I have a thing for lemons.
It’s pretty rare that I don’t have a couple lurking in the fridge. Lately, I’ve been finding more and more ways to fuel my addiction. Lemons are not only packed with antioxidants and rich in vitamin C, but they are detoxifying for the body and are said to contain cancer fighting compounds. You can read much more about them (along with limes) over at World’s Healthiest Foods.
Today, our mission is to compile the world’s biggest list of the many ways to use lemons. Or at least a long one! I started us off at the bottom of this post, but it’s up to you to add to it if you’d like.
But first, I’m sharing with you one of my all-time favourite ways to use lemons with a couple ingredients you probably have lurking in your pantry. I’ve been making variations of this hand scrub for a couple years now and it never lets me down!
My hands (and elbows, feet, knees, etc) can get very dry and this scrub exfoliates and seals in moisture like nothing I have used. I like to keep a jar in the fridge and whip it out a few times a week to give my hands a good scrub. It also makes an amazing facial scrub and body scrub too!
You can make a basic scrub using just a few ingredients. I personally like using:
- 1 part oil
- 2 parts sugar
- lemon juice + zest
Glowing Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub
Adapted from my previous scrub.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup olive oil (or oil of choice)
- 2/3 cup sugar (see tip)
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon (about 1.5 tbsp)
- pinch of two of lemon zest
1. In a jar or small container, stir together the oil, sugar, lemon juice, and zest. Store in the fridge with a lid for maximum freshness. Feel free to use this scrub on your hands, feet, elbows, knees, face, and total body whenever it needs a burst of moisture and shiny glow.
Tips:
The finer the sugar you use, the less rough your scrub will be. I like using a fine white sugar if I’m using it on my face and hands since those parts tend to have thinner, more delicate skin. If I’m making a body scrub, I like using a coarser sugar like brown or turbinado or even coarse sea salt.
If using this on your face, be sure to use a cleanser afterwards to remove the oil.
You have to try this.
Rub it all over your hands and give yourself a good massage!
My hands aren’t normally very soft, but this scrub makes them feel like a baby’s bottom! Or maybe even softer…
I used it yesterday morning and I can still feel the difference on my hands this morning. Truly amazing.
Looking for others fun uses for lemons? Check out this list I compiled below. Special thanks to Green Living Tips and Eco Knowledge for some of the tips.
Other ways to use lemons:
1) Homemade detox drink. Juice a lemon and mix it with water. Drink it on an empty stomach as soon as you wake up. It will aid in digestion and give you a great start to your day. Just be sure to drink it with a straw as the acidic nature of citrus can wear the enamel of the teeth.
2) Clean silver, chrome, and tarnished brass.
3) Clean your microwave: Juice 1 lemon and add to a bowl of water. Place in the microwave and heat for about 5 minutes on high. The steam will help soften any gunk on your microwave so you can easily wipe it down afterward.
4) Freshen your garbage disposal. Instead of throwing out your lemon scraps, toss them into your garbage disposal to freshen it up and deodorize.
5) Make potpourri.
6) Scrub your kitchen. Mix lemon juice and salt together for an all-natural kitchen scrub.
7) Deodorize your humidifier. Add some lemon juice to your humidifier water to deodorize.
8.) Prevent spoilage. Add some fresh lemon juice on an avocado or fruit salad to prevent browning.
9) Homemade fruit and veggie wash. Mix 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp vinegar, and 1 cup water together to make a natural fruit and veggie cleaner.
10) Chop, chop. Use lemons to clean your chopping boards.
11) Baking and cooking. The obvious one here, but lemon is a fun ingredient in many recipes. One of my favs are these Tropical Lemon Cranberry Chia Bars! I also have 53 recipes that contain lemons!
What are your favourite ways to use lemons? Do you ever make any homemade scrubs or other beauty products?
