9 Home Remedies to Lighten Dark Inner Thighs

The inner side of the thighs often becomes darker than the surrounding skin due to a variety of factors.

If you have heavy thighs with little gap between them, they will constantly rub against each other. Skinny jeans or tights also stick to the skin and rub against it. This repeated friction causes inflammation, which stimulates certain specialized cells inside the skin called melanocytes.

Melanocytes are responsible for producing a pigment called melanin, which gives your skin its color. The overactive melanocytes secrete excessive melanin, making the affected area darker. (1)

Shaving, waxing, and hormonal imbalances can also contribute to this kind of hyperpigmentation. Thankfully, some natural ingredients can help fade this hyperpigmentation at home.

Home Remedies for Dark Inner Thighs

Note: Patch test these remedies on the underside of your arm or a small area of the neck before applying. This will help rule out any allergic or adverse skin reactions. If you notice any irritation or redness, it’s best not to use the remedy.

Here are some natural ways to lighten the hyperpigmentation on your inner thighs.

1. Apply aloe vera gel

Aloe vera can help lighten your dark inner thighs through a number of mechanisms.

For starters, it deeply hydrates the dry, irritated skin to strengthen its protective barrier and improve its elasticity. Plus, it is full of nutrients and antioxidants that help ease the underlying inflammation and repair the damaged skin.

Lastly, aloe vera is credited with skin-lightening properties that can be attributed to its chief component called aloin. Aloin is known to aggregate melanin, which may help reduce hyperpigmentation. (2)

How to use:

2. Use oatmeal and yogurt

The granular texture of oatmeal makes it an excellent scrub for the skin. It gently exfoliates the dead, dark, and damaged upper layer to reveal new bright skin underneath.

Repeated use helps fade the hyperpigmentation on your inner thighs over time, but make sure not to do it too much or too forcefully, which could further damage the skin. (3) 

Not just that, oatmeal is also full of moisturizing agents and antioxidants, both of which help soothe and heal your skin so that it returns to its natural complexion.

The other ingredient used in this remedy is yogurt, which helps with skin brightening. It is enriched with lactic acid, which dissolves and loosens the dead cells accumulated on top of the skin so that they shed easily.

The gradual removal of the damaged upper layer allows freshly formed skin to rise to the surface. This skin renewal helps reduce hyperpigmentation to even out the skin tone.

Moreover, yogurt imparts moisture to the skin, making it soft and supple.

How to use:

Method 1

1. Put 1 tablespoon oats, 1 tablespoon yogurt, and 1 teaspoon honey in a bowl.
2. Mix well to make a thick paste.
3. Apply the paste to your dark inner thighs.
4. Let it dry for 20–30 minutes.
5. Use damp fingers to gently scrub off the paste in gentle circular motions.
6. Rinse it off with cold water.
7. Do this 2–3 times a week.

Method 2

1. Mix some drops of lemon juice, a pinch of turmeric, and 1 teaspoon of oatmeal powder to make a scrub.
2. Use it as directed above.

3. Try using potato and tomato

Potatoes and tomatoes exhibit natural bleaching properties. They contain enzymes that help break down dead skin cells and make them shed faster.

The good thing is that both these ingredients are very mild and do not irritate sensitive skin. In fact, they may help reduce skin inflammation and promote skin repair due to their antioxidant content.

How to use:

Method 1

1. Mix ½ tablespoon each of potato juice and tomato juice.
2. Add 5–6 drops of honey and mix well.
3. Apply this mixture to your dark thighs.
4. Let it sit for 10 minutes before washing it off with lukewarm water.

Method 2

1. Rub a potato slice over the darkened area for 15 minutes or more.
2. Wash the area with regular water.

4. Massage with honey

Honey is good for your skin in more ways than one and can even help get rid of dark patches in your inner thighs. It imparts moisture to the skin and locks it in for prolonged hydration. It is loaded with antioxidants that relieve underlying inflammation and repair damaged skin cells.

All these properties can help fade hyperpigmentation, gradually evening out your skin tone. (4)

How to use:

1. Gently massage 1–2 teaspoons of honey onto your inner thighs.
2. Let it sit for 10–15 minutes before washing it off with warm water.

5. Use orange peels

Orange peels contain a lot of vitamin C, which is both a powerful antioxidant and a natural bleaching agent. It stimulates the production of new skin cells to replace the old damaged ones. It also strengthens skin elasticity and reduces inflammation.

Moreover, orange peel powder has fine granules that gently exfoliate the dark patches of dead skin to reveal new healthy skin underneath. 

