Any dark spots on your face are annoying disruptions on your smooth skin. Whether they are acne spots, sun spots, age spots, liver spots, brown spots or black spots, they spoil the beauty. These dark spots are generally caused by UV exposures producing more melanin, stress, weak liver function, vitamin deficiencies and genetics. Dark spots generally appear on your face and hands.
Though a certain amount of hyperpigmentation is natural due to aging, you can fade or completely remove some of these dark spots with baking soda and other natural home remedies.
Table of Contents
- How Baking Soda Clears Dark Spots?
- How to Use Baking Soda for Dark Spots?
- Other Healthy Uses of Baking Soda
- Tips and Precautions
How Baking Soda Clears Dark Spots?
Baking soda or Sodium Bicarbonate works on your skin in the following ways to fade or remove dark spots on the skin. It is the most inexpensive home remedy for dark spots.
Baking soda:
- exfoliates dead skin, dirt debris and excess oil from your skin to make it look fresh and young
- balances the pH of skin prevents microbes and bacteria which cause blemishes
- acts as a mild bleach to fade dark spots
- stimulates collagen production to rejuvenate the skin to remove scars and dark spots
You can also use baking soda with other kitchen items at your home to effectively fade and remove all kinds of dark spots.
How to Use Baking Soda for Dark Spots?
If you are using baking soda on your skin for the first time then it is advisable to do a patch test on your arm before using it on your face. It quickly dries out the skin in the presence of moisture and may cause irritation on sensitive skin.
In most cases the patch test will approve the use of baking soda on the face. However in some rare cases if it irritates your skin then use it with honey (Item 3 below) or use any other natural remedy to get rid of your dark spots.
1. Baking Soda and Water
- Gradually add some water to a teaspoon of baking soda to make a thick paste. ½ teaspoon water is about right.
- Wash your skin with warm water and dab it dry.
- Apply baking soda paste on the dark spots
- Gently massage in circular motion
- Leave it for 2-3 minutes
- Rinse with warm water, dab it dry and apply natural moisturizer like Aloe vera
- Do it once daily for a week then every alternate day
2. Baking Soda and Lemon
Lemon juice is also bleach so the impact to remove dark spots doubles is double.
- Take ½ teaspoon of lemon juice in a small bowl
- Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- Wait till fiz stops (mixing baking soda with lemon causes chemical reaction and release gas causing the fizz)
- Mix well
- Apply on dark spots affected skin area
- Massage it in circular motion
- Keep it there for 2 minutes
- Rinse with warm water and dab your skin dry with towel
- Apply moisturizer
- Do it every night before going to the bed.
3. Baking Soda and Honey
Honey is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. This combination will suit almost every skin type.
- Add half teaspoon of honey to half teaspoon baking soda
- Mix well to make a thick paste
- Apply the mix on dark spots.
- Gently massage in circular motion
- Keep it there for 5-10 minutes ( you can keep this long as there is no water to dry the skin) with your face with warm water and dab it dry with a cotton problem
- Apply a moisture
- Do it daily
4. Baking Soda and Sugar
Fine sugar granules are good to exfoliate skin. Sugar also heals skin.
- Add half teaspoon baking soda to half teaspoon of fine granular sugar and mix well
- Add half teaspoon of water and make a thick paste
- Applied on your dark spots and massage in a circular motion for 2-3 minutes
- Leave it there for 2 minutes
- Change your face with warm water and dab it dry
- Apply a natural moisturizer
- Do it daily for a week and then every alternate day thereafter for another couple of weeks or so
5. Baking Soda and Coffee
Coffee is also good for removing dark spots
- Mix ½ teaspoon of coffee granules and ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- Add ½ teaspoon of water to make thick paste
- Apply in the dark spots and gently massage in circular motion
- Leave it for 2-3 minutes
- Rinse your face with warm water and dab it dry
- Apply a moisture
- Do it daily
Other Healthy Uses of Baking Soda
Other than treating dark spots on the skin baking soda can be used for many other health benefits.
- Baking Soda can be used as mouthwash to maintain good oral hygiene. It can also use for teeth whitening
- Baking soda is an excellent deodorant. It balances the pH of the skin by neutralizing acidic smell that your body emits.
- It improves athletic performance by increasing endurance. In sprinting and other long time Sports your body produces lactic acid that slows you down due to lower pH. Baking soda increases pH and thereby improve performance.
- Baking Soda reduces heartburn symptoms of acid reflux by neutralizing acids to give relief.
- Baking soda soothes your skin from itching and sunburn. Additional benefit if course is removal of dark spots.
- It also helps in better kidney functioning and protects from certain types of cancers.
Tips and Precautions
Baking soda is normally safe for you on your skin, however following precautions will help in getting the best out of it.
- Avoid direct sun exposure while using any if the above baking soda remedies for your dark spots
- Do not rub too hard on your skin and its abrasive nature can damage your skin.
- Avoid high doses of injection as it may cause gastrointestinal problems
- Don’t keep it on skin for long after applying for dark spot removal as it causes dryness on skin in the
- presence of moisture.
- Don't inhale too much of fine just of baking soda as it may cause cough and sneezing
- Keep it away from your eyes as it can cause eye irritation.
Bottom line is that Baking Soda fades and removes dark spots, giving many other health benefits as it is a versatile product, yet its main uses still remain in the kitchen for cooking and cleaning.