Haha! Unless you meant to, I love that the 8) came up as a smiley face with sunglasses! That made my day. Great tips!!
it did it to me too!! I meant to type “eight, parentheses.” Sorry for the ridiculousness :)
LOL just saw your second comment!!! classic.
hah that always happens when I type an 8 with a bracket! I added a dot to it. ;)
I drink lemon water every morning and I’m always looking for way to use up the rind because I hate throwing them out and wasting them. A while ago I came across this http://pinterest.com/pin/149111437632513612/ and it works really well. I filled a mason jar with lemon rinds, filled it up with white vinegar, sealed it and let it sit for a couple weeks. Now I have a lemon scented all purpose cleaner that I can dilute use all over the house! I’ll have to check out the link for potpourri because that would be fun to try as well.
In the summer I like to add 1/2 cup to my washing and then hang it out to dry- smells so light and fresh afterwards!
I learned this from a natural make-up artist in Chicago, and it is her ONE Go-To for people struggling with cystic (or regular) acne:
–put lemon juice on the zit.
Yeah…that’s it. Just take a q-tip, stick it inside a lemon, and then get just on the pimple. Don’t go too much around, or all over your face, otherwise you’ll dry out all the rest of your skin.
Anyway, this has done miracles for me, and I’ve tried just about everything out there in regards to natural acne-fighting (including food allergy elimination, natural skin care products, tea tree oil, etc).
This is great to know! Thank you!
Wow that sounds amazing. I could see how the juice could dry it out too.
I am absolutely trying that scrub (okay and probably everything else too but my hands are lookin’ rough these days!) I’ve got 3 leftover lemons just asking to be used! Thanks!
I’m going to try this immediately! This will surely help me feel less like an alligator and more like a human. In other news, last night I made your 5-ingredient vegan cheese sauce, the Lexus of cheese sauces. WOW! YUM! I couldn’t stop eating it with a spoon directly out of the pot. My grandfather shuffled into the kitchen to see why I was so quiet, and caught me red-handed…sauce on my face, spoon in my hand…
Im happy you enjoyed it Aimee!
Lemon zest in muffins or almost any baked good is delightful. Then to use up the half zested lemon that is inevitably sitting on my counter, I put a wedge in my water bottle each day to add some flavor to my water.
A simple glass of lukewarm water with 1/4 lemon squeezed in it is an amazing detox!
Drink it on an empty stomach first thing in the morning *)
I just wrote about it here: http://www.lifeologia.com/live-better-drink-more-water/
ps. loving your scrub ;)
I want to get a lemon tree for my porch so badly. I love, love, love lemons!
I know this is a hand scrub, but I’m totally making some to slather on my feet! I’ve been doing the lemon water in the morning thing for a while now and I don’t really think I feel different, but I like to think that it’s keeping my liver nice and clean! ;) Recently I told my roommate about the whole lemon-juice-on-apples trick to keep them from browning. I was surprised she hadn’t heard it before! Ooh and another use for lemons… lemon poppyseed cake/muffins/loaf… gets me every time!
Hi Angela! I thought the same thing, but here is something to consider. My mother and I were discussing the benefits of lemon today. There is a friend of the family who I consider my dad in so many ways, but has no relations to the family. He is 85 and literally looks 60. My own husband did not believe me when I told him his real age and dared to call me a liar. LOL. My husband met him and was amazed. His secrets are fruits, veggies, and a whole lot of lemon plus vinegar. That’s it! He should be checked periodically for prostate cancer and has no problems whatsoever with his prostates. No cancer, cancer free and has never had any throughout his life at age 85. He is standing tall! LOL. Amazing.
Some things are never felt, but seen. If that is your picture keep doing what you are doing to have a flawless look as you have in that pic. Smiles. You could be avoiding cancer right now as I’m writing this, and as you continue to take lemon with water fighting many other things that can make a person sick. Don’t stop. Lemon is known to diminish fat and boost metabolism – I’ve lost nine pounds drinking lemon and coffee in a weeks time. Believe that it is working wonders for you all around. Cancer seems to be plaguing many home, and I often wonder if it is the genetically modified foods, but natural has always been the best remedy in some cases. I am resorting to preventing cancer cells in this way because I have had a long battle with problems in the uterus regarding conception, ovarian cysts, fibroids, irregular periods, and polyps…so far so good! All of my PAP SMEARS have been normal and no cancerous cells.
