5 ways to use lemon for beauty & health
Lemons are sour to the taste but they’re actually great for health and beauty. They are full of vitamin C goodness and are so easily available. You can use lemons in many ways; here are five ways I’ve tried or based on experience from someone I trust.
1. Lemon for removing pigmentation
Lemons work as a bleaching agent to help fade uneven pigmentation and diminish the appearance of such age spots. You can combine with other ingredients like milk as mentioned in my entry about a milk and lemon homemade whitening polisher. However, because lemon is acidic and has exfoliating properties, it is best to do this once or twice a week in the evenings. In addition, remember to apply sunscreen diligently while using this remedy. I use this on my arms and feet but not on my face because I found the stinging unbearable. If you want to use it on your face, remember to test on a small area and you may want to consider diluting the juice with water as well.
2. Lemon to whiten nails
To get rid of yellow stains on my nails, I have tried brushing my nails with a blend of lemon juice and baking soda. While my nails were not completely whitened, I managed to rid about 80% of the yellowish stains on my nails using this method.
3. Lemon to get rid of dark armpits
I like this one. In fact, when combined with milk, this is a great polisher for the underarm areas too as it kept them whiter and smoother.
4. Lemon to detox and reduce weight
As lemon juice is acidic, it is useful to help flush the waste from our body, and cleanse our system. One of my nephews who was considered obese, lost weight by drinking a glass of warm water mixed with juice from half a lemon every day for about a month. The acid actually turns alkaline when in the body, so it’s an excellent way to start out the day balancing your pH as well. However, do not drink this on an empty stomach. You may consider adding some honey to the drink if you find the taste unbearable.
5. Lemon juice to increase your consumption of water
Many people tell me they hate to drink plain water. In this case, you might want to put a slice of lemon in your tub or glass of water. That will add some zing to the taste and it will be easier to down a few glasses of water that way. In addition, it can act as a natural breath freshener!
Word of caution
There are many other ways to use lemon, such as for acne, for exfoliation or for the hair. However, I’m only covering those I find are relatively safe. As lemon is acidic, do consider your skin type and health in using any of the above suggestions.
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wow so useful hehe.. I love lemon.
usually after my pimple dries up ( no more pus and slightly red),it will ‘heal’ and form a black mark..do you think lemon+milk will remove it?
or suggestions of other stuff?
i usually start my day with a mug of hot water with a few drops of lemon juice ? i actually quite like the taste, and ive been doing it for several weeks and i swear that the skin on my arms has lightened (but it may also be due to the fact that its winter here and im all covered up).
My family, even my little girl, eats lemons and drinks fresh lemonade very often. Not only it’s refreshing but lots of Vitamin C. We also add slices of lemon to normal drinking water.
And tip #3 is quite useful….especially after shaving. ?
Hahaha. I would love to use lemon on the skin but I find the acidity too harsh on my sensitive skin. I have heard that lemon juice are great for removing blackheads though.
Never heard of using lemon for removing yellow nails. I’ll try it. ?
it’s probably best to use it at night to avoid sun light right away.
Lemon is such a great Health allrounder. I absolutely love it.
But a lot of people forget one of the big dangers from consuming lemon. Since it’s acidic it is puure evil for our teeth. If you drink a lot of lemonade or lemon-water (like me) you really should consider a straw so the fluid won’t stay long in your mouth. It can seriously damage your teeth over the years!
Was very hard for me to use straws with lemon drinks, also since lemon is my favorite fruit, but my teeth got better and less sensitive since then.
Just to let you guys know ?
Hi Sesame,
I haven’t been on for a while :> and today I was again thinking about what to do with darker pigmentation on face, as well as acne scars. I am much lighter every where else on my body now from avoiding sun exposure and applying sunscreen, except for the face. It also has a combination of redness from acne topicals. But mostly, it’s just a lot darker on my face. I have tried washing my face with milk every morning instead of water for about a month (didn’t see any results), and rubbing with lemon at night (tried this a few times last month but realized it’s getting close to summer/photosensitive), but never combined the two. I have also tried dermatologist prescribed hydroquinone at a high percentage, but it didn’t improve. I may try it again in the winter time. Do you have any suggestions for me? Could it be that my skin is permanently sun damaged and only hope is chemical peel/laser?
