St.

Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

CHAPTER II
Review Related Literature

Article 1
Citrus limon (Lemon) Phenomenon—A Review of the Chemistry,
Pharmacological Properties, Applications in the Modern Pharmaceutical,
Food, and Cosmetics Industries, and Biotechnological Studies.
This review presents important botanical, chemical and pharmacological
characteristics of Citrus limon (lemon)—a species with valuable pharmaceutical,
cosmetic and culinary (healthy food) properties. A short description of the genus
Citrus is followed by information on the chemical composition, metabolomic
studies and biological activities of the main raw materials obtained from C. limon
(fruit extract, juice, essential oil). The valuable biological activity of C. limon is
determined by its high content of phenolic compounds, mainly flavonoids (e.g.,
diosmin, hesperidin, limocitrin) and phenolic acids (e.g., ferulic, synapic, p-
hydroxybenzoic acids). The essential oil is rich in bioactive monoterpenoids such
as D-limonene, β-pinene, γ-terpinene. Recently scientifically proven therapeutic
activities of C. limon include anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer and
antiparasitic activities. The review pays particular attention, with references to
published scientific research, to the use of C. limon in the food industry and
cosmetology. It also addresses the safety of use and potential phototoxicity of the
raw materials. Lastly, the review emphasizes the significance of biotechnological
studies on C. limon.
The main raw material of C. limon is the fruit, particularly the essential oil
and juice obtained from it. The C. limon fruit stands out as having well-known
nutritional properties, but it is worth remarking that its valuable biological
activities are underestimated in modern phytotherapy and cosmetology.
C. limon fruit juice (lemon juice) has traditionally been used as a remedy for
scurvy before the discovery of vitamin C. This common use of C. limon, known
since ancient times, has nowadays been supported by numerous scientific
studies. Other uses for lemon juice, known from traditional medicine, include
treatment of high blood pressure, the common cold, and irregular menstruation.
Moreover, the essential oil of C. limon is a known remedy for coughs.

Currently, valuable scientific publications focus on the ever wider

pharmacological actions of C. limon fruit extract, juice and essential oil. They
include studies of, for example, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory,
anticancer, hepatoregenerating and cardioprotective activities.
The pharmacological potential of C. limon is determined by its rich
chemical composition. The most important group of secondary metabolites in the
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

fruit includes flavonoids and also other compounds, such as phenolic acids,
coumarins, carboxylic acids, aminoacids and vitamins. The main compounds of
essential oil are monoterpenoids, especially D-limonene. These valuable
chemical components are the reason for the important position of C. limon in the
food and cosmetics industries

Botanical Characteristics and Occurrence of C. limon

Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. (lemon) is a tree reaching 2.5–3 m in height. It has
evergreen lanceolate leaves. Bisexual flowers are white with a purple tinge at the
edges of the petals. They are gathered in small clusters or occur individually,
growing in leaf axils. The fruit is an elongated, oval, pointed green berry that
turns yellow during ripening. Inside, the berry is filled with a juicy pulp divided into
segments (like an orange). The C. limon pericarp is made of a thin, wax-covered
exocarp, under which there is the outer part of the mesocarp, also known as
flavedo. This part contains oil vesicles and carotenoid dyes. The inner part of the
mesocarp, also known as the albedo, is made of a spongy, white parenchyma
tissue. The endocarp, or ‘fruit flesh’, is divided into segments by the spongy,
white tissue of the mesocarp.
The C. limon tree prefers sunny places. It grows on loamy, well-drained, moist
soils with a wide pH range.
The location of the original natural habitat of C. limon is not accurately known.
However, C. limon is considered to be native to North-Western or North-Eastern
India.
C. limon is mainly recognized as a cultivated species. It has been cultivated in
southern Italy since the 3rd century AD, and in Iraq and Egypt since 700 AD. The
Arabs introduced C. limon into Spain, where it has been cultivated since 1150.
Marco Polo’s expeditions also brought C. limon to China in 1297. It was also one
of the first new species that Christopher Columbus brought in the form of seeds
to the North American continent in 1493. In the 19th century, worldwide
commercial production of C. limon began in Florida and in California. Nowadays,
the USA is the largest producer of C. limon. Italy, Spain, Argentina and Brazil
also play a significant role

