Hello!

Am currently about Naomi Campbel shade and would like to lighten up to 1 shade up. At the most 2 shades. I currenctly battle a few dark spots as a result of using Makari day cream. It clogged up my skin and caused acne. I switched to using Meladerm. Meladerm gave me serious irritation after using it twice a day for 5 days. So I stopped.

I previously tried ordering lightening agents from SkinActives.com. I added alpha arbutin to my Neutrogena moisturizer. I didn't see any visible differences. I was using it at about 4% arbutin.

So here's my question. Since I have stopped Makari, my skin tone has deepen further than my original shade. I will like to lighten it back up (again to just 1 - 2 shades). Makari worked very very well but it cost me my skin.

1. What percentage of arbutin should I be adding to my lotion to make it very effective?
2.Should I add other actives such as licorice extract, Niacinamide etc? I did try to add these to my original potion. It didn't work. No lightening effect. Am I simply mixing the wrong things?
3.What lightening cream recipe has worked effectively for you?

I don't want to try any products. It has to be DIY. :-)

PLEASE HELP!

Hey,
I got my actives from skinactives too. It should lighten you... depending on the concentration.I use l the contents of the tube-I guess it is 4% in 250ml of lotion.I added arbutin,kojic acid and bearburry to my lotion too.I didn't use plain lotion because I wanted it to be stronger.It is working well for me.My base cream is Fair&White Clear Tone

Thanks Violaename! Am scared to use any lightening products due to my experience with Makari and Meladerm. However, I haven't thought of adding Bearberry extract or Kojic. Kojic will make me more photo sensitive. So am a little apprehensive about it!

Thanks for your your feedback..

Anytime...
I used Makari too... it works very well for me in so far so far as I use it for like 3 weeks and switch...

I just purchased Alpha Arbutin from skinactives also. My Glycolic Lotion 15% been sitting on the shelf doing nothing, might as well starting using it and add a little something too.

Nikkicute, do let me know how alpha arbutin works.

However, don't bother updating me on your love for fair and falwless... lol.. It sure is useless!

But on a serious not let me know about alpha arbutin

Isn't 4% for alpha arbutin too weak...

You think so:confused:
According to skinactives the alpha arbutin powder will be at 5% in a 4oz jar of cream or lotion, I'm putting mine in an 8oz bottle of glycolic lotion, guess it won't be at five percent anymore but that's OK, I just wanted to use up this lotion, add a lightener and see what happens.

HUH:eek:
You mix it with glycolic acid??

Lol:p
My glycolic lotion I purchased from Sharon Marie Skin Care: http://www.google.com/webhp?hl=&sour...ai=&fp=1&cad=b
You see? Just looks like a regular lotion but it contains 15% glycolic acid.
It doesn't burn or anything, my skin feels real smooth after I apply it.
This is an exfoliating lotion.

There are glycolics and other peels that do have arbutin and other lighteners added to them to give a lightening peel, it's already mixed inside.

Lol @ Nikkicute - Make sure you don't have FAIR AND FRICKED UP added to it, to cause trouble.. ;)

Hey is that glycolic acid good.. would it peel away layers of dead skin...

Glycolic Acid is great for the skin and it usually does not cause any visible peeling, it's an exfoliate that dissolves dead skin cells, I used it on and off for years and it makes the skin look real smooth.

@Violaename
Ooops! On my lotion/skinactives experiment, I added Arbutin to my glycolic lotion then read the directions on the actives, which informed me not to add it to anything acidic:o ,should have read the directions FIRST.

Use a plain, inexpensive cream or lotion, creams with lots of acids in them (ascorbic, glycolic, latic acids) are best used alone, as the acids may react with some of the our actives.

But I have seen peels for sale with lightening ingredients added in them. We'll see what happens I just wanted to use up this lotion as not to waste it.