Yes, it should help lighten just that I’m usually usually hesistant about suggesting others use it on their face. It’s safe but it can be acidic and can sting. So the best is to use it as spot treatment. Remember to apply sunscreen diligently as lemon can cause photo sensitivity,
The other recipe you can try is cinnamon, nutmeg and honey. Very effective but not suitable for sensitive skin as some of these ingredients can burn the skin.
Check out one of my entires where I talked about a few of these recipes for acne prone.
https://www.vivawoman.net/2010/05/24/diy-beauty-6-homemade-acne-busting-recipes/
I did hear that drinking lemon with water will lighten up the skin. I love the taste of lemon and water but hates it when it makes me hungry quickly!
Your girl eats lemon??? Wow! Very few children like the taste since it’s sour. But you’re right about the vitamin C. Very healthy!
Yes, read about lemon for blackheads but I’ve never tried it. May work better with a blend of baking soda.
Agree!
That’s a very useful tip! Actually there are some who encourage using lemon to brush teeth cos it’ll help whiten but I won’t advice cos of the same reason you raised.
I wouldn’t advice using Hydroquinone…it can thin the skin and worsen the skin’s ability to protect from UV rays.
Have you tried using vitamin C products? You can try adding vitamin C L-Ascorbic into your products too. Or one that is formulated. I’ve tried John Masters Organic Vitamin C Serum and it was not bad…but it may not be the best.
Yeah, try some whitening serums. My face seriously became fairer after using the Eucerin and Paul & Joe whitening serum.
My acne scars also lighten within a shorter time compared to me not using.
But not sure if they are available where Stephanie is…If Stephanie is in the US, then these whitening stuff may not get there due to FDA regulations.
I’ve been told that too (recently I’ve been using nail polish) and prolong use of nail polish can yellow nails (ew!). I also use lemons to put in my fridge so they don’t smell fishy or “meaty!”
I don’t think John Masters worked for me.
Verrry nice article,I swear by lemon benefits and a biggg fan of lemon and other vit c providing fruits. But like they say anything taken in excess is not good. The same applies for lemon juice, especially if drunk on a regular basis in the morning to lose weight. It will definitely help to dissolve and get rid of body fat, but it also dissolves calcium and other minerals in the bones which causes weakness. So it’s always advised to balance this acidic intake with fruits and veggies. Else in later stages you might suffer with osteoporosis. I read it long back and sorry can’t find the exact link.
I haven’t tried that yet. I will check into buying a vitamin C powder. As for whitening serums, I don’t know what ingredients are in those, but I have tried kojic acid and arbutin, plus a really expensive brand in the U.S. which didn’t do squat for my face. Perhaps I need to be more patient with the milk/lemon? I think I’ll try that again for a longer time. Otherwise, I don’t think there’s much I can do until my acne completely clears so I can think about cosmetic procedure. Thank you for responses.
thanks dear!
Oh putting lemons in the fridge…that’s a great idea!
You’re right. It’s not good to take it often. In fact, I would say, don’t use lemons every day too. Once or twice a week is good enough.
thanks…i just bought a shitload of lemons and didn’t know what to do wit them
Would the acidity of the lemon cause stomach ucler?
I’ve been drinking hot lemon water on an empty stomach daily (1 tbsp for 1.5 cup of water) and my mom kept telling me that the acidity of the lemon will hurt my stomach.
Lemon is acidic but when you drink it, it becomes alkaline in your body.
In your post, you said not to drink lemon juice on an empty stomach but I’ve read some articles online that said in order to detox, need to drink hot lemon water on an empty stomach.
Yes, for detox purpose, usually advised to drink on empty stomach but based on some feedback, it may not suit everyone or rather, not everyone can handle this. I tried it on empty stomach and woah, have to quickly eat something to fill up the tummy or I’ll have some gastric problem. So you try…if drinking on an empty stomach is okay for you, you can use it that way.