Bearberry

So Sundays are considered me days.  Sometimes I don’t even leave the house or change my bed clothes.  My church has live broadcasts online and I’ll watch there then spend the rest of the day mostly researching whatever topic seems interesting at the time.  On Sunday, March 02, 2014, I was watching an Essence online video of the Black Women in Hollywood White Carpet.  Near the end of the video, the hostess Yolanda interviews Angela Bassett and asks her to dip into a bowl of questions written by readers.  The question pulled out was simply, “What is the last thing you bought online,” but the answer was very intriguing.  “Bearberry,” Angela says, which she uses as a natural skin lightener. Bearberry leaves contain a natural lightening compound called arbutin that's said to be quite powerful at bleaching dark spots, age spots and melasma. While I don’t have a huge problem with discoloration, I had to try some on the dark circles under my eyes twice a day for about six weeks.  The brand I bought on Amazon was 100% pure and needed to be mixed with a moisturizer before applying to the skin.

 

I didn’t think to take a before photo but I have noticed a difference on my eyes and on my neck.  I have a little discoloration that came from a scarf I bought that was made in another country and I didn’t wash before wearing.  (Lesson learned.)  I will say that before I found out about the bearberry, I had also been using a natural product by EssenceTree Holistic Life called Renewal Balm.  Though it is a regional product, it can be bought at Whole Foods (Whole Body) and was marketed to help clear up the residual scars from eczema.  It works very well too.

 

In addition to the bearberry on my face, I occasionally use Smashbox BB cream which has color correcting and wrinkle improving qualities.  This could have aided in the skin lightening as well. On a side note, I use Oil of Olay Regenerist Anti-Aging Eye Roller which combats wrinkles and puffiness.  At times I was combining it with the bearberry and it makes me believe less attention is drawn to my eyes. Bio-oil is another product I have that I learned about at the Southern Women’s Show that you may want to try.  I was told though it helps with stretch marks, it doesn’t do much for discoloration which I don’t understand because aren’t stretch marks usually darker? 

 

It was wonderful learning about new natural products and how they can be used to treat the skin.  I thank Angela Bassett and Essence for the question and the answer.  Click here for more tips on how to naturally lighten the skin.