Lemons are very essential and healthy fruits which when added to our foods, drinks, or applied topically, can be very beneficial to the skin and body, generally. This is major because of its many minerals and antioxidant properties.
Lemons are a great source of Vitamin C, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and alpha-hydroxy acid and, therefore, play an important role in your beauty routines. All of these minerals and antioxidants can help improve the appearance of the skin, nails, and hair.
Lemon has a wide range of benefits to the skin and body, which include acting as an antioxidant, astringent, stimulant, hydrator, and helping to fight dandruff and dry, itchy scalp.
Below is a list of some of the benefits of Lemon to the skin:
- Lemons help to boost the immune system by fighting off free radicals.
- Lemon helps to naturally brighten up the skin and clear dull skin. This includes dark elbows and knees.
- Lemon helps to exfoliate dead skin cells and unclog pores, which helps smoothen your skin. This means it can help fight and prevent acne, pimples, blackheads, and age spots.
- The antiseptic properties of lemon help to fight off dandruff and dry, itchy scalp. This is fully achieved when applied topically on the scalp.
- When taken orally, can be very good for detoxification and dehydration.
- Lemon juice helps to maintain a steady pH balance in the body due to its alkalizing nature.
- Lemon, when applied topically in the armpit a few minutes before shower, can help stop or prevent armpit/body odor.
- The juice has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, hence it has the ability to kill certain bacteria and fungi strains on the skin.
- Lemon helps to control oily skin.
- Lemon can give you that white teeth you have been longing for. This can be achieved when lemon juice is mixed with baking soda and applied to the teeth and allowed to stay for one minute before washing off.
- Lemon helps to strengthen weak and brittle nails when mixed with olive oil and applied to the nails.
However, just as we all know, everything that has advantages also has disadvantages. It is therefore important to note that lemon contains natural fruit acids that can irritate or burn your skin. So be sure your skin is not too sensitive to it before you apply it topically, especially on the face. You can first try it on a patch of your skin first and evaluate the reaction before applying it all over the face or body.
Also, do not use lemon juice too often on the face/skin as it makes you more sensitive to UV rays. You can always wear SPF when going under the sun to avoid sunburn due to sensitive skin from the topical application of lemon juice on the skin.
