Dark skin patches under your arms is very common. And for many of us, it can be embarrassing. While it is a natural occurrence for many women to have dark armpits, it doesn’t mean they have to stay that way. There are several ways you can lighten your underarms and we’ll talk about them here.
What causes dark underarms?
There can be many causes for dark underarms. If the darkness has only recently occurred where it was not dark before, you should consult with a doctor as there are a few medical reasons including diabetes that could have caused the color change. But if you have had dark armpits for a long time, chances are it is simply your natural skin. The darkness can be caused by hereditary conditions, meaning it runs in your family. Chemicals in underarm deodorants or a large amount of rubbing can cause hyperkeratosis which is a thickening of the skin. Hormonal imbalance, especially during pregnancy can cause discoloration of the skin under your arms and on other body parts.
Shaving is one of the most common causes of dark underarms. Shaving your underarms will leave stubble and leave the roots under the skin. Some women may find that most of their darkness stems just from heavy hair growth.
Tips and tricks
If you were recently pregnant, you may want to wait a few months after birth or ending breastfeeding. It is possible that the darkness will recede on it’s own.
If you are shaving your armpits regularly: STOP. Have your underarms waxed, or better yet, purchase a home waxing kit and do it yourself. Shaving is not removing all the hair and is also desensitizing your skin. While waxing is a bit painful, you will be hair free much longer than if you just shave so it is less work in the end.
If you have changed deodorants or anti-perspirants and found the darkness occurring after the change, switch to a product that doesn’t contain alcohol.
If you jog or exercise a lot where your arms are moving back and forth and you are sweating, consider applying baby powder or cornstarch to your underarms before exercise. The combination of moist underarms and heavy chafing due to arm movement can help lead to darker underarms.
How to whiten your underarms
The first thing to do is follow our tips and tricks above. It could be something as simple as the above that you’ve overlooked or never thought of. Sometimes it is just a matter of a few months of changing habits and you might see a change.
In our opinion, the best steps for whiter underarms are the following 3 steps:
- Stop shaving. Start waxing. Can’t really stress this enough. Check out our marketplace for waxing kits and epilators.
- Exfoliate. If your underarm skin feels rougher than the surrounding skin, you can slough some dead skin. I suggest a loofah sponge.
- Use a skin brightening cream. Morning and night. In our opinion, Epibright Intimate Lightening Cream is far and away the best product available for underarm whitening.
If you can possibly do without using deodorant or antiperspirant while going through these steps, all the better. If not, apply the Epibright cream in the morning to thoroughly clean and dry underarms and wait 5-10 minutes before applying deodorant. This allows the whitening cream to absorb into the skin first. When applying the cream at night, again ensure that your underarms are clean and dry and all remnants of deodorant have been washed away. Failing to take this step will greatly decrease the usefulness of the whitening cream.
Good luck with your underarms! If you have any question, comments, reviews or anything else, feel free to contact me here.
To read our review on Epibright, go to our review page here. You can visit the official Epibright website here.