Chemical Composition of C. limon

The chemical composition of C. limon fruit is well known. It has not only
been determined for the whole fruit but also separately for the pericarp, juice,
pomace, and essential oil. The compositions of the leaves and the fatty oil
extracted from C. limon seeds are also known. Due to the large number of C.
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

limon varieties, cultivars and hybrids, various research centres undertake the
task of analyzing the chemical composition of the raw materials obtained from
them.
The most important group of bioactive compounds in both C. limon fruit and its
juice, determining their biological activity, are flavonoids such as: flavonones—
eriodictyol, hesperidin, hesperetin, naringin; flavones—apigenin, diosmin;
flavonols—quercetin; and their derivatives. In the whole fruit, other flavonoids are
additionally detected: flavonols—limocitrin and spinacetin, and flavones—orientin
and vitexin. Some flavonoids, such as neohesperidin, naringin and hesperidin,
are characteristic for C. limon fruit. In comparison to another Citrus species, C.
limon has the highest content of eriocitrin.
Cosmetological Applications
C. limon fruit extracts and essential oil, as well as the active compounds
isolated from these raw materials, have become the object of numerous scientific
studies aimed at proving the possibility of their use in cosmetology. Lemon-
derived products have long been credited with having a positive effect on acne-
prone skin that is easily affected by sunburn or mycosis. In this regard, traditional
uses of these raw materials are known in various parts of the world. In Tanzania,
the fruit juice of C. limon is mixed with egg albumin, honey and cucumber, and
applied to the skin every day at night to smooth the facial skin and treat acne.
Juice from freshly squeezed fruit of C. limon mixed with olive oil is used as a
natural remedy for the treatment of hair and scalp disorders in the West Bank in
Palestine. Currently, knowledge of the cosmetic activity of C. limon is constantly
expanding.
C. limon essential oil shows antibiotic and flavouring properties, and for
this reason it is used in formulations of shampoos, toothpaste, disinfectants,
topical ointments and other cosmetics. Scientific studies have shown a significant
antioxidant effect of C. limon fruit extracts, which is the reason they are
recommended for use in anti-ageing cosmetics. The use of different carriers for
C. limon extracts (e.g., hyalurosomes, glycerosomes) in cosmetics production
technology contributes to an even greater inhibition of oxidative stress in skin-
building structures, including keratinocytes and fibroblasts. In addition, vitamin C
from C. limon is used as an ingredient in specialized dermocosmetics. Its
external use increases collagen production, which makes the skin smoother and
more tense. It is used in anti-aging products, to reduce shallow wrinkles, and as
a synergistic antioxidant in combination with vitamin E.
This review proves that C. limon is a very attractive object of different
scientific studies. The C. limon fruit is a raw material that can be used in different
forms, e.g., extracts, juice and essential oil. The rich chemical composition of this
species determines a wide range of its biological activity and its being
recommended for use in phytopharmacology. The studies have focused on the
essential oil and its main active compound—D-limonene. Extracts from C. limon
fruits are rich in flavonoids such as naringenin and hesperetin.
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

Current pharmacological studies have confirmed the health-promoting

activities of C. limon, especially its anti-cancer and antioxidant properties. C.
limon also finds increasing application in cosmetology and food production.
There has been some biotechnological research aimed at developing effective in
vitro micropropagation protocols for C. limon.
References
Goetz P. Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. (Rutacées). Citronnier. Phytotherapie.
2014;12:116–121. doi: 10.1007/s10298-014-0854-6. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
Mabberley D.J. Citrus (Rutaceae): A review of recent advances in etymology,
systematics and medical applications. Blumea J. Plant Taxon. Plant Geogr.
2004;49:481–498. doi: 10.3767/000651904X484432. [CrossRef] [Google
Scholar]
Papp N., Bartha S., Boris G., Balogh L. Traditional uses of medicinal plants for
respiratory diseases in Transylvania. Nat. Prod. Commun. 2011;6:1459–1460.
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Clement Y.N., Baksh-Comeau Y.S., Seaforth C.E. An ethnobotanical survey of
medicinal plants in Trinidad. J. Ethnobiol. Ethnomed. 2015;11:1–28. doi:
10.1186/s13002-015-0052-0. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google
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Bhatia H., Pal Sharma Y., Manhas R.K., Kumar K. Traditional phytoremedies for
the treatment of menstrual disorders in district Udhampur, J&K, India. J.
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Retrieved from:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7020168

Article 2
Why Soap Works
At the molecular level, soap breaks things apart. At the level of society, it
helps hold everything together.

