Black skin is beautiful, and those with dark skin look amazing in all colors (especially vibrant colors) as well as tend to age slower.
However, nobody wants to be a part of team #ashy, right? You want your beautiful melanated skin to be beautiful and have an even skin tone! So today, I’m sharing my tips on how to make black skin glow naturally!
How to make black skin glow naturally
1. Exfoliate your skin
Did you know every 30 days or so that your skin naturally sheds dead skin cells to make room for new cells?
Anddddd sometimes, those dead cells don’t shed completely. Yuck.
That’s where exfoliating comes in!
Exfoliating smooths the skin’s surface by removing dry, flaky, dead cells, which allows you to get an even skin tone for your black skin.
Exfoliating helps to brighten your skin, minimize the appearance of discoloration and reduce breakouts.
When you exfoliate, you uncover fresh new cells below, which gives you softer, glowing skin.
Additionally, by exfoliating, you open the way for moisturizing products to penetrate more deeply into the skin, which makes them more effective. When it comes to how to make black skin glow naturally, you do not want to skip out on exfoliating!
How to make your black girl glow naturally with this all-natural DIY exfoliator:
Now you can make your own natural exfoliator. Here are a few simple recipes:
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- Brow sugar exfoliator: 1 part sugar (like brown sugar) and one part oil (like almond oil). Mix and apply gently over the body.
- Brightening lemon exfoliator: Mix a tablespoon of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of olive oil in a bowl. Add honey and stir until fully mixed. Add Sugar. Gently apply to body.
Both of the recipes are great and can be created with household products. However, if you want to take your exfoliation to the next level, I highly recommend these:
Exfoliating gloves are a game-changer
I recently discovered body scrub gloves and listennnnnn; my skincare routine is forever changed.
Exfoliating gloves are meant to be used with water and body wash, so I recommend wetting your entire body, as well as your exfoliating glove, then start scrubbing.
Your exfoliator glove is your exfoliator. Be sure to use circular motions and replace them often to prevent built-up bacteria (the gloves below are washable, so you can reuse them! Yay, for the environment!).
Here are some double Sided Exfoliating Gloves I love!
Other ways to exfoliate your black skin naturally.
I love body scrubs, but I don’t love body scrubs priced at $95 or body scrubs full of chemicals that do more harm to your skin than good.
Here are a few other ways you can exfoliate so you know how to get an even skin tone for black skin:
Exfoliating cloths
Get this on Nordstorms.com [This is a black-owned company]
Switch out your face washcloth for an exfoliating face and body cloth! Simply wet and apply gently to your skin using circular motions. I like to pair these exfoliating clothes with my favorite face cleanser.
Just be sure not to scrub too hard! Gentle is always better when it comes to exfoliating your dark skin.
Body Scrub:
Here’s a highly rated brown sugar scrub made with all-natural ingredients that smell oh-so-good!
Fresh brown sugar body polish
Fenty buff Ryder
This scrub is made of fine, pumice-like crystals and has no microbeads. It’s formulated to gently remove dead skin cells, leaving your skin smoother and softer. The fragrance is a mix of juicy apricot, creamy vanilla and sweet musk.
Face scrub:
The skin on your face is a lot more sensitive and thinner than the skin on your body, so I do NOT recommend using body scrubs on your face as it can be too abrasive.
Instead, I recommend using a facial scrub created specifically for your face and for dark skin. Shea moisture was created specifically for dark skin, and their highly-rated face scrub is great for removing dull, dead skin cells!
A product we like is the Buttah tea tree and mask scrub because it works as a 3 in 1. It works like a mask, cleanses the skin, and exfoliates
Get this at Macy’s [This is a black-owned company]
When it comes to how to make your black skin glow naturally, I always recommend exfoliating every 1-2 weeks to remove dead skin and make your skin look radiant.
2. Drink lots of water
I know, I know. Telling you to drink lots of water for beautiful skin is cliche but listen, your skin is 64% water, and when you’re not drinking adequate water, what do you think happens?
Well, your skin is not getting essential nutrients to your skin cells to keep your skin replenished.
