation
- Melisma
How to lighten your armpits
- Avoid toxic deodorants or antiperspirants. Instead, opt for natural deodorants such as baking soda or apple cider.
- Alternatively, you should stop using toxic deodorant.
- Avoid shaving your armpits. Wax your armpits. Laser hair removal process is much healthier than shaving.
- Exfoliate the dead skin. Rub your armpits with body scrub thrice a week.
- Wear loose-fitting clothes
- Quit smoking
- Alternatively, get a whiting deodorant (check some suggestions at deodorant-reviews.com); visit a salon to remove the hair through laser removal.
Natural remedies of dark armpits
Being wary of your underarms may curtail your freedom. In most case the dark coloration isn’t a medical condition, rather it’s as a result of petty mistakes. Carelessness can be attributed to dark armpits. Hence, some effort is needed to restore your arms to a normal tone.
Lemon
Lemon is a natural bleaching agent. All you need is a natural cleanser and lemons to help lighten your armpits. Lemons contain acidic, antiseptic and antibacterial properties that help in skin exfoliations.
Using a couple of lemon slices; rub your underarms ten minutes before taking a bath. Apply some moisturizer since lemon tends to dry out on the skin. In a fortnight you’ll be able to see tangible results.
Potato
Squeeze the juice from grated potato and apply on your underarms. After ten minutes, rinse your armpits with cool water.
Potato contains malic acid which is a bleaching agent. The emollient properties of the potato help smoothen and soften the skin. Use this remedy daily for efficient results.
Tea Tree Oil
Mix 5 drops of tea tree oil with 6 ounces of water in a small spray bottle. Spray on your armpits and let it dry naturally.
Tea tree lightens and keeps the armpits odor free. These antioxidants keep the skin healthy, while the antimicrobial properties kill the microbes present and deodorize the area.
Baking soda
Its popular remedy since it has many benefits for your skin including lightening of your underarms through exfoliation. Combining baking soda with honey creates a powerful paste.
This works because baking soda gently exfoliates skin. It also balances pH levels in your skin. Baking soda is an antioxidant as it contains anti-microbial properties. Lastly, baking soda controls excessive sweating in your underarms.
Whitening deodorant
There are roll-on deodorants in the market that reduce skin darkening under the arms. These can be used to keep the armpits white. If your armpits are black, swap the current one for a whitening deodorant. Here are some recommendations for whitening deodorants.
- Schmidt’s Natural Charcoal & Magnesium Deodorant
- Nivea Whitening Sensitive Deodorant Spray – For Women
- Nivea for Women Extra Whitening Pore Minimizer Antiperspirant Deodorant Roll-On
- Whitening soap.
This idea is very practical since you use soap regularly when bathing. It’s easy to implement and can be used to prevent the skin in the first place.
In conclusion, you see you don’t have to suffer the ‘armpit embarrassment’ any longer. With the above remedies, you can slip into sleeveless dresses with confidence, and wave your arms in the air with abandon. Most importantly, the remedies are easily found at home.
