Home Recipes Ingredients Fruits Lemons
Updated: May 22, 2023
If life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade! It's time to embrace the health benefits of lemon, from taking care of your teeth to healing dark spots and scars.
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Highlight Your Hair Naturally
Give your hair a sun-kissed look with lemon juice. Lemon accelerates the sun’s natural hair-lightening abilities, and all you need to do is brush lemon juice through your hair using your fingers or a comb. After 30 minutes in the sun, your hair will be noticeably lighter.
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Whiten Your Teeth
Skip those expensive teeth whitening treatments and use good ol’ lemon juice instead. Add lemon juice to baking powder until it forms a bubbly paste. Apply the solution to your teeth using a Q-tip and leave on for no longer than one minute. Then, gently scrub it off with a toothbrush and rinse with cool water.
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Enjoy Clear Skin and Fewer Wrinkles
Starting your day off with a glass of lemon water has innumerable benefits, including increasing the amount of collagen in your skin. That means you’ll produce fewer wrinkles, and the vitamin C in the lemon can also fight off toxins that cause breakouts.
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Treat Acne
Drinking lemon water might help prevent breakouts, but what do you do if you already have acne? Treat it with the antibacterial properties of lemon juice, of course. Slice a lemon in half and rub it gently on your face. After 10 minutes, rinse with warm water and watch those blackheads fade away.
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Replenish Body Salts
If you’ve ever felt whopped after a strenuous workout, you know how important it is to refuel with electrolytes. Make a simple electrolyte drink by adding 1/4 cup of lemon juice to 3 cups of water. Add a pinch of fine sea salt and a drizzle of honey to help it go down.
Here are the best and worst drinks to keep you hydrated. (Spoiler alert: citrus-infused water is one of the best!)
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Lighten Up Dark Spots
Lemon juice is kind of like a natural bleach for your body. Rub a half lemon on acne scars, dark knees and elbows or other dark spots, and the citric acid will lighten ’em up in no time. Just be sure to avoid open wounds or cuts—that will definitely sting a bit.
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Strengthen Your Nails
This treatment will not only strengthen weak or brittle nails, but it will also lighten up nails that have yellowed after too many manicures. Mix olive oil and lemon together to get a double dose of moisturizing and strengthening.
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Cleanse Naturally
Make a natural, chemical-free facial cleanser by mixing lemon juice with soothing essential oils (like lavender or chamomile). Use it as a toner and apply it to your face using a cotton pad, or turn it into a mask by mixing the juice of a lemon with 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt to cleanse and moisturize.
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Exfoliate Chapped Lips
It doesn’t get easier than this treatment! Rub lemon juice on your lips before going to bed and wash it off the next morning. The lemon juice removes dead skin cells, so you’ll wake up to noticeably smoother lips.
Originally Published: February 14, 2019
Author
Lindsay D. Mattison
Lindsay has been a food writer, recipe developer and product tester for seven years. She’s a culinary school graduate who specializes in sustainable food and seasonal ingredients. She draws on her professional chef background to develop recipes and help home cooks gain confidence in the kitchen. When Lindsay isn’t writing, you’ll find her coo...