It probably began with an accident thousands of years ago. According to

one legend, rain washed the fat and ash from frequent animal sacrifices into a
nearby river, where they formed a lather with a remarkable ability to clean skin
and clothes. Perhaps the inspiration had a vegetal origin in the frothy solutions
produced by boiling or mashing certain plants. However it happened, the ancient
discovery of soap altered human history. Although our ancestors could not have
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

foreseen it, soap would ultimately become one of our most effective defenses
against invisible pathogens.

People typically think of soap as gentle and soothing, but from the
perspective of microorganisms, it is often extremely destructive. A drop of
ordinary soap diluted in water is sufficient to rupture and kill many types of
bacteria and viruses, including the new coronavirus that is currently circling the
globe. The secret to soap’s impressive might is its hybrid structure.

Soap is made of pin-shaped molecules, each of which has a hydrophilic

head — it readily bonds with water — and a hydrophobic tail, which shuns water
and prefers to link up with oils and fats. These molecules, when suspended in
water, alternately float about as solitary units, interact with other molecules in the
solution and assemble themselves into little bubbles called micelles, with heads
pointing outward and tails tucked inside.

Some bacteria and viruses have lipid membranes that resemble double-
layered micelles with two bands of hydrophobic tails sandwiched between two
rings of hydrophilic heads. These membranes are studded with important
proteins that allow viruses to infect cells and perform vital tasks that keep
bacteria alive. Pathogens wrapped in lipid membranes include coronaviruses,
H.I.V., the viruses that cause hepatitis B and C, herpes, Ebola, Zika, dengue, and
numerous bacteria that attack the intestines and respiratory tract.
When you wash your hands with soap and water, you surround any
microorganisms on your skin with soap molecules. The hydrophobic tails of the
free-floating soap molecules attempt to evade water; in the process, they wedge
themselves into the lipid envelopes of certain microbes and viruses, prying them
apart.

“They act like crowbars and destabilize the whole system,” said Prof. Pall
Thordarson, acting head of chemistry at the University of New South Wales.
Essential proteins spill from the ruptured membranes into the surrounding water,
killing the bacteria and rendering the viruses useless.

In tandem, some soap molecules disrupt the chemical bonds that allow
bacteria, viruses and grime to stick to surfaces, lifting them off the skin. Micelles
can also form around particles of dirt and fragments of viruses and bacteria,
suspending them in floating cages. When you rinse your hands, all the
microorganisms that have been damaged, trapped and killed by soap molecules
are washed away.

On the whole, hand sanitizers are not as reliable as soap. Sanitizers with
at least 60 percent ethanol do act similarly, defeating bacteria and viruses by
destabilizing their lipid membranes. But they cannot easily remove
microorganisms from the skin. There are also viruses that do not depend on lipid
membranes to infect cells, as well as bacteria that protect their delicate
membranes with sturdy shields of protein and sugar. Examples include bacteria
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

that can cause meningitis, pneumonia, diarrhea and skin infections, as well as
the hepatitis A virus, poliovirus, rhinoviruses and adenoviruses (frequent causes
of the common cold).
These more resilient microbes are generally less susceptible to the
chemical onslaught of ethanol and soap. But vigorous scrubbing with soap and
water can still expunge these microbes from the skin, which is partly why hand-
washing is more effective than sanitizer. Alcohol-based sanitizer is a good
backup when soap and water are not accessible.

In an age of robotic surgery and gene therapy, it is all the more wondrous
that a bit of soap in water, an ancient and fundamentally unaltered recipe,
remains one of our most valuable medical interventions. Throughout the course
of a day, we pick up all sorts of viruses and microorganisms from the objects and
people in the environment. When we absentmindedly touch our eyes, nose and
mouth — a habit, one study suggests, that recurs as often as every two and a
half minutes — we offer potentially dangerous microbes a portal to our internal
organs.

As a foundation of everyday hygiene, hand-washing was broadly adopted

relatively recently. In the 1840s Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician,
discovered that if doctors washed their hands, far fewer women died after
childbirth. At the time, microbes were not widely recognized as vectors of
disease, and many doctors ridiculed the notion that a lack of personal cleanliness
could be responsible for their patients’ deaths. Ostracized by his colleagues, Dr.
Semmelweis was eventually committed to an asylum, where he was severely
beaten by guards and died from infected wounds.

Florence Nightingale, the English nurse and statistician, also promoted

hand-washing in the mid-1800s, but it was not until the 1980s that the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention issued the world’s first nationally endorsed hand
hygiene guidelines.