Water keeps your dark skin hydrated and refreshed, which helps maintain your skin’s elasticity and that glowing effect.
Those who drink large amounts of water are less likely to suffer from scars, wrinkles, and they won’t show as many signs of aging as those who drink little amounts of water.
Your skin is 64% water
Those who know me KNOW I drink lots of water throughout the day. One way I keep myself hydrated is I keep a huge water bottle near me pretty much all the time.
While I’m working, watching TV, cooking, and yes, even at night just in case, I wake up in the middle of the night thirsty.
Here’s my favorite water bottle, which keeps water cold for 24 hours! However, I like to make it a game where I have to fill my water bottle up at least four times a day.
I know it’s cliche to say drink water when it comes to How to make black skin glow naturally, but since upping my water intake, my dark skin has never looked better! And when I don’t drink a lot of water, I can always tell because my skin looks duller and is drier.
3. Moisturize Your Skin
Nobody wants to be a part of team ashiness, and the best way to combat that is usually a moisturizer! Using a moisturizer allows you to reduce the chance of developing extreme dryness or oiliness.
Additionally, by applying a moisturizer to your dark skin, you maintain your skin’s moisture barrier and prevent environmental damage to your skin.
While a moisturizer can allow you to have softer, more elastic skin that keeps your skin hydrated… it’s important to use moisturizers that are not full of chemicals that can do more harm to your skin than good.
I like to avoid moisturizers with a lot of crazy chemicals I cannot pronounce and artificial ingredients because what you put on your skin is just as important as what you put in your skin.
What you put on your skin is just as important as what you put in your skin.
I sometimes make my own shea butter moisturizer. Check out my article here.
Another great option is 54 THRONES Ivorian Cocoa + Ghanaian Coconut Beauty Butter which is designed to moisturize and soften skin.
The ingredients of this product include cocoa butter and coconut oil, which are both natural sources of antioxidants and it does not contain any chemicals or artificial fragrances.
Get it at Nordstrom.com [This is a black-owned company]
4. Say YES to serums
Serums are bae. Yup, I said it. Serums are jam-packed with beneficial ingredients such as antioxidants and skin-restoring ingredients.
They usually exclude ingredients like as SPF and emollients, which are usually included in general moisturizers. This is why serums tend to be more expensive… because they also tend to be more effective.
When it comes to using skins serums and how to get an even skin tone for black skin, I recommend a serum with one or three of these things:
- Vitamin E – rich in antioxidants, which help repair damaged skin cells, thus making your skin beautiful and free from blemishes
- Retinol – (also known as Vitamin A) increases collagen production (which helps your skin elasticity). It also stimulates the production of new blood vessels in the skin, which improves skin color. Additional benefits include fading age spots, softening rough patches of skin, and brightening skin.
- Hyaluronic Acid – designed to address visible wrinkles and improve skin elasticity as well as brighten skin
Look for serums with active ingredients in high concentrations. How can you figure this out? The higher the active ingredient is placed on the ingredient list, the higher the concentrations within the product.
For active ingredients like retinol, too little of it and it’s a waste (real-life experience talking here), so make sure you’re choosing a serum with more than .000000001%. of active ingredients.
5. Exercise
Wait! Before you start rolling your eyes… did you know exercise helps nourish skin cells and keep them vital?
Yup, exercising helps improves your skin tone and is great when it comes to how to make black skin glow naturally. Aerobic exercise makes you sweat, which promotes the removal of toxins through perspiration.
Additionally, working out tones the skin improves blood circulation and oxygenation to the skin and imparts a healthy glow.
Working out improves your blood flow which nourishes cells and thus makes skin brighter
There are so many benefits to exercising, and one of those benefits is making your black skin glow naturally.
Check out my Pinterest board that shows different workouts you can try that will make you sweat (which helps with glowing skin!).
6. Cleanse daily
No matter your skin type, it would be best if you washed your face at least once a day — preferably in the evening/night to remove any dirt, makeup, oil, and grime built up on your skin throughout the day.
Washing your face in the morning is still up for debate with it comes to some skin-care experts. However, I wash my face twice a day, once in the morning after working out (since I work out early in the morning) and at night.
