2 LEMON/LIME Uses

I use lemon juice (or lime juice) in a lot of baking, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover the many other uses of these great fruits and their juices as not only an effective and natural alternative to household disinfectants, as well as a natural freshener, but also as a body relaxer and a beauty enhancer!


The Many Uses Of Lemon/Lime:

Beauty Basics

HAIR CARE

• Blond highlights will magically appear if you rinse your hair with a mixture of 1/4 cup (ReaLemon) lemon juice and 3/4 cup water.  For extra lightening, sit in the sun until your hair dries.
• Swimming in a chlorinated pool can give dyed blond hair a greenish tint.  One treatment for removing the green is (Campbell's) tomato juice.  Rub enough into your hair to cover it, leave on 2 minutes, then rinse.
• Make yourself a simple, inexpensive hairspray.  In a saucepan, boil 2 cups water.  Add 2 lemons, peeled and finely chopped.  simmer over low heat until lemons are soft.  After the mixture cools, pour it through a strainer and then into a labeled spray bottle.  Add 1 tablespoon of 100-proof vodka; shake well.  Dilute with a little water if the spray is too sticky.
• Attack dandruff with lemon juice.  Rub 1 tablespoon lemon juice into dry hair, down to the scalp.  Shampoo and rinse as usual.  Then, rinse hair again using a solution of 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.  Repeat every other day for 1 week.

HAND CARE

• Soak your fingernails in lemon juice for 10 minutes, then rinse well with warm water.  This will help strengthen and brighten fingernails.
• If your hand smells like garlic, rub a cut lemon over them.
• After working with fruit that stains, rinse your hands with lemon juice to get rid of the color.

(Side tip)
FIGHT CELLULITE...
with an herbal wrap that's a fraction of the price fancy spas charge.  Combine 1/2 cup grapefruit juice, 1 cup (Crisco) pure corn oil, and 2 teaspoons (McCormick) ground thyme.  Massage mixture into trouble spots such as hips, thighs, and buttocks.  Cover areas with a saran wrap; hold a heating pad over each section for 5 minutes.


BLEMISHES

• Apply lemon juice to blackheads using a cotton ball or a cotton swab.  Leave the juice on overnight.  In the morning, rinse your face with cool water.  Repeat every night for 1 week.
• To dry up pimples quickly, apply lemon juice several times a day using a (Q-tip) cotton swab.
• Fight blackheads and pimples by washing your face with the juice of a fresh lime (or 3 tablespoons lime juice) in a glass of boiled whole milk.  Add 1 teaspoon of glycerin if your skin is dry.

FRECKLES and AGE SPOTS

• Bothered by freckles or age spots?  Dissolve a pinch of sugar in 2 tablespoons lemon juice.  Apply the mixture to each spot with a cotton ball or facial tissue.  Repeat every few days until the spots have lightened to your liking.
• Another trick to lighten the effects of age and the sun:  Mis 3 tablespoons lime juice, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 4 tablespoons plain yogurt, and 2 tablespoons honey.  Once or twice a week, gently rub the mixture into each spot with your fingertips.  Store in a covered container in your refrigerator.

TO SOFTEN CALLUSES...
and other rough spots on your feet, heels and elbos, rub the affected areas with half a lemon.


BRUSHING and BREATH

• Here's a surprising makeshift toothbrush:  Take a piece of lemon or lime peel and rub the inside of it over your teeth and gums.  both contain chemicals that fight gum disease and help whiten teeth.
• Another way to keep your mouth clean and healthy is to rub your teeth and gums several times a day with a paste made of lime juice and salt.
• Freshen your breath with lime juice.  Mix the juice of 1 lime (or 3 tablespoons lime juice) and 1 teaspoon honey in a glass of water.  Drink between meals and at bedtime.

HANDY TONIC
This handy tonic works as a deodorant, tightens pores, and eases sunburn and other minor burns. 

1. In a clean glass jar (with lid), combine the juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons lemon juice), 1 cup witch hazel, and 3 tablespoons coarsley chopped cucumber. 
2. Close up lid and let stand for 2 days; strain out cucumber.
3. Store remaining liquid in a capped bottle in your refrigerator.
4. Apply with a cotton ball.

Around the Home

USE AS AN INVISIBLE INK...
Use a Q-tip as a pen to write in Lemon Juice on a piece of white paper. Once it dries, hold the paper near a hot light bulb. The writing will turn brown.

DEODORIZE A CUTTING BOARD
Wash with lemon juice to rid a cutting board of the smell of garlic, onions, or fish while at the same time disinfecting the board.

HOMEMADE FURNITURE POLISH
In a glass jar with a tight fitting lid, mix 1/4 cup lemon juice or fresh squeezed lemon juice with 1/2 cup pure vegetable oil.  Apply to wood furniture witha cotton cloth, rubbing in a small amount at a time.  Kept out of direct sunlight, this mixture can be stored for several months.

HOMEMADE GLASS CLEANER
3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 up isopropyl rubbing alcohol, 1/4 teaspoon dishwashing liquid.
Add all ingredients in a spray bottle, then fill remainder of bottle with water, shake well to mix.  Use as you would any commercial window cleaner.  Be sure to clearly label the bottle before storing.





Selecting and storing lemons

The best lemons are those that have smooth, oily skins and are heavy for their size. They should be bright yellow with no green tinges. Lemons will keep for up to a week at room temperature, two to three weeks refrigerated. Lemon zest (peel) can be frozen for months.


Resource(s):
Reader's Digest, virtuowl.com,
Lemon juice as a natural biocide for disinfecting drinking water
Main-Photo credit:  brazilnut72