Lemon juice has many flavorful and healthy uses when added to foods and drinks. It also has a variety of uses for natural skin and beauty treatments as well. Here are some of the ways you can use lemon as a natural part of your beauty regimen.
1 USE LEMON FOR BEAUTIFUL SKIN
For brighter, softer skin use fresh lemon juice on any area of your body, including the knees, elbows, and face to brighten up and soften your skin. Lemon juice also fades freckles and age spots by applying lemon juice on the areas before going to bed at night. Over the course of a week or two, it will cleanse the skin and lighten its color. You can also add 1/2 cup of fresh juice to your bath water and soak for 20 minutes for an all over skin treatment.
If your skin is sensitive to the citric acid in lemons, you may desire to dilute the lemon juice with a bit of water rather than use it full strength. I apply lemon juice to my skin by putting the juice on an already moistened cotton ball. It is also not advisable that you apply lemon juice to your skin before sun exposure as it makes the skin more sensitive to the sun.
Get Rid of Blackheads by rubbing lemon juice over the area of your face that has blackheads before going to bed at night. In the morning, rinse your face with cool water. Repeat this procedure nightly until blackheads are gone.
Make a moisturizing mask for dry skin by mixing equal amounts of honey, lemon and olive oil. Apply the mixture to dry areas on the skin and allow it to dry thoroughly for about 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water.
As a toner for oily skin, combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons vodka, 1 tablespoon distilled water, and 1 teaspoon witch hazel. Use cotton balls to apply the mixture to your skin then rinse. You can store this mixture in the refrigerator for about a week.
To exfoliate dead skin cells rub a cut lemon dipped into a half-teaspoon of sugar over your face for a few minutes, or create a mild mixture by using lemon juice, sugar and a small amount of water. Do this every night to help remove accumulated dead skin cells and refresh your skin.
To make a lemon anti-wrinkle mask mix a teaspoon of honey, a few drops of lemon juice and a drop of sweet almond oil. Apply this mixture on the face and allow it to dry for 20 minutes and wash off.
2 USE LEMON TREATMENTS FOR THE HAIR
To make a hair conditioner for dull, damaged hair combine 3/4 cup Olive Oil, with 1/2 cup raw honey and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Use the mixture by combing the lemon juice mixture evenly throughout already wet hair. Then cover hair with a plastic cap or bag for a 1/2 hour. Shampoo and rinse this conditioner out of your hair.
To add natural highlights to your hair use 1/4 cup lemon juice and 3/4 cup water mixed together and apply the mixture to your hair. I prefer to mix it in a spray bottle and then spray it on my hair and comb it through. Sit in the sun for 25 minutes or use the heat from a blow dryer for a sun bleached look. Each use will lighten the hair slightly.
For a lemon hair rinse, mix the juice from two lemons (about 3 fluid ounces) with a quart of water. This rinse helps to reduce oils from oily hair.
Treat hair loss by mixing lemon juice with four tablespoons of coconut milk. Apply the mixture to the scalp once a week.
To treat dandruff and an itchy scalp take an egg white and mix it with the juice of a lemon (about 3 Tablespoons). Apply this mixture to the scalp and rub it in and let it set for an hour, and then wash it out. Repeat treatment for a month.
3 USE LEMON FOR NAIL CARE
For strong, shiny, bright fingernails soak your fingernails in lemon juice for about 10 minutes. Then brush your fingernails with a nail brush dipped in a mixture of 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 warm water and then rinse with warm water.
4 USE LEMON FOR NATURAL TEETH AND BREATH TREATMENTS
As a natural breath freshener the citric acid from lemons destroys odor causing bacteria. You can quickly rid bad breath by squirting a few drops of lemon juice into your mouth, swish it around for about 15 seconds and then swallow it, or drink lemon water during the day, to freshen up your breath anytime!
Naturally whiten your teeth by rubbing half a lemon with table salt and a pinch of baking soda on the teeth or brush your teeth with a mixture of lemon juice, salt and baking soda.
5 USE LEMON FOR A BODY DETOX TREATMENT
Lemon water is also great for detoxifying for your body. In a glass, mix the juice from a lemon with warm water and sweeten with 1 tsp of honey. Lemon juice aids your liver in flushing out unwanted toxins, stimulates blood circulation, reduces arterial pressure, and activates bile and intestinal secretions. So it's a good idea to drink lemon water daily.
None of us can avoid getting older, but we can find a way to diminish the effects of looking older. Anti-aging skin care treatments have become the modern fountain of youth as more and more consumers are flocking to buy the latest innovations in the skin care field. Good anti-aging skin care treatments are generally chock full of anti-oxidant products that help to create a youthful appearance through the regeneration of skin cells. By making good choices when selecting your anti-aging skin care treatment, you are sure to add a healthy glow to your skin while slowing down the appearance of wrinkles and other age-related skin conditions.
Types of Anti-Aging Skin Care Treatments
Good anti-aging skin care treatments generally contain a variety of antioxidants such as vitamins A,C, D, and E along with products that boost collagen production. When collagen is encouraged, the skin becomes more elastic and is able to hold its original structure for a longer period of time. Through proper treatment, skin will rejuvenate through sloughing off dead cells and creating new cells. The best anti-aging skin care treatments provide the skin with an added resistance to toxins through their ability to send nutrients into the deep layers of the epidermis.
