11 Effective Home Remedies For Getting Rid Of Your Dark Underarms

by Sejal Parikh · September 28, 2015

Rookie mistakes such as shaving, using chemical-laden hair removal creams and excessive deo with your underarms (which, TBH, we’re all guilty of) may have left them several shades darker than the rest of you- but don’t let that turn your smile upside down, for all hope’s not lost. You do NOT have to have second thoughts about donning your favorite corset or sleeveless dress nor sacrifice any iota of freedom by being ever-so-conscious about raising your arms. You can get rid of those dark underarms with some dollops of patience, a few ounces of effort, a barrel of time and the NLT-guidebook for getting rid of dark underarms! And the good news is every other ingredient you need is right in your kitchen.

Suggested read: What turmeric can do for your health and skin

So forget browsing through drugstore products to get that elusive insta-whitening they promise and set about faster on your journey to get rid of those dark underarms.

Wondering how? Well, here you go:

1. Go for a natural bleach session with lemons

Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License

Nothing beats lemon when you need to lighten dark skin. Not only is it a natural bleach and cleanser, it also has anti-bacterial properties. Its acidic properties help bleach your dark skin naturally whilst also serving to exfoliate the dark skin cells. All you need to do is take a thick slice of lemon and rub your underarms daily before you take a shower. You’d need to use moisturizer right after as lemon leaves the skin dry. Alternatively, you could add a pinch or two of turmeric, honey or yogurt to lemon juice. This will give you something like a paste. Apply this to your dark underarms and leave on for about 10 minutes. Then, rinse it off with cold water. Continue the routine for about two weeks to start seeing the results.

2. Throw in those potatoes too

Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License

Next in line for the bleaching session are potatoes! Effective bleaching agents, they are best suited for those with a sensitive skin for whom lemons and their acidic nature might cause irritation. All you need to do is to take a slice and rub it on your underarms for about 5-10 minutes and wash off with lukewarm water. Alternatively, you could use potato juice on your underarms, leave on for about 10-15 minutes and wash it off. Following this regimen twice everyday shall begin to yield results in about a week’s time.

3. Why leave cucumbers behind?

Image source: Pixabay, under Creative Commons License

And since we have come to veggies, bringing out those cucumbers in the refrigerator isn’t a bad idea either. There are several ways you can use cucumber to lighten those dark armpits- for instance, in a lemon juice and cucumber juice concoction so that lemon’s acidic properties are balanced by cucumber’s soothing properties. Adding a pinch of turmeric to the mixture shall prevent discoloration. Alternatively, you could simply use slices or plain cucumber juice and begin to see results in about a week.

4. And a li’l scrub, scrub, scrub is always good

Image source: Shutterstock

Sometimes, dead skin cell accumulation can cause your underarms to darken. In this case, exfoliation is your best bet. The natural homemade scrubs that you can use include: lemon juice and brown sugar. This mixture needs to be applied to the affected area for about ten minutes before gently rubbing the mixture and exfoliating the skin with wet fingers. This scrub is particularly useful for those whose darkened underarms are a result of continual shaving. Another effective scrub is to grind walnuts and peanuts into fine powder and mix about two tablespoons of the powder with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey and make a fine paste. This, then, needs to be applied for about ten minutes and then washed off.

5. Call baking soda for some help

Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License

Shout out to the baking soda jar in your kitchen and it shall not only help you give whitened underarms but also help you get rid of damaged and dead cells by unclogging pores and enable you to skip those deos by preventing foul body odor. Just mixing some baking soda with water to make a thick paste and applying it to the affected area for about ten minutes before washing off works as well as the lazy-fix of using baking soda solution to wipe your underarms!

6. Do not forget the fruity formula for whitened underarms

Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License

An orange scrub is a fruity and fragrant way for getting rid of those dark underarms. You need orange peel powder, rosewater and milk to make the scrub. This paste needs to be applied and left on for about fifteen minutes before you start to gently exfoliate and scrub for about ten minutes. You can, then, wash it off with cold water.

7. Saffron is king, really

Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License

Yep, quite the expensive thing in the book for underarms but this shall leave you with princess underarms. You need to add a few strands of saffron in cold milk and leave the mixture to stand for a while before applying it on your underarms. You can choose to leave this mixture on overnight to reap complete benefits but if that seems inconvenient, you can leave the mixture on for about half an hour before washing it off. Give it a week and see the magic!

8. Don’t forget milk for milky underarms

Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License

While milk works wonder to lighten your dark underarms, curd too does the trick. So our recommendation is to bring the two together with flour and make a paste, apply it to the area, leave it on for about fifteen minutes and then, wash it off. This needs to be repeated for about two weeks to see maximal results.

9. Surprise! Oil helps too

Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License

While you may have been avoiding oil for various reasons, oils can help. Virgin olive oil mixed with brown sugar, plain coconut oil, Vitamin E oil and a mixture of olive oil, jojoba oil, wheat germ oil, any citrus oil and a few drops of water are all the options available in this area. Each of these options works wonders to lighten underarms as well as weed out dead skin cells whilst moisturizing the skin and keeping it smooth and healthy.

10. Chickpea flour is a friend

Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License

Chickpea flour mixed with yoghurt, lemon juice and turmeric is a fine mask for your underarms as it cleanses, moisturizes and bleaches your skin all at once to give you a lighter tone of underarm skin. Using this remedy everyday for the first two weeks and thereafter twice a week is the best way to achieve faster results.

Suggested read: How to take care of thinning hair

11. And herbal treats are never ruled out

Image source: Google, copyright-free image under Creative Commons License

Mixing licorice root extract, raspberry extract and aspen extract and applying the mixture to underarms for half an hour before washing it off helps in whitening the underarms. All these herbs have medicinal properties and with their mixed action, they stimulate the production of pheomelanin compound in the skin which helps in lightening your skin. Also because they do not have any side effects, you can use this remedy daily for first couple of weeks and then once or twice a week to get rid of your black underarms. Cinnamon capsules or fenugreek are great remedies too if you have them daily to cure your darkened underarms.

And you thought getting rid of those dark underarms was a Herculean feat! It’s easy, peasy, breezy – with wonderful results!