Full of sunshine, lemons are packed with health benefits. Just thinking about them makes your mouth water and their refreshing fragrance lifts your spirits. Everyone knows the benefits that lemons rich in vitamin C have on the body, but few know their cosmetic properties. For centuries, women have used lemons to cleanse, tone, and condition their skin. As a natural antioxidant, it fights the signs of aging by helping to stimulate collagen production. The cosmetic industry uses lemons to produce a variety of skin care preparations, but they are expensive. You can make lemon-rich cosmetics at home cheaply and easily using items from your kitchen pantry. That is how.
Cleansing should always be the start of your skin care regimen. To make a facial scrub, mix equal parts lemon juice, oatmeal, and honey. Add water until it becomes a liquid paste. Store this gentle cleanser in the refrigerator and use it daily to cleanse and condition your skin. To use, take a small amount in the palm of your hand and moisten with a little warm water. Rub your hands together until evenly distributed, rub your hands gently over your face paying attention to creases on the sides of your nose and mouth or any oily patches. When finished, use the excess to rub the back of your hand, then rinse your face and hands with plenty of warm water. Dry with a soft towel. This cleanser is affordable enough to use as a body scrub before bathing or showering.
Use lemon juice to tone skin after cleansing. Try this recipe. Take two tablespoons of lemon juice, one tablespoon of vodka, one tablespoon of witch hazel and two tablespoons of water. Pour into a bottle and shake well, store in the refrigerator and use as needed. Apply to the skin with a cotton pad and leave for three to five minutes. Rinse your face with lukewarm water and pat dry with a towel. Do not use on damaged skin as it will burn.
After cleansing and toning, use a moisturizer. Make a simple and inexpensive moisturizer by mixing equal amounts of honey, lemon juice, and oil. Sweet almond oil is a nice luxury, but you don’t have to use it. Olive oil is fine. Put in a bottle and shake until all the ingredients have been mixed. Rub face and neck with a cotton ball, use fingertips to massage skin in small upward circular motions. Rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry with a soft towel.
Condition your skin with a weekly mask treatment. Squeeze a lemon into a cup of warm milk and let stand until set. In a bowl put two tablespoons of oatmeal and a tablespoon of oil and add the curdled milk, stir well. The mixture should be liquid enough to spread on your skin, but not so liquid that it slides off. Apply to face, neck, hands, legs and feet and leave for half an hour. Dab off excess with a clean towel and shower or bathe as usual. This mask will improve pimples and the general condition of your skin. Use this preparation to soften the skin on cracked heels and aid healing.
Homemade skin care products are not just cheap alternatives to standard cosmetics. You are in control of the ingredients. You know where you bought them and how old they are. You can choose to use organic, eco-friendly or fair trade products and you can even make sure that they have not been produced by child labour.