Considerations
Natural Products Help Maintain Beautiful Skin
There are so many products on the market now, it can be very confusing when it comes to the right formula for you. If you are prone to allergies it is best to avoid chemically based anti-aging skin care products. Natural skin care products treat the skin holistically by nurturing the cells with a variety of oils and extracts that are easy to absorb and non-irritating. Look for ingredients such as white or green tea, chamomile, calendula, Rooibos, soy oil, and safe essential oils. Avoid chemical preservatives, mineral oils, fragrances, and other types of synthetic additives if you wish to avoid the potential of side effects. Anti-aging skin care products come as creams, lotions, serums, and masks and are all designed to nurture and rebuild the skin.
Diet and Anti-Aging Skin Care Treatment
Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables
A well-balanced diet is an important factor in anti-aging skin care treatment. Appropriate daily quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables along with lots of water and herbal teas are an excellent recipe for keeping skin elastic and youthful. Whole grains are also important as well as fat-free milk products if you can tolerate them. Certain spices, such as curcumin, are also known to slow down the aging process. Curcumin is found in turmeric, an ingredient in curry, and has been touted as an element that reduces free radicals, inflammation and sun damage.
Expert Insight
When searching for anti-aging skin care treatments, there are several things you can do besides choosing your products carefully. Make sure you develop a regular regimen of skin care, including wearing sun block everyday and wearing sunglasses in bright sun to protect the delicate skin around the eyes. Cleanse you skin well to remove dirt and dead skin, but not too often as you don't want to strip away the moisture that gives the skin its glow. Never sleep with your makeup on and be sure to always use a moisturizer to keep plump and young looking. Make sure your skin products include UVA and UVB protection. Exercise regularly, get enough sleep, reduce your caffei neand soda intake, and do not smoke!
Warning
Beware of fads and ads that advertise or promise results that may be unrealistic. Keep in mind that beauty comes from within and there is no anti-aging skin treatment that can totally turn back the hands of time. Make the best of what you have by treating your skin with love and care. Don't be fooled by radical procedures that may or may not produce the desired results. Do your research thoroughly before choosing techniques that go beyond at-home treatments.
Garlic is almost an entire pharmacy on its own. Not only does it have strong anti-aging properties, it is also a powerful antibacterial and antiviral agent, a potent blood thinner and full of antioxidants for good health. Whether you eat it raw, cook it or use it in extract form, garlic is a wonder vegetable that should be consumed daily. If you want to use it for anti-aging purposes, there are several easy ways to do so.
1 Chop up a raw garlic clove onto a salad every day. The beneficial anti-aging properties of garlic are at their strongest when the garlic is raw.
2 Swallow one to two whole garlic cloves each day, just as you would a vitamins. This is a good way to get raw garlic for people who don't like the taste of it.
3 Roast an entire head of garlic in the oven until the cloves are soft. Squeeze the cloves out of their thin, papery husks onto a plate, then use a butter knife to spread the cloves on bread as a substitute for butter. Do this once a week.
4 Wait ten minutes after chopping up garlic for soups or sauces before putting it into the cooking pot. Leaving garlic out for ten minutes before cooking it allows it to retain more of its anti-aging compounds during the cooking process.
5 Take a garlic supplement every day. Garlic supplements have the beneficial properties of garlic concentrated in pill form, without any lingering smell associated with them.
Expensive anti-aging products are not necessarily the best options for your mature skin. Ingredients such as retinol, copper peptides, hydroxyacids and coenzyme Q10 are present in both drugstore and department store anti-aging creams. Thus, there is little incentive to spend double or triple as much on one brand or another.
Necessary Ingredients
Retinol is one of the main ingredients in all anti-aging creams. It is an antioxidant that helps reverse free radical damage. Free radicals are atoms that can damage DNA and healthy cells. When free radicals damage skin cells, the skin loses its vibrancy and elasticity. When choosing an anti-aging wrinkle cream, make sure retinol is a primary ingredient. As long as this vital ingredient is present in the cream, you don't have to shelve out more money for the expensive brands. Also, look for coenzyme Q10 and copper peptides to be in the ingredients list.
Remember that non-prescription anti-aging creams contain active ingredients in low doses and even the expensive ones will only give temporary results. Thus, your budget is better served if you buy one of the less expensive brands. Just like the more expensive brands, these are reviewed by dermatologists and skin care experts before being put out into the market.
Moisturizers
Moisturizers are a major part of any good anti-aging skin care regimen. A moisturizer used daily will greatly improve the overall quality of your skin, making it feel soft and look smooth. A moisturizer will also make skin look younger and more supple especially because as skin ages it tends to lose moisture. You can purchase highly effective ones for very little money. For added benefit, get a moisturizer that has at least SPF 15 to protect your skin against further sun damage. The sun is skin's worst enemy as one ages.
If you don't want to pay for a brand name moisturizer, you can use natural moisturizers such as castor oil. Dab on a few drops and rub the oil all over your skin. Another good natural moisturizer is vitamin E. You can buy vitamin E capsules, poke holes in them and squeeze out the liquid. Apply to skin at least once a day as part of your anti-aging skin care routine.