1. Potato:

Potato is a natural bleach and anti-irritant.

Slice it, grate it or whisk it in the blender. Apply it to those dark armpits and see

your SKIN LIGHTENED  and soothed from the very first application!

Your underarm skin also tends to get very itchy and sweaty due to

pigmentation. The potato-trick will be your saving grace here .If the potato paste

is applied anywhere else on the body you will experience instant relief from

patchiness and itchiness.

2. Baking Soda:

Baking soda does work. Apply it directly as you would a talcum powder, to your

darkened underarms. Apart from lightening the skin, it is a natural, odorless, non-

irritating way of bidding goodbye to excess sweat, odour and itchiness.

3. Sandalwood:

The miracle beauty product, sandalwood, is synonymous with beautiful, fragrant

skin. So why deprive the underarms of their benign magic?

Apply a paste of sandalwood and rose water for about 10 to 15 minutes to

lighten and freshens your darkened underarm skin.

Besides lightening the skin, the sandalwood also takes care of body odour and

soothes the itching almost instantly.

4. Lightning Masks:

A quick way to brighten up your underarms is to mask them with a paste of yogurt, a

pinch of turmeric and lemon juice. Wash it off just before it completely dries out.

Commercially available lightening masks also work much the same way.

[ Read: Get Beautiful Underarms ]

5. Vitamin E:

The direct application of the beauty vitamin or in the form of OIL  or creams with

high Vitamin Econtent might prove to be highly useful in scaring away those dark

marks. Vitamin E is a well known and a much studied component that works

wonders in maintaining youthfulness and gentleness of the skin.

6. Honey:

Honey is a natural toner and SKIN LIGHTENING  agent. Apply a mixture of honey,

lemon juice and sugar to the affected area. It will also combat underarm odour.

[ Read: Amazing Benefits Of Honey ]

7. Orange/Lemon:

These fruits have a high concentration of citric acid, which is also a natural exfoliant

and bleach. Dried and powdered orange peels, mixed with rose water also go a

great distance in lightening dark skin. Scrub the underarms with either of these citrus

babies. Don’t expect miraculous, instant results. It takes time to undo the damage.

So, rub away.

8. Pumice:

This natural exfoliant has been used for centuries.

Try rubbing it gently on your darkened underarm skin. It will help in removing

the darkened layer of skin.

Don’t be too zealous while scrubbing as it might cause further abrasions and

you certainly don’t want to walk around like a scarecrow for the next few days.

Opt for the following treatments for semi permanent or permanent brightening of the

underarm area.

9. Epilators and Waxing:

I know many women who swear by their epilators. Like waxing, epilators pull hair out

from the roots (Okay, major OUCH!).They prevent skin darkening in two ways.

They don’t cause any ingrown hair

They effectively remove dead skin cells, giving a nice clear appearance to the

skin.

[Read: Smooth Under Arms and Hair Removal Techniques ]

10. Cosmetic Surgery:

Letting the doc work his magic? Many of us are APPREHENSIVE  of approaching

cosmetologists.

Laser treatment is constantly evolving and just might prove to be the right

solution for you (if you can afford it, though!).

Although surgery is individualized and it might not beget the same results for

everyone, it is still worth a try if your condition is beyond home remedies.

So go ahead, bowl people over by flaunting that strappy dress, sexy bikini or

sleeveless top you’ve been hiding in the closet, and be underarm shy no more!