How to use:

1. Mix a few drops of rose water in 2 teaspoons of orange peel powder to make a thick paste.
2. Add some honey and mix a little more.
3. Apply this paste to your dark inner thighs and leave it on for 15–20 minutes.
4. Wet your hands and gently scrub off the paste using light circular finger motions.
5. Wash the area with cold water.
6. Do this 2–3 times a week.

6. Rub some cucumber slices on the area

Cucumber is extremely moisturizing and gives off a cooling effect due to its high water content. Plus, its high antioxidant content helps bring down skin inflammation and repair the skin damage caused by friction.

Rubbing cucumber on the skin can help exfoliate the dead cells to reveal fresh new skin underneath.

How to use:

Method 1

1. Rub a cucumber slice directly on the darkened skin for 10 minutes.
2. Wait for 5 minutes before washing the area with normal water.
3. Do this once or twice daily.

Method 2

1. Grate a cucumber and mix in 2 tablespoons of orange juice and a pinch of turmeric and sandalwood powder.
2. Apply this mixture to the affected area and leave it on for 10–15 minutes.
3. Rinse it off with normal water.

7. Almond usage can help

Almonds contain plenty of vitamin E, which can help lighten the dark patches on your inner thighs. (5) It does so by moisturizing the skin, curbing underlying inflammation, and increasing the production of new skin cells to replace the old damaged ones.

You can use both almond powder and almond oil to reduce hyperpigmentation.

How to use:

Method 1

1. Take 1–2 tablespoons of coarsely powdered almonds, 1 tablespoon of milk powder, and 1 tablespoon of honey in a bowl.
2. Mix all the ingredients well to make a paste.
3. Apply the mixture to the affected area and let it dry.
4. Wet your fingers and use them to massage the paste all over the skin in light circular motions.
5. Rinse your skin with normal water.
6. Do this 2–4 times a week.

Method 2

1. Warm some almond oil.
2. Massage it on your inner thighs for about 5 minutes daily before going to bed.

8. Use sugar for exfoliation

Dead skin cells collect on top of the skin, making it rough, dry, and dark. Sugar granules can help exfoliate this damaged outer layer so that newly formed skin can rise from underneath and replace it.

How to use:

Method 1

1. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to a spoonful of granulated sugar and mix well.
2. Gently rub this mixture onto the darkened skin for 1–2 minutes before rinsing it off.
3. Finish off with a moisturizer.

Method 2

1. Put 1 tablespoon of white cane sugar, 1 tablespoon of avocado oil, and ½ tablespoon of aloe vera gel in a bowl.
2. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly to make a paste.
3. Apply the paste to your dark inner thighs. Massage it like a scrub all over the area for a couple of minutes, using gentle circular motions.
4. Wash it off after 15 minutes with lukewarm water.
5. Apply a good moisturizer.

9. Lemon juice can help

Lemon juice is replete with vitamin C, which is recognized as a natural skin-brightening agent. This powerful antioxidant helps renew and repair damaged skin while also curbing underlying inflammation.

Regular application of lemon juice can help lighten hyperpigmentation to a great degree.

How to use:

Method 1

1. Mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with the same amount of glycerin.
2. Apply this mixture to the darkened area.
3. Wait for 10–15 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water.

Method 2

1. For a more lubricating salve, mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1–2 tablespoons of coconut oil, almond oil, or shea butter.
2. Massage this mixture into the inner thighs.
3. Leave it on for 10–15 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water.

Method 3

1. Combine 1 teaspoon each of lemon juice, milk powder, and honey.
2. Mix in some almond oil and apply the mixture to the affected skin.
3. Let it sit for 15–20 minutes before washing it off with water.

Tips to Prevent Darkening of the Inner Thighs

Here are some self-care measures that can help keep your thighs from darkening:

• If you have diabetes, adopt the recommended dietary changes, exercise regularly, and take the prescribed medication.
• Avoid wearing tights and skinny jeans. Instead, go for comfortably loose pants, dresses, and skirts.
• When going in the sun wearing shorts, make sure to apply a good-quality sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher over the exposed skin, including the thighs.
• If you are obese or overweight, take the necessary measures to lose the extra pounds and thereby reduce the flab from your thighs, which may otherwise rub together and cause hyperpigmentation. (6)
• Avoid shaving or waxing the bikini area too often to avoid skin darkening.
• Maintain proper water intake to keep your skin properly hydrated from within.
• Keep the inner thighs clean by regularly washing them with a mild chemical-free soap and using a soft sponge to scrub off the dirt and dead cells accumulated in the area. (7)
• Moisturize your thighs regularly.

Final Word

The above-mentioned remedies have worked for many people, but this does not mean that the results are guaranteed. Plus, you may have to experiment with different remedies to see which one works best for you.

If none of them help in fading the darkness on your inner thighs, consult a dermatologist, who will help you identify the factors responsible for this condition and treat it accordingly.