Natural Beauty: Lemons

In a move towards more sustainable and less damaging beauty routines, lemons have become my foundation for healthy skin!  Lemons have benefits for your skin from the inside and the out.  I want to share a couple tips and tricks that have worked well for me that use these lovely little fruits.

#1 - Having lemon juice first thing in the morning is a great way to jump-start your digestive system AND clear up your skin.  If you really want a one-two healthy skin punch, squeeze some freshly squeezed lemon juice into some green tea, the citric acid makes the epigallocatechin gallates or EGCGs or THE GOOD STUFF more readily available to your body.  The green tea/lemon combo has done amazing things for keeping my skin healthy and clear, too.  If you're having a bad skin patch, I swear a few weeks of diligent green tea with lemon will help kick those zits' butts.

#2 - Lemon juice is an amazing way exfoliate!  I love cutting a lemon in half, dumping some coarse brown sugar on the the sliced half, and use it on my heels and elbows in the shower.  The acidity from the lemon and the grains of the sugar soften those tough areas in no time.

#3 - My favorite lemon juice trick is as a spot treatment for pimples.  Just squeeze a few drops of freshly-squeezed lemon juice into a little bowl and add some baker's yeast.  Mix it up to form a paste and slather it on that monster zit that won't go away.  Let the paste dry and wash off with warm water.  Your zit will be gone in no time!  If you have sensitive skin, I'd cut the lemon juice in half with water.  You'd be amazed at how this little natural paste rivals the zit creams you find at the drug store!

Do you have any lemon juice beauty recipes?  They really are amazing little fruits!