Washing with soap and water is one of the key public health practices that
can significantly slow the rate of a pandemic and limit the number of infections,
preventing a disastrous overburdening of hospitals and clinics. But the technique
works only if everyone washes their hands frequently and thoroughly: Work up a
good lather, scrub your palms and the back of your hands, interlace your fingers,
rub your fingertips against your palms, and twist a soapy fist around your thumbs.

Or as the Canadian health officer Bonnie Henry said recently, “Wash your
hands like you’ve been chopping jalapeños and you need to change your
contacts.” Even people who are relatively young and healthy should regularly
wash their hands, especially during a pandemic, because they can spread the
disease to those who are more vulnerable.

Soap is more than a personal protectant; when used properly, it becomes

part of a communal safety net. At the molecular level, soap works by breaking
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

things apart, but at the level of society, it helps hold everything together.
Remember this the next time you have the impulse to bypass the sink: Other
people’s lives are in your hands.

Reference:
Jabr, F. (2020). Why Soap Works. Retrieved from:
www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/health/soap-coronavirus-handwashing-germs.

Article 3

Skin-Whitening Cosmetics
Skin-whitening cosmetics is one category of advanced cosmetics and it
decreases pigmentation (generally known as blotch, freckle) of the skin caused
by the solar ultraviolet (UV, wavelength in the range of 400 to 10 nm) rays.
People, especially women, have always longed for skin that takes on a
transparent impression—being brightly white without blotch, dark brown spots,
and being somber. It is said that in Asia, because the change of the color tone of
the skin is considered a symptom of skin deterioration, people strongly tend to
desire a uniform skin color tone more than any other race. As regards the market
target, Japan being the center of research and development emphasizes the fact
that it is Asia so far for skin-whitening cosmetics. But since a major European–
American cosmetic company has stressed the development of such products,
development and market competition has intensified. The largest primary
determinant of human skin color is melanin pigment produced by the melanocyte,
which exists in the epidermal basal layer. Inside the melanocyte, tyrosine, one of
the amino acids, works as the substrate, producing the melanin pigment by the
activation of the enzyme tyrosinase.
Tyrosinase is involved in early stages of the pathway and is considered
the target molecule in the development of skin-whitening cosmetics, which
means that the key is how the product inhibits this enzymatic activity. Arbutin has
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

been developed as a tyrosinase inhibitor and approved as an active ingredient of

quasi-drugs. It is also a well-known naturally occurring compound contained in
bilberry, pear, or the genus Arctostaphylos. Arbutin, β-d-glucopyranoside of
hydroquinone, is effective in the topical treatment of various cutaneous
hyperpigmentations characterized by hyperactive melanocyte function. As shown
in Figure 4, it causes a concentration-dependent reduction in cellular tyrosinase
activity of cultured human melanocytes at final concentrations between 1 × 10−5 and
1 × 10−3 mol l−1. Its potency is about one hundredth of that of hydroquinone, a
therapeutic drug for vitiligines, but is higher than that of kojic acid or ascorbic acid,
which are also known as skin-whitening agents. The regulation of tyrosinase
gene expression was studied to facilitate our understanding of the effect of
arbutin on the synthesis and expression of tyrosinase. There was a significant difference
in the expression level of tyrosinase mRNA caused by the presence of 1 × 10−3 mol l−1
arbutin. Melanin production was significantly inhibited by arbutin, as determined by
measuring eumelanin radicals with an electron spin resonance spectrometer. The
study of the kinetics and mechanism of inhibition of tyrosinase confirms the
reversibility of arbutin as a competitive inhibitor of this enzyme. The use of −l-
tyrosine orl-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) as a substrate suggests a mechanism
involving competition with arbutin for the l-tyrosine binding site at the active site of
tyrosinase. These results suggest that the depigmenting mechanism of arbutin in humans
involves inhibition of melanosomal tyrosinase activity, rather than the suppression of the
expression and synthesis of tyrosinase. Ellagic acid, developed as an active
ingredient of quasi-drugs, is also one of the well-known inhibitors of tyrosinase. It
was confirmed that ellagic acid inhibits tyrosinase dose-dependently and
noncompetitively, unlike arbutin. Tyrosinase activity was reduced with decreasing
copper concentration, when mushroom-derived tyrosinase, a metalloprotein
containing copper, was incubated with ellagic acid. Since ellagic acid is known to
chelate some specific metal ions, it is presumed to react specifically with the
copper located at the active site of the tyrosinase molecule. Ellagic acid is a
naturally occurring polyphenol, which is found widely distributed in plants such as
tara, green tea, eucalyptus, and geranium. These two active ingredients are
examples of natural-origin compounds being used as skin-whitening agents.

