If you’re one of the many women dealing with unsightly underarms, take heart. There are a few tips that will help you clear the area under your arms, but you will have to be patient.

First of all, it is important to understand why our underarms go dark. Underarm skin can turn darker due to a lot of reasons such as wearing clothes that are skin tight or graze the armpit a lot, excessive perspiration, using too much deodorant or chemicals on the skin, and improper methods of underarm hair removal.

So here’s a list of do’s and don’ts for beautiful underarms.

Keep Clean And Dry

Our body sheds dead skin all the time but the skin at our joints, such as the armpit area, rubs together, that results in accumulation of dead cells. This causes the skin to be smelly and appear darker. That is why it is important to keep the area clean and dry.

Do not use a chemical soap while showering; instead scrub lightly with a scrub or loofah, and a good quality shower gel. It is also important to moisturize underarm, as dry underarm skin may cause irritation.

Try Waxing

Removing underarm hair is important, but try not to shave or bleach the area. While bleaching involves heavy use of chemicals, shaving will result in brittle hair growth, and ingrown hair that may create a sort of stubble, making the skin appear darker.

The best way to get rid of underarm hair is waxing. Not only will it remove dead skin, but also last longer. Hair growth will remain soft as well as it removes hair from the root.

Shun Deodorants

I know it’s hard, but try and avoid using deodorants. Most brands available in the market sell alcohol based deodorants, roll-ons and colognes that will make your underarm skin dark. This is because these are sprayed directly on the skin and dry it further.

If you can find an alcohol-free moisturizing deodorant, great, else just some talc will do as well. Another great tip to smell nice is to dab some rose water before you head out.

Mother Knows Best

Good old home remedies your mom or grandma told you never fail, although they do require some patience.

  • Rub a slice of lemon on the skin and leave for 15 minutes, before washing off. 
  • You can also use potato juice or just keep a thin slice of potato on the skin every day before you take a shower.
  • Another tried and tested remedy is to apply alum or baking powder paste to remove pigmentation at night while going to bed, and wash off with water in the morning.
  • A good scrub once or twice a week with a paste of gram flour (besan), turmeric (haldi), milk and a few drops of rose water will do wonders as it will slough off dead skin in the area.
  • A masque of sandalwood powder and rose water is also known to help keep the underarm skin moisturized.

Consult Dermatologist

If none of these cosmetic remedies seem to work for you, it is best to consult a dermatologist to determine whether the darkened skin on your armpits is due to a medical condition.

Sometimes one can develop fungal or bacterial infections in the area that cause skin darkening. These can, however, be treated using anti-fungal or antibiotic ointments or medicines. Do not use over the counter medicines on your own, without consulting your doctor.

With these tips, you can surely reduce and eventually eliminate the causes of underarm skin darkening. Do not expect to achieve results overnight though, as you will notice the difference over a period of time. Good luck and stay beautiful.