Using lemon essential oil for beauty and overall health

The lemon essential oil has multiple benefits mainly for beauty and health care purposes. The lemon essential oil is also used in perfumes, soaps, and various cosmetics. It has a very unique and refreshing fragrance due to which it is used in many cosmetic products such as face washes, scrubs, and perfumes etc. Following are some of its amazing beauty benefits!

Mix the oil with milk and then add a few drops in water and wash your face with that water then. This will help clean your skin within the pores.

The lemon essential oil contains citric acid and vitamin C which prevents skin cells from premature aging.

It has skin tightening properties which help in removing blackheads embedded in the skin.

It contains antioxidants which help in getting rid of the acne.

Apart from all these uses, lemon essential oil has many other beauty benefits as well as health benefits. Some of the health benefits are as follows:

Removes feelings of distress, anxiety and mental exhaustion and fatigue.

Helps treating sleeplessness.

Lemon essential oil is enriched with vitamin C which triggers the white blood cells in our body which then flight diseases.

Treats minor stomach issues such as indigestion and acidity.

As we discussed in the earlier paragraph that lemon essential oil is one of the best essential oils for skin lightening. Lemon oil has a few ingredients namely citric acids, alpha-hydroxy acid, and limonene; these ingredients help in skin lightening. All these ingredients help in removing skin tan and activating the replacement of skin cells at a faster pace. Furthermore, these ingredients found in lemon essential oil help tone the skin complexion and act as a bleaching agent for the skin. We will now discuss the ways in which lemon essential oil can be used for skin lightening:

Add a few drops of the essential oil in steaming water. When you take steam, it will help reach the essential oil to your pores which will help lighten the skin.

Mix a few drops of lemon essential oil in your face wash and wash your face with it.

Add a few drops in your moisturizer and apply it to your body.

Baking soda is a natural ingredient used in scrubbing your face. In 1 teaspoon of baking soda, add around 2 to 3 drops of lemon essential oil and mix the paste well. Now scrub this mixture to your face for a few seconds before washing it with warm water.

Make a natural mask by mixing the ingredients: yogurt, orange peel, and lemon essential oil. Apply the max on clean and dry skin and wait for it to dry and then wash it off.

The lemon essential oil is highly beneficial in treating acne and acne marks. There are a variety of products available in the market that helps in removing acne however lemon essential oil is one of the purest element with minimal side effects. It is beneficial for acne as it helps control the natural oil production by the skin and also helps to regenerate skin cells. It has antibacterial properties which help get rid of the bacteria that cause acne. It can be used in the following ways:

If there is a pimple, add a few drops of lemon essential oil in coconut oil and apply it just on the pimple before going to bed. Wash it in the morning, the pimple will die out.

Mix it with avocado oil and apply it to your face using a clean brush or fingertips. It is recommended to practice this every day for best results.

The lemon essential oil has a lot of benefits however care must be taken while applying it directly to the face. It is always better to dilute it with either water or any other oil before applying it to the face. It is also recommended to do a patch test before using a lemon essential oil on the face as it is not suitable for all skin types. For people with sensitive skin, it might cause an allergy.

The lemon essential oil is one of the best oils for people with oily scalps. It has ingredients such as citric acid which has drying properties due to which it is recommended for people with oily scalps. It is also used for treating dandruff as well as scalp acne. It has antiseptic properties which help in getting rid of various scalp infections. However, the lemon essential oil is phototoxic which means being extremely sensitive to sunlight, hence it should be avoided while going out in the skin. The essential oil also has a beautiful fragrance and aroma due to which it is added in a lot of shampoos and conditioners mainly for the oily scalp. It has also been proven to be effective against lice and helps in the regrowth of hair as well.

However, care must be taken while applying the oil directly to the scalp. It should be mixed with some carrier oil and then massaged on the scalp. The lemon essential oil is enriched with nutrients like folic acid, Vitamin B and C and magnesium. All these nutrients help in making the hair healthier and even helps the hair to grow faster. It also has antimicrobial elements which help get rid of any fungal infections of the scalp.

Apart from its uses for hair and skin, it is also widely used at home for day to day things. Following are the everyday uses of lemon essential oil at home:

• A few drops are added in the water while doing laundry as it helps get rid of the bad odor
• Helps in removing grease from the utensils. This is the reason why it is a common ingredient in the dishwashing soaps
• Cleanse surfaces- Add lemon essential oil in a bottle and use it to clean kitchen counters and bathroom surfaces.
• Rejuvenates silver and other metal surfaces
• Refreshes wooden furniture-  It is a great ingredient used to polish wooden furniture. Add a few drops of lemon oil in olive oil and use a clean piece of cloth to polish the furniture. Lemon oil will bring back the shine in the furniture.
• Cleans stainless steel as well as cutting boards
• Refreshes clothes that weren't properly washed earlier and have a bad smell in them.
• It also helps get rid of any sticky material such as a gum stuck to your hair

As discussed in the aforementioned paragraphs, lemon essential oil should not be applied directly to the hair or skin. It is always recommended to dilute it with some other oil or water and then apply it. It might cause an allergic reaction especially to people who have sensitive skin if applied directly. As it has phototoxic properties it will cause itchiness and irritation if you are directly exposed to the sun. It should also be made sure that you don't ingest lemon essential oil as it is quite dangerous if ingested. Only fresh lemon juice should be used in foods.

Due to the above-mentioned reasons, care must always be taken and it is always better to have a patch test before using any essential oil. Apart from this, the lemon essential oil is safe to inhale and also safe to apply topically even for the children.

Like all other essential oils, lemon essential oil has various benefits and an also a few drawbacks. It is a natural oil with a beautiful aroma and comprises of various nutrients with a lot of beneficial properties for the not only skin and hair but is also used in households. However, it is also important to note that excess of everything is bad. It should be used but moderately. Apart from the benefits discussed above, lemon essential oil has various other health benefits such as relieves stress and helps get rid of sore throats.