When Life Hands You Lemons...
Pucker up! This sour delicious citrus fruit creates an essential oil that is a MUST in your starter kit. I LOVE lemons and use this essential oil in pretty much all my recipes.
Oh Lemon Essential Oil, how I love thee… let me count the ways… Using lemon essential oil in my skincare routine changed my life. It brightens, clarifies, and firms skin. The skin firming properties are good for anti-aging which is an important part of an actor’s beauty regiment, as you can imagine. It also lightens dark spots and evens skin tone. These traits were extremely important for me, as I dealt with acne at 19 and had some scarring. Ever since I added lemon oil into my skincare routine there was a noticeable difference in the evenness of my skin tone. This combined with the discovery of lavender is what gave me the confidence to go makeup free in every day life.
Over the past couple years I branched out using lemon oil as a cleaning and disinfecting agent. I use it with baking soda to make bathroom cleaner that works on all surfaces. So much cheaper than buying a specific product for each thing! Sink, tub, toilet… buy this, buy that! Nope! One mix for ALL THE THINGS. It’s great to refresh your laundry by putting a few drops on a dry washcloth in the dryer. It can also be used to treat leather and polish silver. Whaaaaaaat?? Yeah. You heard me. Leather and silver. BOOM. Combined with… you guessed it, baking soda, I used it to restore some bronze earrings that had started to tarnish. Sort of a jack of all trades in the essential oil world. The possibilities are endless!
With all citrus, exposure to the sun can cause skin sensitivity, so be extra mindful when using topically and ALWAYS dilute in a carrier oil. Maximum topical use is a 2% dilution.
I started with the NOW Foods brand of lemon essential oil. All NOW Foods oils are 100% pure and they do offer organic options as well. I like Plant Therapy’s philosophy and for aromatherapy, their lemon essential oil is extra uplifting in my opinion. I’m also partial to ArtNaturals, as I trust the quality of all their oils and natural/organic skincare and hair products, which I will touch on in future posts.
Note: Some schools of thought say certain essential oils may not be safe to use during pregnancy. However, experts say to use the minimum dosage as directed. Please consult your physician if you have any concerns and use at your own discretion.
