Papain from papaya extract is an exfoliant. But it is also being marketed as a whitening agent. But it actually don't have any melanin blocking properties.
Papain actually is an engridient for meat tenderizers but when applied topically it can exfoliate our skin. The whitening part is just an added bonus. What happens when applied to the skin is, it makes all the dead tissues in our skin to be washed off exposing the new and whiter tissues thus giving you fairer skin.
In order then to maintain a fairer skin, one has to use sun block to prevent faster aging of skin tissues.
Here is a home made recipe you can do to extract papain from papaya fruits that you can apply to your skin.
- Extract the papaya juice : Cut a green papaya fruit into chunks the size you can feed into a juicer. No need to peel it as most of the papain can be had from there. A freshly picked papaya works best. On your juicer, extract the juice.
- Remove the remaining tiny bits that are on the juice : Get a piece of porous plastic and put all extracted juice in it and leave it to drip into a container. This will ensure that you are only left with the juice. Be patient as this will take time. I like to get a tall container with a wide mouth or opening and just cover it with the porous plastic making sure to make a pouche to contain all the juice which is great because as it drips,the juice goes straight into the container and you won't have to worry for it splashing out of the container.
- Preserve your extract for future use : Close the lid of the container containing your extract and refrigerate it. This ensures that it will last longer and not get foul. When using, get just the amount needed using a clean scoop and immediately replace it inside the refrigerator. Note, do not place it inside the freezer as this will destroy the enzymes.
- Use it for topical application : Apply a considerable amount and leave it on for 5 minutes or until dry then wash it off with clean room temperature water. No need to wash it with soap so some of the papain will still remains to work on your skin until your next bath. I like to apply it at night and in the morning, that is when I bath with soap.
