Homemade beauty remedies are so inexpensive and naturally effective. Who knew freshly squeezed lemon juice could really treat your skin and hair? Lemons have antibacterial elements that offer an amazing range of beauty solutions that you knew nothing about. Read to the end to marvel at what lemons can do for you. These are the most crucial uses for the sunny yellow fruit for your everyday beauty routines:
1. Blackhead treatment
Lemons? Yes. Owing to their antibacterial components, lemons can treat acne and clear those pesky blackheads. And you don’t have to mix it with anything else. All you have to do is cut the lemon and squeeze the fresh juice on your face and let it heal your skin. Before you know it, your blackheads will start fading away.
2. Hair Lightener
This is one of the most amazing beauty uses for lemon juice ladies! Forget your salon visits and use of chemicals for natural hair highlights and switch to this natural dye-free DIY beauty remedy. Why not pour some lemon juice directly in your hair the next time you want to hit the beach or lounge in your backyard to catch some fresh air? How much lemon juice to use will hugely depend on your hair. Looking to score a sun kissed color with lemons? Apply lemon juice before going out in the sunlight. And oh, be sure to wash your hair afterwards. Lemon juice can also be used to treat dandruff and a dry scalp so use it liberally.
3. Nail Strengthener
Are you having dry and brittle nails or weak and yellowed nails because of many gel manicures? I’ve got good news for you. Lemons will fix your nails within no time. Just like hair, lemon juice is a great beauty remedy to brighten your nails. Soak your nails in a solution of lemon juice and cooking oil (olive oil is most preferred) to brighten them. Make this a regular routine for strong and beautiful nails.
4. Skin Brighter
Lemon brightens the skin. Yes, you got it right. Lemon is rich in Citric acid and Vitamin C. Citric acid is great for lightening and brightening the skin, while Vitamin C is an effective antioxidant used to neutralize free radicals and boost collagen production. Who needs to go spending thousands of dollars on anti-aging creams when you can use the lemons in your kitchen? Apply a few drops of lemon juice on the desired spot. Let it sit for 15 minutes then rinse. Fun fact: lemon juice can effectively lighten freckles, liver spots, dark spots, age spots or even fake tan gone wrong. Use it regularly as a homemade beauty remedy for best results.
Note: With this beauty regime, you must always wear SPF to protect your skin during the day since long-term lemon use makes the skin overly sensitive to UV rays.
5. Lip Exfoliator
More often, dry weather will leave your lips dry and chapped due to dehydration-not even your expensive lip-gloss can keep them soft and mellow. So what to do? Try wiping them with lemon juice before bed. Come morning, you’ll be perplexed at how the dried skin and dead skin cells will easily scale off as you wash your face. Did you also know that a mixture of a few drops of lemon juice and essential oil can quicken the healing process of canker sores? Shocked? Now you know!
Caution: If your lips are severely chapped or have cuts, do not try this DIY homemade beauty remedy.
6. Clarifying Moisturizer
This homemade beauty product will require an extra ingredient; coconut water. A combination of a little coconut water and a few drops of lemon juice will do wonders for your face and skin. The coconut water will leave your skin hydrated while the fresh lemon juice will make it clear and bright.
7. Reduce Shine
Lemon juice is a non-toxic and inexpensive way to eliminate the oily skin and sheen in your hair. Sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? Read on. As a natural stringent, a few drops of lemon juice can be applied on a cotton ball and used as a toner to reduce the excess oil on your face. Just try it to believe it.
8. Cleansing wipes
Add a few drops of lemon juice and tea tree essential oils to about 6 oz of distilled water. Use this as a toner or apply it to cotton pads and use it routinely as a cleansing wipe for problematic skin as advised by Becky Sturm.
9. Soft Elbows and Knees
Feeling embarrassed about your dark knees and elbows? Worry no more! All you need is one full lemon, a few drops of olive oil and a teaspoon of salt. This time, mix freshly squeezed lemon juice with the other ingredients all together to create an effective DIY body exfoliator. Trust me; the concoction works like magic! Are you unhappy with the orangey color of your skin after spray tanning? Get rid of it with this mixture as well.
10. Teeth Whitening
What a simple and cheap way to avoid your dentist’s office! Add a little fresh lemon juice to baking soda and mix. Using a clean and fresh Q-tip, apply the concoction onto your teeth. Let it sit for about 2 minutes before using your toothbrush to scrub the concoction off and rinsing your teeth with water. This is one of the best ways to get rid of yellow teeth.
11. DIY Deodorant
Most deodorants have toxic elements like mercury that penetrate the skin causing some serious skin and other body organ complications, as well as diseases including cancer. If these scientific revelations have left you sweaty and smelly in your quest to stay free from such side effects, here is a natural and toxic-free solution to leave you feeling fresh and nicely scented; lemon! That’s right. The citric acid present in a lemon automatically kills odor-causing bacteria making it a perfect emergency deodorant.
The Bottom Line
Who can’t resist a glass of cold lemonade on a hot and sunny day or a lemon chicken for dinner? With the above range of lemon beauty remedies for your skin and hair, I bet you love this yellow sunny fruit even more. You’ve got to try as many of these DIY beauty remedies as possible to find out which one works well for you. And hey, be sure to share your experiences with us about the lemon beauty use that worked best for you or your favorite lemon beauty regime.