A few weeks ago, a video went viral on social media capturing the moment an expectant mother went through the rigorous process of having her skin toned to a lighter shade than it was. The process is called a lightening glow bath, a skin-bleaching process allegedly using natural ingredients of different forms at different stages to produce the desired lighter skin.
We already know that many women are ready to do anything to attain the so-called beauty standard set by society. But a heavily pregnant woman going through a dangerous process of bleaching her skin is an indication that a state of emergency should be declared over skin bleaching. The new name is now lightening glow bath and this article will throw more light on what the term truly means.
What is lightening glow bath?
A lightening glow bath is a process of having your skin bleached to a lighter tone. Different natural chemicals are applied to different parts of the body several times and washed off to achieve lighter skin immediately. It is an extreme form of skin bleaching that allegedly gives an instant result. This is why it is becoming popular among Nigerian women today.
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How to get a lightening glow bath
For this segment, you need to first learn how to make lightening glow bath soap and body scrub. The recipes are considered safe to use, as long as you do not use them in excess and they are different from what is promoted by bleachers. Below are the ingredients for the lightening glow bar soap:
- Black soap or any bar soap of your choice.
- Carrots
- Lemons
- Coconut oil
- Olive oil (optional)
- Empty container
- Water
Preparation
- Grate the black or bar soap into powder form in a bowl
- scrape the carrots and wash them thoroughly. Then cut them into tiny pieces and pour them into a blender. Blend with two 250ml cups of boiling water.
- Sieve the carrot juice into a bowl and set aside.
- Pour water into a pot and boil. Place the bowl of grated soap in the boiling water.
- Add some water into the soap according to the consistency that you want and stir until they are completely dissolved to avoid lumps.
- Add in the carrot juice and stir.
- Squeeze and sieve the lemon juice into the dissolved soap.
- Add the coconut oil or olive oil to the soap.
- Continue stirring until all the ingredients are incorporated together perfectly.
- Put off the heat and sieve the soap into another bowl to get rid of excess particles.
- Allow to cool for 24 hours and pour into an empty container.
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How to make lightening glow body scrub
Ingredients
- Carrots
- Lemon
- Granulated sugar or sea salt
- Coconut oil or olive oil
- Honey
- Vitamin E oil or any other essential oil
Preparation
- Scrape and wash the carrots thoroughly. Cut them into cubes and add them to a pot.
- Pour one or two cups of water into the pot containing the cubes. Note that the water depends on the number of carrot cubes in the pot.
- Boil the carrots for five minutes.
- Put the boiled carrots into a blender and blend with one or two cups of boiling water until smooth.
- Sieve out the juice of the blended carrots. The remainder of the carrots is what we will use for the body scrub.
- Add one or two spoons of coconut oil to the carrot remainder.
- Add in one or two spoons of honey.
- Squeeze in the juice of the lemon and stir.
- Then add one or two cups of granulated sugar or sea salt and mix thoroughly.
- Add in the vitamin E oil or essential oils and mix.
- Transfer into an empty container for storage.
You can store the scrub in your fridge to last longer. However, use it thrice a week and after a month, discard the remaining scrub as it will no longer be effective.
These are how to make your lightening glow bath at home. Carrots are essential because they contain vitamin C and beta carotenes that help to lighten your skin. For faster results, use the soap to bathe regularly and scrub your body at least thrice a week. Just rub them all over your body or specific places you want to lighten and wash off.
Is a lightening glow bath safe?
As much as we like to think that the homemade lightening glow bath is safe, the truth is that many women prefer to patronise the so-called organic soap peddlers who use dangerous chemicals from natural ingredients to bleach people’s skin.
For instance, a lot of these products contain natural chemicals such as citric acid, carotene, glutathione and kojic acid. These chemicals are mixed and rubbed on a woman’s skin to create an instant whitening. Some of these chemicals also contain mercury and hydroquinone, which are dangerous to the body even in small quantities. Some contain steroids, often in large quantities, which lead to dangerous side effects.
The effects can be skin thinning, discolouration, rashes, acne and irritation, especially in children. Others include damage to the kidneys, neurological impairments, bone abnormalities and weight gain among others. The result is often permanent or irreversible, which can even lead to death.
So is lightening your skin with natural chemicals worth it? The honest answer is no. For one thing, many organic soap peddlers do not know are not certified dermatologists. They only know how to mix ingredients, regardless of the quantities, as long as they achieve instant results. Why go through this dangerous “lightening glow bath” routine with people who are not certified? Las las, you will be the one to suffer the consequences while they pocket your money and continue to deceive others.
There are several ways to achieve glowing skin such as watching what you eat, drinking lots of water, having regular baths and keeping your body moisturised. Your priority should be to live a healthy life. Be proud of your skin colour. You will command respect when you exude high self-esteem and confidence in how you relate with others.
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