How To Get Even Toned Skin: The 5 Step Ultimate Guide

We all know that something as simple as a single pimple or as complex as melasma could contribute to the overall look of our skin, so when it comes to getting an even skin tone, you have to address all the possible contributing factors at hand.

There are two main factors that make a skin tone appear to be uneven: texture and color.

To get rid of uneven skin tone, you need to smooth the texture, decrease the dark spots, and decrease the redness.

On the other hand, the body is notorious for making way more pigment faster than it can remove it, so you’ve got to protect your skin to prevent pigmentation from returning so quickly.

So just how do we go about doing all of those things? Keep scrolling to read all about it.

But First, What Is Uneven Skin Tone?

We’re sure that you’ve heard the term “uneven skin tone” a million and one times, but have you ever stopped to think about what it truly means? If not, don’t worry, because we are happy to share everything you need to know about it.

Uneven skin tone is characterized by both skin discoloration and a change in your skin texture.

Take a good look at your face in the mirror. Are their areas that are obviously different in color (precisely darker) or feel rougher from the surrounding? If yes, then your skin is probably uneven.

The first and foremost step you need to take to solve any skin issue is to find out what the root causes are. Here are some of the leading causes of uneven skin tone:

What Causes Uneven Skin Tone?

1. Hyperpigmentation

It isn’t a skin condition but rather a term that refers to dark spots on the skin. Hyper means above. Pigment means color. Together, hyperpigmentation refers to excess production of color. Melanin is a pigment that is produced by melanocytes. It is responsible for the color of our hair, eyes, and skin.

This pigmentation is harmless, but is one of the causes of uneven skin tone triggered mainly by over exposure to the sun or natural events that forces the skin to produce excess melanin as you would see explained further below.

2. Skin Inflammation

The tricky part about inflammation is that it is as necessary as it is destructive.

Inflammation is what signals the body to initiate healing when there is acne, injury or infection. In that context, it’s a good inflammation that plays a critical role in keeping the body healthy but when inflammation is prolonged as the skin undergoes the healing process, our natural protector (melanin produced by melanocytes) gets triggered as a results skin becomes uneven with redness, scars and dark spots.

3. Dryness

Dry skin often lacks sebum, making it vulnerable to cracking up easily which leads to rough bumpy texture that turns out uneven. Unhealthy or damaged skin triggers melanin which leads to discoloration and patchy skin.

4. Aging

Age spots are dark patches caused by sun damage as we age. Over time, these dark patches tend to darken and become more noticeable and pronounced. Age spots are most common for people with lighter skin tones, though they can affect all skin tones. They are usually flat, oval-shaped, and beige, brown, or black colored. Generally, age spots are observed in the most exposed areas to the sun for many years (like on the face, shoulders, arms, hands, and chest.)

Of course, aging itself (not from the sun this time, but just natural aging) also impacts uneven skin tone. And while you can’t prevent your skin from aging, you can use this recommended anti aging skincare products as part of your mature skin routine.

5. Hormonal Imbalances

Going through the hormonal changes in the body is enough as it is, but alas, they can also cause uneven skin tone. Especially if you are on some form of contraceptives, birth control or pregnant, the imbalance in hormones leads to high melanin production. Another word for all of this is melasma which could also be developed from reactions to certain drugs or cosmetic products.

6. Air Pollution

Though you can’t see them, floating particles in the air like smoke, chemicals, dust, and carbon dioxide are always present. These particles can seep into your pores, and as they get into your pores, your immune system gets into defense mode. Your skin starts producing excess melanin. As a result, your skin becomes more uneven.

What Is an Even Skin Tone and What Does it Look Like?

Want the simplest answer? An even skin tone is bright, smooth, and free of dark spots.

How To Get Even Toned Skin

The key to maintaining an even skin tone, is to build a skincare routine that focuses on both smoothing out the texture of your skin as well as treating and preventing hyper-pigmentation (skin discolorations, dark spots, melasma, acne scars, redness).

Here are 5 Ultimate Steps To Achieve Even Tone Skin:

1. Exfoliate regularly

If your texture isn't smooth due to either large pores or fine lines, that texture will not only prevent your products from applying evenly but also can cause shadows and darkness. "Skin tone is 75 percent about how the light hits it and whether it reflects or scatters.  When the surface is smooth and the light reflects off, your skin tone appears more even.

In other words, the first step to an even skin tone is to have smoother skin, whether that’s by removing dead skin cells, minimizing pores or evening out fine lines and the most effective way to do that is through proper exfoliation.

The top layer of the skin, the epidermis, is mostly dead skin cells that are constantly shedding off and being replaced as new healthy cells make their way to the surface.