Buttah Cleanser + Vibe set
The buttah Vibe is a combination of a facial cleansing device and a cleanser. The cleanser is made with natural ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, and vitamin E. The facial cleansing device is designed to be used on your face, neck, and décolletage. It has two speeds: low and high.
Get this at Nordstom.com [This is a black-owned company]
I also recommend cleansing your body daily, even if just a 5 minute-shower, for the same reasons. Cleaning your body daily helps remove oil and grime built up on your skin throughout the day.
Why should you wash every day? Why does cleansing daily help when it comes to how to make black skin glow naturally? From sweat to particles in the environment, your skin inevitably faces many external aggressors.
So by cleansing daily, you remove every last trace of dirt, excess oil, pollution, and unwanted skin cells off of your body and face.
However, be careful not to over-cleanse. Over-cleansing strips your skin from its natural oils and protective barrier, which can lead to dryness, sensitivity, irritation and make your skin even worse (and more full!).
Don’t rub your skin too harshly or overdo it when it comes to washing your body and face.
Use a face wash and body wash created for your skin type (oily, dry, combination, mature and sensitive). For example, if you have oily skin, you don’t want to clean with a cleanser created for dry skin as it will only make your skin oilier, which could cause breakouts.
Please read the labels when it comes to your cleansers to ensure its created for your skin type.
Click here for some of the top facial cleansers on Amazon.
7. Protect Your Skin
While dark skin does not sunburn as quickly, dark skin still burns and is susceptible to sun-induced damage—such as sunspots and wrinkles—and skin cancer. No matter your skin tone, you should be wearing sunscreen.
Black skin needs sunscreen too.
Everyone, including those with dark skin, need to wear sunscreen. Why? Well, Sunscreen provides added protection against UV rays, and skin damage is a great way to have dull, flaky skin. Nooooo, Thank you!
UV damage can be one of the main reasons your skin looks dull, so it’s best to wear sunscreen whenever you go out… even if that trip is just to the car.
As someone with dark skin, one of the biggest struggles for sunscreen and black skin is that some sunscreens can give you this ugly white cast over your skin, which makes you look ashy and absolutely NOT cute.
If you know that struggle oh-to-well, I highly recommend sunscreen like black girl sunscreen, which was created for our beautiful dark skin to moisturize without giving us that ashy skin look.
Black Girl sunscreen
Black Girl Sunscreen is a company that was founded by entrepreneur Janaye. She created the company to address the need for an SPF product for people of color with sensitive skin. The company’s sunscreen is made from all-natural ingredients and is fragrance-free.
Get it at Target.com [This is a black-owned company]
8. Use a shimmer with gold flakes
Now, this is a makeup beauty hack that a lot of people don’t know about, and that’s to use a gold shimmer on your body when you are going out! Why? Well, gold shimmer gives you that instantly glowy look when the sun hits your beautiful black skin!
Whenever I go to the beach or show a little extra shoulder, I might dab a little shimmer lotion on my skin! You can make your own using a few household ingredients.
Check out my DIY glowy skin lotion video:
If you’re not into DIY or prefer to snag it, you can also purchase shimmer powder or lotion!
Fenty body lava
Fenty body lava is a liquid foundation with an illuminating finish that can be mixed with other products. It is made of ingredients such as watermelon extract, coconut oil, and aloe vera leaf extract which make it very gentle on the skin.
9. Get your sleep
Collagen is a protein that serves as one of the main building blocks for your skin.
It helps your skin to remain youthful looking and improve skin texture… but here’s the catch: Skin makes new collagen when you sleep, and that’s not the only reason you need sleep! Sleep also reduces puffy eyes and/or dark circles underneath your eyes… and nobody wants glowing skin with puffy, red, sleep-deprived eyes.
When it comes to how to make black skin glow naturally, my biggest recommendation is to take care of yourself! Drink water, eat nutritious foods, and use natural products that your dark skin will love.
One way I keep my black skin glowing is by giving myself an at-home facial once or twice a month. It keeps my skin clear, youthful, and glowing. Check out my video below on how!
Watch: My At-home routine for glowing skin:
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