09/02/2014
...Still on using natural recipes to enhance natural beauty.
5 Fabulous Uses for Leftover Lemon Peels (COPIED).
Lemon juice has so many household uses, but don’t toss those peels after squeezing your lemons! Use the whole lemon – juice, pulp, rind, and all. After squeezing lemons, hold onto those lemon peels and check out our list of clever ways to enhance your beauty with them:
What makes lemons so useful?
Lemons are a versatile, natural option for beauty plus other things. They possess antibacterial properties making them perfect for killing germs. Their low pH makes them perfect for beauty and personal care, and when applied directly to skin, lemon juice can lighten age and sun spots.
1. Whiten teeth: The acid content in citrus rinds can whiten and brighten dull or stained teeth. Rub the inner white part of the lemon peel on your teeth for a few minutes for a whitening effect. Rinse well with water or brush teeth after using the citrus peels. You will notice almost immediate whitening effects! Only use this technique a few times per month to avoid damage to tooth enamel or tooth sensitivity.
2. The addition of lemon to your homemade conditioning rinse will help keep a greasy scalp and hair under control, while improving dull hair and resolving many scalp issues. Add the peels of several lemons to a jar, and fill almost to the top with apple cider vinegar (we use this kind). Allow it to sit for 1-2 weeks and strain out peels. Add about 1 tablespoon of this citrus vinegar solution to 1 cup of water, and use as a conditioning rinse after shampooing. Allow the rinse to remain on hair for a few minutes, then rinse out or just leave in.
3. Lemon facials for toning and skin brightening. Lemon’s low pH makes it a perfect skin toner. You can rub the inside of a juiced lemon directly onto sun spots and age spots to lighten them. Just allow the juice to dry on skin, or rinse off after 15-20 minutes. Repeat every day. You can also use the inside of a juiced lemon as the first step in a luxurious skin-brightening facial. Rub the inside of the lemon all over your face, then apply a honey mask on top of that. Rinse off after 20-30 minutes.
4. Smooth and soothe dry, scaly elbows. This is the perfect trick for softening elbows that are dry and scaly from harsh weather. After juicing a lemon, take the two halves (with pulp intact) and sprinkle baking soda inside them. Stick elbow inside lemon half, twisting and turning the lemon on your elbow to exfoliate and soften. Optionally, you can then set lemon halves on a tabletop and rest elbows in them for several minutes before rinsing and drying your newly softened elbows.
5. Make your own Vitamin C powder. Since the rinds of citrus fruits contains high levels of Vitamin C, you can make your own Vitamin C powder with lemon peels. Dry peels on parchment paper, in a 200° oven, or a dehydrator until completely dry. Grind into a powder using a spice grinder like this. Use this Vitamin C powder in your homemade Anti-Aging Facial Toner!