Retrieved from:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128020050000409
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

Article 4
Skin-Whitening Products Are Still Big Business in Asia

The Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 also put a spotlight on marketing
pitches and consumer products with racist or colorist legacies around the globe.
Some companies in the U.S. responded by dropping Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s,
and other racially charged brands. In the cosmetics world, however, not much
has changed. A popular commercial on the YouTube channel of French
cosmetics giant L’Oréal SA’s Garnier skin-care brand in Thailand shows how its
Sakura White masks and creams can help women achieve “Korean pinkish skin”
in only a few steps. “It’ll transform dull skin to bright-pink color in just seven
days,” a woman says in Thai, her smile growing wider as her skin transforms
from dark to light. The video has had 11 million views.
Skin whitening in Asia is big business. From Japan to India, pharmacies and
department-store cosmetics counters peddle all sorts of body moisturizers, face
creams, and serums that promise to whiten users’ skin, playing off a traditional
belief that a light complexion denotes status and wealth because people with
fairer skin can afford to stay inside instead of toiling for hours under the sun.
Abandoning the whiter-is-better marketing pitch hasn’t been as
straightforward in Asia, largely because the products are so popular there. Skin
whiteners accounted for about 80% of India’s $1 billion market for moisturizers in
2019, reports Euromonitor International. The global market for skin lighteners
was worth $8.6 billion last year, according to Global Industry Analysts Inc.’s
StrategyR, a research company in San Jose, which forecasts demand reaching
$12.3 billion by 2027.

“Individuals who have fairer skin are more acceptable when it comes to
career or marriage,” says Sujata Chandrappa, an aesthetic-medicine specialist
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

and founder of R3 Clinic, a skin and hair treatment center in Bengaluru. “Desire
to have fairer skin is deep-seated.”

Some companies have tried to finesse the issue by getting rid of the
offending brands while keeping the products. Unilever Plc last year dropped the
Fair & Lovely name in India and replaced it with the more neutral-sounding Glow
& Lovely. Neutrogena, the skin-care brand owned by Johnson & Johnson,
dumped its Fine Fairness line and replaced it with Bright Boost. And last year,
L’Oréal said it would remove words such as “whitening” and “lightening” from its
skin products.
Yet many brands continue to market their products as skin whiteners.
L’Oréal’s Chinese-language website in Hong Kong assures consumers its
products will give them skin that’s “white and flawless,” and the company’s
English-language site in Singapore has a special section for skin-care whitening
“to give you the fair, flawless complexion you desire.” Hamburg-based Beiersdorf
AG still sells Nivea whitening body lotions in India.
L’Oréal is introducing the word “brightening” to describe its products, the
company said in a statement. Beiersdorf has “started to cease products and
communications which do not embrace the complexions of our diverse consumer
base,” says a spokesperson. In a statement, Johnson & Johnson said
conversations last year showed that some of its product names or claims
“represented fairness or white as better than your own unique skin tone. That
was never our intention—healthy skin is beautiful skin.” The company says it
replaced its two fairness product lines with Bright Boost, which uses ingredients
“to boost the skin’s natural renewal process for brighter, more-even skin tone.”
Despite promises of change, critics say, the continued marketing of such
products shows multinationals are expecting to still profit by equating beauty with
whiteness. Unilever’s rebranding of its skin cream is “just a big farce,” says
Kavitha Emmanuel, founder of Dark Is Beautiful, an Indian advocacy group
against colorism.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd., the Indian unit, didn’t respond to requests for
comment. But Unilever signaled it’s made a pivot, announcing in March that it
would refrain from digitally altering anyone’s skin color in its advertising. “We are
committed to tackling harmful norms and stereotypes and shaping a broader, far
more inclusive definition of beauty,” Sunny Jain, president of beauty and
personal care for Unilever, said in a statement.
The company used to heavily market its fairness cream in India with
promises of improving women’s job and marriage prospects. A recent Olympics-
themed campaign featured women doing parkour stunts and lifting weights.
Another recent spot showed a dark-skinned rapper asking not to be judged for
her complexion. And Glow & Lovely packages don’t include the before-and-after
comparisons of skin tones used on Fair & Lovely boxes.
Customers in India have stuck with Unilever’s renamed brand. Sales of Glow
& Lovely and its other beauty and personal-care brands grew 13% in the second
quarter from a year earlier.
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

