You scrub and wash, moisturise and protect, and do everything possible to take care of your skin. The result is a glowing, gorgeous you. But just one look at your hands and ouch! What went wrong there?

However hard you try, protecting your hands from sun tan is a near-impossible task. Add to that the constant use and washing, and the moisturiser or sunscreen that you applied in the morning is long gone.

No one wants a blotchy, uneven skin tone on hands. So, what is to be done?

If you want to know how to remove tan from hands, step inside the kitchen please. Everything that you need to get beautiful, glowing hands is right here, in your cupboards and in your refrigerator.

What Causes Sun Tan:

• Exposure to sun regularly
• Excessive pollution
• Extreme oiliness in skin
• Lack of nourishment to skin
• Not enough consumption of water on daily basis
• Lack of essential nutrients and anti-oxidants

9 Simple Home Remedies to Get Rid of the Tan from Your Hands

#1 Curd and haldi

1. Add a little haldi (turmeric) to a small bowl of chilled curd and beat it until it makes a thick paste.
2. Cover your hands with this paste and wash off thoroughly with cold water after 20 minutes.
3. Do this just before your bath every day for 2 weeks and you will soon see results.

#2 Lemon juice

1. Mix the juice from 3-4 lemons in a large bowl of warm water.
2. Soak your hands in this solution for 20-25 minutes and wash off with cold water.
3. For very dark stains you can apply 3-4 tablespoons of the juice directly on the tanned area and wash off after 20 minutes.
4. Repeat this 2-3 times a week after your bath for the best results.

Just a word of caution: lemon juice can dry your hands. Moisturise them thoroughly afterwards.

#3 Cucumber

Great in a salad, the juice of this crunchy vegetable can work miracles on suntanned hands too.

1. Mix together 2 tablespoons of fresh cucumber juice with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a pinch of turmeric to form a paste.
2. Apply this on your hands and wash it off with cold water after 30 minutes.
3. Repeat this every night for 2 weeks and you will soon see the tan disappear.

#4 Gram flour and haldi

1. In a small bowl of cold rose water add 2 tablespoons gram flour (besan), a pinch of haldi and a tablespoon of milk.
2. Spread the prepared paste on your hands and allow it to dry completely.
3. Wash it off with cold water.
4. Repeat this every alternate night just before you go to sleep until you see results.

#5 Petroleum jelly

For this you might need to step out of the kitchen and go into your bathroom or medicine cabinet.

1. Before going to bed, liberally apply petroleum jelly to your hands and cover them with cotton gloves.
2. Wash your hands only in the morning, if you want to, that is. Soft, supple, tan-free hands are yours.

#6. Baking Soda Paste

• Mix baking soda with water to make fine paste and apply on the tanned areas
• Do it 2-3 times a week to see the excellent results

#7. Vinegar

• Mix vinegar and water in equal proportion.
• Soak your hands in this solution for 10-15 minutes
• Wash it off with cold water

#8. Multani Mitti

All you need is multani mitti and white gourd

• Make the paste of sliced white gourd and 2 table spoons of multani mitti.
• Apply it on your hands and wash it off after 20-25 minutes with cold water 

#9. Almonds:

• Soak the almonds in water overnight
• Mix the almonds and milk to make the smooth paste
• Apply this paste on affected areas of hands and leave it overnight
• Wash it off with water

Essential Tips To Prevent Tanning Of Hands:

• Avoid going out in scorching sun. In case you need to go out, make sure you cover yourself
• Use sunscreen with high SPF as it increases skin’s intensity to protect you against sun’s harmful radiations

Isn’t it easy then, to remove sun tan from hands? You don’t need to run to the beauty parlour or purchase expensive beauty products every time you are looking to make your hands look beautiful. All the answers to tan removal from hands are in your kitchen.

Pro-Tip: Since our hands are exposed to the sun and also, usually bear the brunt of harsh detergents, it is sensible to use a good hand cream like Olay Total Effects 7 in One Anti-Ageing Day Cream Gentle with SPF 15.