Here is my facial remedy which my mother immediately saw a change in skin color and texture within a week. I was speaking at local event and she saw a video and up close photos and said your face looks flawless. My skin is acne prone since my late 20s until today. The remedy is:
2 TBSP GRAM FLOUR
1 TBSP ALMOND OIL
1/2 TSP TURMERIC
HALF A LEMON
MILK SPARINGLY
MIX TO MAKE A PASTE SMOOTH AND THICK ENOUGH TO FORM INTO A FACIAL MASK. YOU CAN ADD RICE FLOUR INSTEAD OR REGULAR FLOUR IF IT IS CHEAPER, BUT IT WORKS JUST AS GOOD. I PREFER GRAM FLOUR INSTEAD. THIS WILL HELP LIGHTEN YOUR SKIN AND AID IN REMOVING SKIN DISCOLORATIONS (WHICH I HAVE FROM THE ACNE) AND THE TURMERIC ACTS AS A BACTERIA FIGHTING AGENT WITH MANY BENEFITS THAT AID THE BODY AND SKIN.
YOU CAN ADD ALOE AS WELL, BUT YOU WOULD FIRST HAVE TO MIX THE MILK WITH 1/2 INCH OF ALOE GEL (FROM THE PLANT WITHOUT THE SKIN) AND ADD TO THE ABOVE INGREDIENTS AS WELL. IT IS A WONDERFUL MIXTURES, AND I USE IT THREE TIMES A WEEK UNTIL I SEE SOME PROGRESS AND THEN TWICE AND THEN ONCE AND SO FORTH.
I HAVE HEARD THAT ADDING LESS THAN A TEASPOON TO WARM MILK IS VERY BENEFICIAL FOR INTERNAL BODY HEALTH CLEANING THE BODY OF UNNECESSARY TOXINS. HOPE THIS IS BENEFICIAL. TAKE CARE ALL AND ANGELA. LEMON IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE EVEN WHEN YOU DON’T SEE IT. TTFN
WARNING! IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS PLEASE DO NOT PLACE ON SKIN.
I drink the lemon and hot water detox drink every morning.. I swear it does wonders for my skin and digestive health!
just make sure the water is not too hot because that will kill all the important enzymes in the lemon. I pour in cup one half room temperture water then the rest from my tea kettle. Not sure if people know this but NO HOT water.. Lukewarm always. :-)
You can also use their sifted juice as natural shampoo! :D And my father always puts half an “empty” skin in his dishwasher to keep the glasses shiny :)
I love that lemon scrub idea. Must confess that I love lemons – Lemon Delicious is always my birthday dessert (though best when I am with my parents and my mum can make it!), and my husband thinks I should just eat them straight :) One thing I do like to do (and this goes for oranges as well), is to toss them in the garbage disposal (usually just skins) and run it. Instant air freshener from the drain :)
Who doesn’t love a beauty product you can lick off?
Ja, ja…good one! I’ll ask my husband if he likes the taste….
you can mix lemon juice with extra virgin olive oil (best organic) and rub it in your skin to make it more firm
I like using leftover lemon rinds to help remove food smells in the kitchen – just boil with a little bit of water and a cinnamon stick for much fresher air.
I love posts like this,,,thankyou,thankyou and thankyou! I am so making that simple scrub and the fruit/vegie wash. I have started my day with lemon water for the last 10yrs and couldn’t imagine not doing this…love lemon in all cooking/non-cooking foods too. My fruit bowl never is empty of lemons :-)
What a great post, I also make my own scrubs, and use lemon in most of them! Love how my skin feels after that!
For keeping half an avocado from blackening in the fridge, you can squeeze lemon juice over it to prevent the oxidation – it really works!
I’m going to make the scrub! I love how moisturizing olive oil is. Will it keep for a while?
I like to add lemon zest to just about any recipe. I think it makes everything just a little better – like salt!
Mine is fine in the fridge for a couple weeks…that’s usually when I use it up…so it could last longer!