[lolasweetangel]

Hey everyone! Recent lurker of SCT here and I've decided to finally make an account and to start my skin-lightening journey. I am looking to lighten from around a Normani/Ryan Destiny to a Yara Shahidi, or more accurately a Will/Jada smith. This goal is obviously going to take a long time but I am dedicated and willing to spend the time/money to get there so I am just wondering if this goal is too ambitious for me or what I will need to get there.

I've read the pinned posts so I know I have to start exfoliating for a while before actually lightening, but I was just wondering if there's any more recent tips or advice and if anyone has any product recommendations for a newbie! I would really like to know what has worked/what hasn't worked and what to keep in mind, Thanks in advance! 😊

View attachment 67514

 

[brownies19]

hey
your goal is definitely super achievable
It's been more than a year since I started lightening my skin ( I started march last year)
I went from this

to this

I could have been much lighter by now but I decided to go super slow and only introduced active lightening creams fairly recently
I exfoliated for about 6-9 months, and just that along with supplements lighten me quiet good

my routine was quiet simple

kojic acid soap

face 2 min, body 10 min than after rinsing and drying my skin I followed with Amlactic lotion

on face and body
and than I wait an hour and put vitamin c serum on my face

on my hyperpigmented areas (knees, elbows, etc) I started using lightening creams from day one, since those areas are quiet hard to tackle specially knuckles so I advice you to the same

Also take supplements vitamin c, glutathione, lipoic acid, msm etc , these will give you a nice glow and make you lighten from within so you don't end up looking off or bleached

this is a very simple routine as you do it and progress add other stuff as you go , according to your needs
for example after a few months of this when my progress slowed down I added lactic acid weekly peels on my face I started with a low percentage and worked my way up to 40%
also I changed kojic acid soap to a stronger one like the dual kojie gluthathione soap
as I was saying add stuff as you go

obvs practice sun protection, never leave the house without a sunscreen and make sure you use one that actually protects and prevents tanning a bit , also avoid exposiing your skin to the sun for long hours

again if you do all of this in 3 months youll see great results and after that you can add lightening creams to your face and body
I personally I would advice you to search around on this forum and choose creams that are proven to be effective and worked for many other members
the creams I used so far on my skin have been mild , and not too strong but I'm switching to a stronger cream and I'm thinking about the carrotis line, it gives a nice yellow glow and undertone which is what I want
so again search and see what creams better suit your end result and goals

 

[brownies19]

I'll add products that so far have worked great for me


-kojic acid soap (great for initial exfoliation, it also lightens )
-Am lactin cream (a lactic acid lotion in combo with kojie works great)
-another soaps that are literally bomb and a bit stronger than kojie (start with kojie tho for at least 3 months, since the next ones I'm mentioning are a bit stronger so not goo for newbies )
are these
dual gluta kojic soap

than there is this black soap mix that is also bomb to lighten , epitome of nature raw african black soap mix

and finally this one , that is the strongest one in my opinion, asantee herbal tamarind and goat milk soap

all these soaps are used the same lather it on your face and body and leave it for a few minutes, 1-3 on face, 5-10 on body
and follow with a cream


my fav creams so far have been the
shixglow line, she is a youtuber that started her own line usually I don't trust youtubers but her products are bomb and natural and very effective
the whole line is amazing the face cream the body cream and her lipstick is the only thing that effectively lighten my lips from dark to pink

and also love the skin by jada ross products, its pricey tho
but the cream really brightens well and fast in a natural way its called face cream 2.0

I also loove their vitamin c it's the only thing that effectively got rid of my dark eye area

lactic acid and other serums I use the make up artist choice ones , they are also very effective

 

[Username2022]

@brownies19 thank you. This was very helpful

 

[brownies19]

@brownies19 thank you. This was very helpful

you're welcome
tbh at first I felt lazy to reply but than I remember once a upon a time I was a newbie too and other users kindly gave me tons of advice and tips and without it I wouldn't be able to reach my goals
so in a way its sort of my way to give back

any other questions I'll happily reply
best of luck on your journey or any other users starting out

 

[lolasweetangel]

@brownies19 thank you so much for the in depth answer! i think i might purchase all of the items since i've read a lot of good feedback on most of them! did you use any supplements or lightening creams or did you fully lighten naturally? again thank you!! oh and how do you deal with maintaining your skin tone once achieving your goal?