Over time, brands will need to adjust as consumers rethink their beauty
standards, says Pavida Pananond, a professor of international business at
Thammasat University in Bangkok. Especially during a pandemic—when so
much of life has gone online and indoors—Gen Zers are less concerned about
proving their ability to stay out of the sun. “Being tanned now reflects an outdoor,
healthy lifestyle,” she says, “which is a more modern concept and outlook toward
beauty.” —With Olivia Tam
BOTTOM LINE - Cosmetics makers have been slow to change the way they
market skin whiteners—an $8.6 billion global market last year—because of the
products’ enduring popularity in Asia.

Reference:
Churiwhuch, P., Makol, MK., Saxena, R. (23 September 2021). Skin-Whitening
Products Are Still Big Business in Asia.

Retrieved from:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-22/skin-whitening-creams-
remain-big-business-in-asia-despite-purge
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

Article 5

Benefits Lemon has on Acne and Skin

Lemons are great for adding a tangy kick to your recipes for chicken, baked
goods, and, of course, cocktails. The awesome power of lemons has implications
far beyond the kitchen, though.

Lemons can provide tremendous benefits for your beauty regimen. Lemons
contains alpha hydroxy acid, which works wonders on your skin. They have
natural antibacterial properties, too, making lemon for acne treatment very
effective.

These little yellow miracle workers are an abundant source of vitamin C,

magnesium and potassium. These minerals and antioxidants improve the
appearance and health of your skin, nails, and hair.

What are the Benefits of Lemon for Skin?

Heal Acne and Remove Blackheads

Citrus fruits have antibacterial and antifungal properties that make lemon for
acne an amazing alternative treatment to commercial products. It’s as simple as
slicing open a lemon and rubbing it onto the affected areas of your face. To treat
blackheads, you can add a few drops of honey on top of a lemon half and apply it
to the areas where you have blackheads. Let the solution sit for five to ten
minutes and then rinse it off with cold water.

Lighten Dark Spots and Blemishes

Facial blemishes are embarrassing and can be extremely stubborn. Luckily, the
citric acid in lemon juice can gradually fade blemish spots and even out your skin
tone. Try to avoid getting lemon juice in any open cuts or scratches on your face
—it will sting!
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

Whiten Teeth

Professional teeth whitening can be very expensive. You can save yourself a lot
of money, and a trip to the dentist, by making a homemade lemon juice mixture.
Mix baking soda and lemon juice until a bubbly solution forms. Use a Q-tip to
apply the mixture to your teeth. Let the solution sit for one minute—not any
longer or the citric acid in the lemon juice may damage tooth enamel. Gently
scrub the mixture off with a toothbrush and watch your smile get brighter.

Prevent Oily Skin

Oily skin is a super common, ultra-annoying beauty problem. There are a lot of
different methods that have been tried—many without success—to bring down
the shine on foreheads, noses, and chins. As crazy as it sounds, even laxatives
have been touted as a means of reducing skin oil. Don’t worry, you don’t have to
go that far! Swiping a cotton swab dipped in lemon juice is an easy, effective way
of drying up excess oil. Try performing this procedure before bed. Wash your
face when you wake up in the morning. This technique will help prevent
excessively oily skin.

Strengthen Nails

You can purchase different nail hardening polishes at the drugstore or beauty
supply store, but you can also use olive oil and lemon juice to achieve the same
results naturally. This solution will help strengthen weak and brittle nails and
clear up any yellowing.

Calm Dry Scalp and Reduce Dandruff

Hair masks, especially the DIY variety, are becoming widely popular throughout
the beauty world. These masks can be made with ingredients you probably
already have in your kitchen. Coconut oil, olive oil, and raw honey mixed with
lemon juice can be massaged onto your head to heal dry scalp and reduce
dandruff. Nobody likes those white flakes on their shoulder! You literally have the
cure sitting in your pantry.

