Got dark inner thighs? Welcome to the club. If you find yourself thinking, "How can I lighten the skin between my legs?" every time you look in the mirror, know that you are so not alone.
This dark inner thigh problem is something that so many of us deal with but is pretty much never talked about.
Which sucks because if you're dealing with this problem, you want solutions now! Yes, the darker skin may be on a fairly private part of your body and yes, it's not visible to the general public but it's also really disconcerting to have inner thighs that are darker than the rest of your body.
It looks and feels...dirty. You know it has nothing to do with dirtiness - it's just something that naturally happens from the friction caused by your legs rubbing together - but who wants to deal with that kind of feeling? Especially when you wash and scrub and it still refuses to go away.
Well, we're going to get to the bottom of it once and for all. No more futile scrubbing, no more feeling ashamed. Let's dive right in and restore your inner thighs to their original shade, shall we? Here's what to do!
Stop the Friction
Before we proceed to the actual whitening, there are a few things you really need to stop doing - at least while you're trying to lighten your inner thighs. That's because all of the below result in more friction, which can lead to increased hyperpigmentation - pretty much exactly the opposite of what you're wanting.
So, at least for the time that you're lightening your inner thighs (yes, it will take at least a week), please avoid:
- Really tight clothes. Yoga pants and skinny jeans are sexy but they can also be really restrictive and cause too much friction and irritation to your inner thighs.
- Excessive exercise. This doesn't mean you can't walk - just avoid too much walking, running, and other physical exercise that causes your thighs to constantly rub together. Again, too much friction that can cause adverse effects during treatment.
- No more manual exfoliators. We're a big fan of exfoliation but in the case of dark inner thighs, chemical exfoliation is the way to go. So if you've been scrubbing your inner thighs with a loofah, an exfoliating mitt, sugar scrubs, or any other manual exfoliation device - it's too much friction. Give the loofah a rest.
- No intimate parts. Oh, last thing to note: The skin on your inner thighs may be delicate but it is nowhere near as delicate as the skin on your intimate bits (i.e. vagina). So please do not use a bleaching cream for inner thighs on your vaginal area! If you want to lighten the vagina, there are better ways to go about it.
Okay, now that you know what not to do, let's dive into what you should be doing to lighten dark thighs...
Get the Kit
Marie France Professional Whitening Kit, $56
The easiest way to quickly rid yourself of unwanted dark inner thighs is to simply get Marie France's Professional Whitening Kit. It basically combines everything you need - exfoliation and skin lightening ingredients - to gently yet effectively lighten the skin on your inner thighs.
The kit consists of the Professional Strength Kojic Acid Soap (which is the top rated kojic acid soap on the market, for its sheer potency), the Marie France Macroexfoliator Skin Peeling Oil (which is a potent combination of natural, gentle chemical exfoliants like Lactic Acid, Malic Acid and Mandelic Acid), and the Marie France Tone Perfecting Creme (which combines a highly concentrated medley of natural skin lightening ingredients like Alpha Arbutin and Niacinamide).
The best part is that it uses natural skin lightening ingredients like kojic acid as well as natural exfoliants like papaya extract so you don't have to worry about potentially harmful side effects of harsher chemical skin lighteners. The lack of ingredients like hydroquinone also makes it safe to use on all skin tones and types.
The 3 products in the kit work synergistically with each other. The kojic acid soap gently cleanses your skin and helps inhibits melanin activity. Kojic acid is the second most popular skin lightening ingredient for the simple fact that it works - and without side effects. The only drawback is that it can be a bit harsh, especially if you have sensitive skin, so it's a good idea to use it in soap form. That way it only stays on your skin for a few minutes.
While the soap does its part to inhibit melanin, the Macroexfoliator Peeling Oil goes to work to peel away the top layer of skin. There's no scrubbing required - the oil uses a clever combination of Lactic Acid, Malic Acid and Mandelic Acid, all of which are amongst the gentlest alpha hydroxy acids, to "unglue" the chemical bonds holding dead skin cells together.
By peeling off this dead layer, it allows the skin lightening ingredients like Kojic Acid and Alpha Arbutin to penetrate deeper and for you to see results faster.
Lastly, there's theMarie France Tone Perfecting Creme, which delivers a huge dose of skin lightening ingredients that stay on your skin all day to work their melanin inhibiting magic.
It's the perfect combination to quickly lighten the inner thigh area in a matter of a couple days. The entire process should only take you around a week!