 

[brownies19]

@brownies19 thank you so much for the in depth answer! i think i might purchase all of the items since i've read a lot of good feedback on most of them! did you use any supplements or lightening creams or did you fully lighten naturally? again thank you!! oh and how do you deal with maintaining your skin tone once achieving your goal?

the shixglow line and the jada ross cream (all of them are in the above post) , are technically lightening creams but they are more mild and natural , i think the composition of the creams is more based on exfoliating ingredients and acids
so I achieved these results with it
I did use supplements tho liposomal glutathione and vitamin c and nac ,
the vitamin c and gluta I ordered from this place called shcglutathione they sell it on liquid form
and the nac supplement I ordered from amazon it's the jarrow one

I never used a full on lightening cream I'm only going to start using now and I'm going with the carotis line

I'm still far away from my goal so I still haven't reached maintenance stage
this is my goal

so I stll have a long long way to go
but I know it will be super fast now since my skin is exfoliated and I think I lighten easily, since I lighten quiet well without any strong creams

also a user I used to talk to used carotis line and she literally went from almost lupita at her darkest to the pic i posted above
her results look super natural and most of the products that she suggested I used worked great, so I can't wait to start doing her routine completely


sorry this was long
but don't worry again your results are achievable and easy I know it doesn't seem that way now but as you get lighter you will see for yourself and the closest you are to reach your goal the more you realize it isn't that light and you actually want to go even lighter, at least that is what happen to me the lighter I got the more my goal post moved

 

[Username2022]

@brownies19 i can’t thank you enough. Thank you so much for sharing. I wish everyone was direct and transparent like you.

 

[lolasweetangel]

@brownies19 it is fine, the long posts are incredibly helpful!! my end/ultimate goal is pretty close to yours and i am starting at around the same shade you were, this is my goal which is very far away but i wish you good luck since we're doing similar journeys! my only worry is redarkening but i think achieving the color naturally might help combat that. good luck!!

 

[brownies19]

@brownies19 it is fine, the long posts are incredibly helpful!! my end/ultimate goal is pretty close to yours and i am starting at around the same shade you were, this is my goal which is very far away but i wish you good luck since we're doing similar journeys! my only worry is redarkening but i think achieving the color naturally might help combat that. good luck!!
View attachment 67521

oh good luck with your journey too
I know now it seems far away and almost like a far away dream but trust me once you skin starts getting lighter you will change perspectives and not see it as a big deal , thats one of the reasons why people always move their ultimate goal once they started lightening
I remember at first I just wanted to go up to this tone

like this felt like a huge almost impossible dream

but now that I'm low key almost there its like whatever, i can go ligther


so be patient consistent and you will get there
don't worry too much about redarkening
the same way it's going to take ages for you to get light is also going to take some time for you to go back your original shade
it doesn't happen overnight you would have to be neglectful for quiet some time before it happens specially if you are also lightening from within aka taking supplements
sometimes I would get fed up and stop my regime for 2 even 3 weeks and I never went back to my initial shade in that time frame , I didn't even redarken most of the times, like at worst case scenario I would get a quarter shade darker

once you reach your goal you can be more lax with your products and routine
you just need to make sure you always use suncreen and don't stay long hours in the sun otherwise you will develop a new permatan


I will pm you my intial results of 2-3 months doing the routine I posted , the kojic acid soap with lactic acid cream, hopefully that will inspire you

 

[Gorgx]

hey
your goal is definitely super achievable
It's been more than a year since I started lightening my skin ( I started march last year)
I went from this

to this
View attachment 67518

I could have been much lighter by now but I decided to go super slow and only introduced active lightening creams fairly recently
I exfoliated for about 6-9 months, and just that along with supplements lighten me quiet good

my routine was quiet simple

kojic acid soap

face 2 min, body 10 min than after rinsing and drying my skin I followed with Amlactic lotion

on face and body
and than I wait an hour and put vitamin c serum on my face

on my hyperpigmented areas (knees, elbows, etc) I started using lightening creams from day one, since those areas are quiet hard to tackle specially knuckles so I advice you to the same

Also take supplements vitamin c, glutathione, lipoic acid, msm etc , these will give you a nice glow and make you lighten from within so you don't end up looking off or bleached

this is a very simple routine as you do it and progress add other stuff as you go , according to your needs
for example after a few months of this when my progress slowed down I added lactic acid weekly peels on my face I started with a low percentage and worked my way up to 40%
also I changed kojic acid soap to a stronger one like the dual kojie gluthathione soap
as I was saying add stuff as you go

obvs practice sun protection, never leave the house without a sunscreen and make sure you use one that actually protects and prevents tanning a bit , also avoid exposiing your skin to the sun for long hours

again if you do all of this in 3 months youll see great results and after that you can add lightening creams to your face and body
I personally I would advice you to search around on this forum and choose creams that are proven to be effective and worked for many other members
the creams I used so far on my skin have been mild , and not too strong but I'm switching to a stronger cream and I'm thinking about the carrotis line, it gives a nice yellow glow and undertone which is what I want
so again search and see what creams better suit your end result and goals

so is it possible to lighten with out supplements or lightening internally ?
im already about meg the stallions tone naturally if I used kojie san, amlactin, and sunblock daily and sun avoidance is it possible to lighten about 3-4 shades ? I take a lot of medication and supplements im not sure I could add more and stay on track. if I did I would only use vitamin c and msm but is supplementation absolutely necessary to lighten ? also how often should I use kojie san? and how often should I use amlactin? are used daily twice a day? I want to try to follow your regimen because it seems simple I've been trying to lighten for years and give up often from doing too much. also what sunscreen do you recommend ? also could you link your supplements just incase.