A complete cell cycle takes about 30 days. Exfoliation speeds this process, revealing brighter, smoother skin sooner. Another benefit of exfoliation? The clearing of dead skin cells and oil from pores, reduces the chances of breakouts and inflammation that could fuel a new cycle of hyper-pigmentation and you know the rest that follows when that happens.

What’s the best way to exfoliate?

You can do it physically but chemical exfoliation using exfoliating acids is way more effective.

The picture below is a glimpse of what exfoliating acids like AHA could help your skin achieve. Notice the tighter, clarified and refined pores? AHA helps smoothen texture for even tone skin.

Neutriherbs recommends using a gentle AHA exfoliating serum with Glycolic acid, lactic acid and citric acid to slough off dead cells that block the pores leaving skin renewed, brightened with an almost instant radiance.

2. Use Vitamin C Regularly

Vitamin C is a true force of nature. When we ingest it, we receive incredible benefits such as improved immune function, defense against damaging environmental damage, and more. But we can receive incredible benefits from applying it topically as well. 

Vitamin C Skincare can help restore radiance, visibly reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation, and revive the appearance of dull skin. All of these benefits can have a dramatic effect on the overall tone of the skin. 

To unlock the power of vitamin C for your skin, try a face serum or moisturizer (or both!) with a form of stabilized vitamin C, which will be more effective, such as our Vitamin C Brightening & Glow Face Cream. This cream will give you a glow and is proven to brighten the complexion leaving it more even and radiant in 2-8 weeks. It doesn’t rely on just vitamin C to brighten your complexion, though. It also contains brightening ingredients like Gluthathione and Arbutin for a more plump-looking texture and an all-around healthy-looking glow. 

Up your intake of vitamin C even more by using Neutriherbs Vitamin C Serum too, a luminosity boosting, skin serum with vitamin C and licorice root which helps even skin tone and lightens the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots. 

Massage both the Vitamin C Serum and Cream into your skin in the morning, starting with the brightening serum and following with the moisturizer, to achieve a brighter, more even skin tone in no time. You glow, girl. 

 3. Go For Peels At Least Once a Month

Peels done by a trained professional rely on acids to remove the top layers of skin. The exfoliative effects spur cells regeneration, kickstart collagen, fade discoloration and peel away debris to rapidly improve texture and tone.

This kind of rapid retexturing (thinking the shedding of a snake’s skin) that a medium depth perfect peeling brings sets your skin up  for some dramatic results. Enzyme peels or progressive peels are gentler, but still instantly brightening.

4. Try a product with niacinamide.

Niacinamide blew up this past year as one of the most trending ingredients of 2021. That doesn’t seem to be stopping in 2022. Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3 and it’s known to repair your skin’s barrier (making it stronger!), calm redness by reducing inflammation, reduce the appearance of pores and fade hyperpigmentation. What can’t it do? Here are 6 reasons why niacinamide deserve a place in your routine.

More also, It plays well with others so you’ll see it added to other skin-brightening ingredients.

We love the Neutriherbs niacinamide serum because it’s a lightweight serum that contains vitamin B5, hyaluronic acid and of course niacinamide.

5. Don't Joke with Sunscreens.

Daily sunscreen is a must to protect against the melanin triggering effects of UV.

Neutriherbs vitamin c brightening and glow light weight, non greasy sunscreen goes on clean without greasy residue, so it won’t smudge your makeup.

Proper sun protection is important to stop an uneven skin tone from getting worse or prevent unevenness from returning. At the end of the day, any sun protection is better than none, but if you are someone who has melasma, you might want to swap out your formula that relies on traditional chemical ingredients for a physical sunscreen, which is formulated with minerals such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide.

Here's why: "Melasma is stimulation of the melanin, which are super sensitized usually by female hormone so that any injury causes darkening, the most common injury being ultraviolet light,"

 "The way that chemical sunscreen works is by absorbing bad light and turning it into heat. Well, the heat it turns it into can be construed by the skin as an injury and that can stimulate your pigment." On the other hand, a physical sunscreen doesn’t absorb any energy or make heat—it just reflects off that bad energy, which is exactly what you want. We love the sheer coverage you get from the Neutriherbs Brightening and Glow Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50.

Say “Bye Bye” to Uneven Skin Tone for Good

Uneven skin tone is no match for you when you follow these simple steps. The great thing is you can, and should, use all of these tips in tandem to maximize your results. Using a vitamin C serum and moisturizer, exfoliating with Alpha hydroxyl acids, Niacinamide and SPF should be a regular part of your routine. When you do this, you’ll be able to not only achieve a more even skin tone but a radiant one as well, and also be able to protect your skin from future discoloration.