Beauty Spotlight: Lemons

Lemon can help skin, hair, teeth, and more.
Image: Shutterstock

 I’m always looking for ways to incorporate natural ingredients into my beauty regime (not that it’s much of a regime, per se). For some reason, the thought of using nature’s pure ingredients to boost beauty appeals a heck of a lot more than buying some product with 5,000 ingredients that I can’t even begin to pronounce. Call me crazy, but that’s just how I feel.

We’ve already talked about the incredible benefits olive oil has for your skin. Now let’s get down and dirty with another natural ingredient: lemons! Besides cooking with lemon, you can also use it on your skin, teeth, and more. So, how does it all work? Check it out:

Citric acid is a natural lightener, so it can be used to brighten dull-looking skin up. Have dark splotches that give you an uneven skin tone? Use lemon juice—in spray-bottle form or mixed with face wash—to naturally work those spots out. Just don’t hit yourself in the eye (OUCH!)!

That same lightening technique also applies to hair. Mixing lemon juice in with your conditioner, combing through your hair, and sitting in the sun for a little while will naturally highlight your hair. Now you can use that salon money someplace else!

Thought I was done with the lightening bit? Fat chance! You can also make your own teeth whitener by mixing lemon juice with baking soda and applying the mixture to those pearly whites. Leave it on for one minute and then use a toothbrush to gently scrub it away.

Mix a little honey in with lemon for a cleansing face wash.
Image: Shutterstock

Lemon juice also does amazing things for acne. Put some lemon juice on a cotton ball and apply it gently to your face before bed. It will help suck out facial oil and work to prevent acne. If you have blackheads, you can also mix the juice of half a lemon with a few drops of honey and apply it to the affected area. Leave it for 10 minutes and then rinse. Voila! All-natural blackhead-fighting facial scrub!

If you have an acne breakout, lemon juice can help with that, too (please talk to your dermatologist first if you have severe acne). Cut a lemon in half before bed and rub it directly onto your skin, leaving it to work overnight. In the morning, rinse with cool water. The juice will help suck out extra oil and help your skin heal faster from breakouts.

Last but not least, lemons can be used to combat the ill effects of nail polish and nail polish remover. Mix a few drops of lemon juice with about a tablespoon of olive oil and rub onto clean, polish-free fingernails. If you can, wear gloves over the mixture and sleep on it, allowing it to be absorbed fully into your nails. This will strengthen your fingernails. 

Have you ever used lemon juice in your beauty regime, or are these suggestions all new to you? I’d love to hear about all your experiences and thoughts about using lemon juice for skin, hair, teeth, and more!