Soothe Chapped Lips

You know the pain that comes along with dry, cracked lips. Not to mention the
embarrassment of yucky dead skin peeling from your lip. An overnight exfoliant
for chapped lips can be created from nothing more than a sliced lemon. Rub the
fruit across your lips, then wash it off the next morning. The lemon juice removes
dead skin cells, leaving your lips super soft. Applying lipstick will be much easier
too, as it will glide across your lips more smoothly.
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

Cleanse Your Face and Body

Body washes and soaps can contain a scary concoction of unknown chemicals
and additives. If you’re unsure about what’s inside of your face or body wash,
you can switch to a homemade cleanser. Lemon juice, yogurt and an essential oil
—like lavender—make for a sweet-smelling, natural cleanser. Massage your
homemade cleanser into your face and body to remove dirt and bacteria. The
cleanser will moisturize your skin, too.

Bleach Elbows and Knees

If your elbows and knees appear a bit darker than the rest of your skin, simply
rub them with half of a lemon. Almost like magic, the darker areas will begin to
lighten and more closely match your skin tone.

Fix a Bad Fake Tan

Lemons are full of vitamin C and citric acid, both of which help brighten and
lighten your skin over time. Vitamin C, an antioxidant, neutralizes free radicals
and boosts collagen production. It can help lighten age spots or even fix a fake
tan gone awry. Remember to wear SPF when using lemon juice on your skin,
since citrus makes you more sensitive to UV rays.

Can Lemon be Useful for Acne Scars?

Washing and exfoliating your face to remove sweat, dirt, and oil is one way to
combat acne from occurring in the first place. Some people apply lemon juice to
their face and leave it on overnight as part of their nightly face-washing routine. If
you don’t want to leave it on overnight, you can apply the lemon juice after
washing your face in the morning. Make sure your face is completely dry and
properly moisturized before going about your day.

Lemon juice can also help reduce the appearance and redness of acne scars
that have already formed. Soak a Q-tip inside a fresh lemon wedge and dab it
onto your acne scars. For this treatment, be sure to only apply the lemon juice to
your acne scars, and not your whole face. You will feel a bit of tingling on your
skin, but it shouldn’t hurt. Re-saturate a new Q-tip if needed, making sure to only
touch on your problem areas.

Another method of using lemon juice to heal acne scars is the plastic wrap
method. After applying lemon juice to your face, cover your face with plastic
wrap. Make sure to cut holes for your eyes, nose, and mouth! Leave the plastic
wrap on for at least thirty minutes before washing off. If you’re only treating acne
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

scars and not an active acne breakout, you can leave the plastic on for a few
hours. That’s because you’re just lightening your skin, not treating existing acne.

People with sensitive skin might not be able to leave lemon juice on their skin for
extended periods of time. If you know that your skin is very sensitive or reddens
easily, try leaving the plastic wrap on for a shorter period of time (thirty minutes
or less) until you can assess your skin’s tolerance for the treatment.

With any lemon juice facial treatment, always make sure to wash your face
thoroughly and rinse off any excess lemon juice. Apply lemon juice facial
treatments every one to three days over a period of several weeks for optimal
results.

What Not to Try

● Don’t use the juice of a whole lemon directly on your face or soak your

entire face in lemon juice. Putting too much acid on your skin will disrupt

natural oil production and wreak havoc on your skin’s normal pH balance.

When it comes to lemon juice for skin care, a little goes a long way!

● Don’t introduce lemon juice into any open cuts, sores, or lesions.

Whether it’s an open acne sore or a scratch from your cat, you’ll definitely

want to avoid rubbing lemon juice into any open facial wounds. Only use

lemon juice on active acne that hasn’t opened or popped, or on closed

acne scars.

● Don’t mix lemon juice treatments with a lot of other skincare products.

Products that contain either benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid should only

be used on days that you don’t use lemon juice treatments. This is to

ensure that you don’t strip away too much natural oil or throw off your

skin’s pH balance.

There are many ways to use lemon for acne, blemishes, dark spots, and scars.
Your hair, body, and nails can all benefit from lemons, too.
 St. Alexius College
Integrated School Department
General Santos Drive, Koronadal, South Cotabato, Philippines

You can mix lemon juice with herbs, like mint or basil, and even honey, to create
natural, powerful remedies for a large number of beauty problems. Commercial
products with showy advertisements that promise a quick cure are often
ineffective. Many of them contain harsh chemicals and additives that are
counterproductive to their intended purpose. Choosing an all-natural, economical
remedy like lemons is one of the best ways to achieve your beauty goals.

Reference:

Nutrition (September 2020). Benefits Lemon has on Acne and Skin. Vitagene.
Retrieved from: https://vitagene.com/blog/lemon-for-acne/