 

[brownies19]

so is it possible to lighten with out supplements or lightening internally ?
im already about meg the stallions tone naturally if I used kojie san, amlactin, and sunblock daily and sun avoidance is it possible to lighten about 3-4 shades ? I take a lot of medication and supplements im not sure I could add more and stay on track. if I did I would only use vitamin c and msm but is supplementation absolutely necessary to lighten ? also how often should I use kojie san? and how often should I use amlactin? are used daily twice a day? I want to try to follow your regimen because it seems simple I've been trying to lighten for years and give up often from doing too much. also what sunscreen do you recommend ? also could you link your supplements just incase.

its totally possible to lighten without supplements, specially at first
follow my regime you won't regret it
you should use kojic and lactic acid cream twice per day on face and body
basically lather your face with kijic soap leave it for 5 min
do the same for the body and leave it for 10
rinse , than get off the shower dry yourself
and apply the lactic cream on face and body

this is the sunscreen I use
banana boat advanced protection baby

, its very good I never ever ever leave the hous without putting suncreen



now going back to supplements like I said it's totally possible to lighten without it
however the furthest you get from your natural shade the hardest it is to lighten , at a certain point with my regime you will prob reach a plateau and than yeah you prob will have to add supplements to boost your results

but again its not necessary at first
just do this regime for 1-3 months see how you like it and how much you lighten than from there you can decide to add supplements
actually at the moment I'm not taking supplements I stopped taking 4-5 months ago and so far so good, im going to retake them in about 2 weeks tho
I still manage to lighten well without them I think with supplements you will need them a lot when you reach a certain shade or a plateau and maybe I haven't reach that shade yet because again I haven't been taken them for 6 months and still manage to lighten well

this are the supplements I was taking when I was consistent
gluthathione from jarrow

nac also from jarrow

vitamin c from solaray

I never took msm or the others

 

[Gorgx]

its totally possible to lighten without supplements, specially at first
follow my regime you won't regret it
you should use kojic and lactic acid cream twice per day on face and body
basically lather your face with kijic soap leave it for 5 min
do the same for the body and leave it for 10
rinse , than get off the shower dry yourself
and apply the lactic cream on face and body

this is the sunscreen I use
banana boat advanced protection baby
View attachment 67646


, its very good I never ever ever leave the hous without putting suncreen



now going back to supplements like I said it's totally possible to lighten without it
however the furthest you get from your natural shade the hardest it is to lighten , at a certain point with my regime you will prob reach a plateau and than yeah you prob will have to add supplements to boost your results

but again its not necessary at first
just do this regime for 1-3 months see how you like it and how much you lighten than from there you can decide to add supplements
actually at the moment I'm not taking supplements I stopped taking 4-5 months ago and so far so good, im going to retake them in about 2 weeks tho
I still manage to lighten well without them I think with supplements you will need them a lot when you reach a certain shade or a plateau and maybe I haven't reach that shade yet because again I haven't been taken them for 6 months and still manage to lighten well

this are the supplements I was taking when I was consistent
gluthathione from jarrow
View attachment 67647

nac also from jarrow
View attachment 67648

vitamin c from solaray
View attachment 67649


I never took msm or the others

thank you! I appreciate you ! after reaching goal should I shorten it to only using once every other day or maybe twice a week for maintenance? after 3 months of this regimen should I expect to see 2-3 shades difference ?