DIY Inner Thigh Lightening Kit
There's good reason why we love Marie France's Professional Whitening Kit: it makes the process of lightening your inner thighs really easy. Plus, it's quite affordable considering you're getting everything you need for the process to work.
But say you want to do it on your own because you don't care for kojic acid or you want more customization options. How do you go about doing it?
Here's how you can design your own simple, inner thigh lightening regimen:
Choose an exfoliator
Not any old exfoliator - you want to go for chemical exfoliants like alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and/or beta hydroxy acids (BHAs).
Both AHAs and BHAs are amazing, non-abrasive exfoliators that work by bringing the pH of the skin to a higher acidity level in order to chemically loosen the “glue” that binds the dead and damaged skin cells. This exfoliating action naturally promotes new cell growth leading to clearer skin, increased collagen production, fading spots and scars, and overall lighter and more radiant, youthful skin.
There's also a whole lot of ways in which you can get this exfoliation without much effort on your part. Here are your best options:
- An exfoliating body wash. It's a super simple way to exfoliate while you shower. You just choose a body wash with AHAs or BHAs in it, lather up, let it sit for a few minutes and voila! You've just set the stage for dead skin cells to slough off and for skin lightening ingredients to penetrate deeper. Our favorite pick? Go for Glytone's Exfoliating Body Wash. This body wash contains a whopping 8.8% glycolic acid, which has the smallest molecules of all the alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) allowing for deeper penetration into the skin.
- An exfoliating body lotion. A body lotion with AHAs or BHAs in it stays on your skin a lot longer so they tend to be gentler while still doing a darn good job at removing that outer layer of dead skin cells. AmLactin Body Lotion is our top pick for this - it's magic ingredient is 12% lactic acid, which is one of the gentler AHAs and will help exfoliate and keep your skin lovely and hydrated.
- A skin lightening chemical peel. Okay, chemical peels are our hands down favorite option. They're because you don’t use them every day – you only want to do a chemical peel once a week at most. And you only leave them on for a maximum of around 5 minutes. Yet, despite their brief period on your skin, they’re able to produce drastic results. Even better? There are chemical peels that combine exfoliating AHAs and BHAs with melanin inhibiting ingredients so you can skin lightening benefits and the exfoliation to reveal your results faster.
Want more options? You can get a roll-on exfoliator like PFB Chromabright which uses a combination of Salicylic Acid, Glycolic Acid and Lactic Acid and provides an easy-to-use, on-the-go exfoliation. You can also opt for an exfoliating mask like Ren's Glycolactic Renewal Mask or if you'd like something even gentler, Andalou Natural's Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask - simply leave the mask on for around 10 to 15 minutes and wash off.
Once you've chosen the exfoliating option that's best for you, it's time to add potent skin lightening ingredients...
Choose a skin lightening cream
A lotion or cream stays on your skin for hours, allowing your skin to soak in the melanin inhibiting ingredients that are the true superstars in lightening dark inner thighs. These ingredients all work by performing a crucial task: inhibiting the tyrosinase enzyme and interfering with the melanin production process. The result is that your skin stops producing as much melanin and gradually becomes lighter.
The trick, of course, is choosing the right skin lightening ingredient for your needs. Here are your options:
- Hydroquinone. The most popular skin lightening ingredient around, hydroquinone is no doubt good at its job. It's a potent melanin inhibitor that can effectively lighten skin tone in as little as a month. The downside is that it's not for everyone - for example, people with sensitive skin and darker skin tones. Plus, it does have potential side effects so you'll want to follow all the guidelines to use it safely. The upside, of course, is that it can quickly and effectively lighten your inner thighs back to their original shade.
- Natural skin lighteners. For those of you who prefer the natural route, there are several effective and safe natural melanin inhibitors that can lighten dark inner thighs. These natural skin lighteners like Kojic Acid, Alpha Arbutin, Licorice Extract, Mulberry Extract don't work as quickly but they do work - and without the risk of adverse side effects. Better yet, they can be used together to increase potency like in the case of Meladerm cream, which combines Licorice Extract, Arbutin (Bearberry Extract), Alpha Arbutin, Mulberry Extract, Kojic Acid, Vitamin C, Sepiwhite, Gigawhite, and several other plant-derived skin lighteners.
By using the combination of exfoliation and a skin lightening cream, you can effectively lighten dark inner thigh skin within a matter of weeks!
