Lemons

One ingredient I never thought would become a part of my natural beauty regime are lemons – I only ever used to think of them as nasty, sour things. However, since discovering them as a great bath ingredient, I’ve found more and more uses for them. Now I love them! They have so many fab benefits and uses, and they’re amazingly cheap; so I thought I’d share my favourite lemon recipes with you.

When using lemons, I personally prefer to use unwaxed ones!

1. Blackhead Remover: Add lemon juice to bicarbonate of soda (careful, it fizzes up!) and apply it to your nose, chin or any other area where you’ve got stubborn blackheads. Leave for 20 mins, and then remove with a hot flannel. I find this is the only thing that works on my blackheads!

Also, this mixture works as a great teeth whitener; just apply it to your teeth, scrub with a toothbrush and rinse.

2. Nail Strengthener: Mix lemon juice and oil (try coconut, olive or avocado) and soak your nails. This will help dry, brittle, discoloured or dirty nails.

3. Clarifying Moisturizer: Mix a few drops of lemon juice with coconut oil, and apply at night in place of your regular moisturizer. The coconut oil will hydrate your skin without blocking your pores, and the lemon juice will clear and brighten it. Lemons also contain lots of Vitamin C, which is a great antioxidant that can help with neutralizing free radicals and boosting collagen production.

4. Dry Scalp/Dandruff Treatment: Rub lemon slices onto your scalp, leave for an hour and then wash as normal with warm water; lemons are proven to help with hair/scalp problems! For a stronger recipe, combine the juice of one lemon with around 60ml of vinegar.

5. Body Scrub: Add the juice of one lemon to granulated sugar and mix. Apply the scrub before getting in the shower to get the best exfoliating benefits, and then wash off. The rough sugar granules will work wonders on dry skin, and the lemon juice will again clear and brighten the skin – I find it’s particuarly good at lightening dark scars. This is my favourite body scrub of all time!

Have I converted you to lemony beauty products?

Panda Eyes xx

Top tip: When you’ve juiced your lemon, squeeze your finger tips into the juicy insides – this is like a mini-manicure, and is a quick method of cleaning and brightening nail tips!