 

[brownies19]

thank you! I appreciate you ! after reaching goal should I shorten it to only using once every other day or maybe twice a week for maintenance? after 3 months of this regimen should I expect to see 2-3 shades difference ?

every skin and person is different, when you get there you need to see what works for you personally
but rule of thumb that's how people do it with maintenance, they reduce the use of the product to once every other day , or just some days of the week like you said

about your question again every skin is diff some people lighten slower others faster , there is a lot of factors that go in
but yeah I think it's a reasonable expectation to be 2-3 shades lighter after 3 months

 

[Liveyourlife3000]

Hey I’m not new to sct but I don’t usually now I’m ready after seeing this thread..I been wanting to lighten for some time now but I’m skeptical don’t know how the people who know me already would react. I appreciate you being so open and helpful do you mind telling me about your experience being lighter? Nobody really talks about that lol I’m just curious because I want to but idkkk. I’m about your start off shade maybe a little darker

 

[brownies19]

Hey I’m not new to sct but I don’t usually now I’m ready after seeing this thread..I been wanting to lighten for some time now but I’m skeptical don’t know how the people who know me already would react. I appreciate you being so open and helpful do you mind tellin
g me about your experience being lighter? Nobody really talks about that lol I’m just curious because I want to but idkkk. I’m about your start off shade maybe a little darker

I don't know if this was directed to me or not
I used to be lupita color and my current shade is prob this one

(more or less )

b4 I started lightening there was one of my biggest concerns people reactions to it
but I just decided to go ahead
my close friends were shook about it but shrug their shoulders and said I looked good
my mom was very against it at first, I didn't tell her what I was doing but she noticed my skin getting lighter and lighter she criticize me but now she doesn't tell me anything because my skin looks amazing

that's the thing if you do a good bleaching job people won't give you much flack because it looks good

my distant relatives were also a bit shook but we aren't that close so they didn't have the balls to address it directly and just pretended it was nothing


tbh the judgment and backlash was a lot less than I thought it would be, again the secret is making your bleach look super natural and good than people won't have much to point fingers at and they will start asking for tips or advice on their own skin


about people reaction in general I was always treated nicely and considered attractive but now it's more in your face while before people would have to hang out with me sometime or pay closer attention to my face to notice that
I live in a predominately white neighborhood and its like now they see me as less black, among black people it isn't like that I'm still seen and treated as black
with men and dating in general I notice I'm considered more "universally attractive" I'm not saying dark skin is bad or not pretty but again I feel people notice my face and my features better and I'm considered attractive to a broader spectrum of guys
it's like now when I arrive in a new place full of men or when I talk to them they get nervous, self-conscious or giddy before this happen sometimes but not with nearly every guy like now
also the "douche-bags" are paying attention to me and kissing my ass while before they wouldn't even notice my presence

my dating life is something I don't care at the moment I'm trying to loose weight and focusing on myself so I'm ignoring all male advances

 

[Liveyourlife3000]

I don't know if this was directed to me or not
I used to be lupita color and my current shade is prob this one
View attachment 67755 View attachment 67756

(more or less )

b4 I started lightening there was one of my biggest concerns people reactions to it
but I just decided to go ahead
my close friends were shook about it but shrug their shoulders and said I looked good
my mom was very against it at first, I didn't tell her what I was doing but she noticed my skin getting lighter and lighter she criticize me but now she doesn't tell me anything because my skin looks amazing

that's the thing if you do a good bleaching job people won't give you much flack because it looks good

my distant relatives were also a bit shook but we aren't that close so they didn't have the balls to address it directly and just pretended it was nothing


tbh the judgment and backlash was a lot less than I thought it would be, again the secret is making your bleach look super natural and good than people won't have much to point fingers at and they will start asking for tips or advice on their own skin


about people reaction in general I was always treated nicely and considered attractive but now it's more in your face while before people would have to hang out with me sometime or pay closer attention to my face to notice that
I live in a predominately white neighborhood and its like now they see me as less black, among black people it isn't like that I'm still seen and treated as black
with men and dating in general I notice I'm considered more "universally attractive" I'm not saying dark skin is bad or not pretty but again I feel people notice my face and my features better and I'm considered attractive to a broader spectrum of guys
it's like now when I arrive in a new place full of men or when I talk to them they get nervous, self-conscious or giddy before this happen sometimes but not with nearly every guy like now
also the "douche-bags" are paying attention to me and kissing my ass while before they wouldn't even notice my presence

my dating life is something I don't care at the moment I'm trying to loose weight and focusing on myself so I'm ignoring all male advances

Thanks girl that’s was very descriptive I’m about to start my journey in about 2 weeks and yea I bet you right long as it looks good! I’m probably 2 shades lighter than lupita wanting to be about shade you desire 2 shades darker lol not too noticeable but I feel once j start I’m gonna wanna get lighter

 

[brownies19]

Thanks girl that’s was very descriptive I’m about to start my journey in about 2 weeks and yea I bet you right long as it looks good! I’m probably 2 shades lighter than lupita wanting to be about shade you desire 2 shades darker lol not too noticeable but I feel once j start I’m gonna wanna get lighter

good luck on your jorney if you need any tips recommendations or pretty much asking me anything dm me nothing is off limits
I love to help others

and you are right once you start getting lighter you will want to get lighter, because what you saw as light doesn't feel that light anymore