Okay, okay. Maybe lemons really are awesome, and we’re being too harsh. If you do a little research, you’ll read that you can use lemon juice for brightening your hair and skin, getting in your daily dose of vitamin C and possibly even preventing pesky kidney stones. In addition to drinking or applying lemon juice, you can also use the fragrance of lemon to help you concentrate and the lemon peel to freshen your home, keep away pests and sanitize surfaces.
Unfortunately, lemons aren’t always the perfect addition to your beauty routine. Like any other ingredient, natural or not, extensive (or even regular) use carries its own risks. Read further to see why you should be careful when using lemons in your beauty routine.

1. Dehydrated, flaky skin: Many bloggers recommend using lemon juice to lighten your skin, easing the appearance of dark circles and uneven skin tone. However, lemon juice is highly acidic and it can end up drying out your skin, causing it to become dehydrated and flaky. If you’re going to use a treatment that includes lemon juice, we recommend only doing so if you have naturally oily skin, not using it every day and starting with small areas first.
2. Chemical burns: Sounds scary, right? Even though lemon juice is a “natural” ingredient, that doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous. Because lemon juice contains citric oils, which are potentially phototoxic, applying it to your skin can be risky when you head out into the sun. The UV rays your skin absorbs in sunlight could combine with the lemon juice to irritate your skin or even cause a deeply painful chemical burn. This is especially risky, since every lemon contains a different amount of citric oil, making the extent of irritation difficult to predict.
3. Reflux, ulcers and heartburn: If you’re drinking lemon juice every day, you probably think you’re getting your daily dose of vitamin C – but you might be getting more than you bargained for. Drinking lemon juice every day can also irritate your stomach lining, causing particularly harsh reflux for those who already have a sensitive stomach. Regular consumption can also prevent ulcers from healing and cause heartburn and dehydration. If you plan on drinking lemon water with any regularity, be cautious and do so under the advisement of a medical professional.
4. Tooth decay: The acid content that could irritate your stomach and also cause dehydrated, flaky skin can also erode your tooth enamel, increase your tooth sensitivity and even cause cavities. Ugh!
5. Acne irritation: Because extensive use of lemon juice can cause skin irritation, it’s no surprise that it’s risky to use with developing acne. When skin reacts poorly with lemon juice, acne can be further irritated and can even begin bleeding.

If you were thinking about using lemons in your beauty routine, we hope that the points above encourage you to do so safely.
If you do suffer from sensitive skin and you’re ready to go natural in your beauty routine, why not try out Real Purity Bath & Body Care?  Whether you start with our Acne Soap, which will ease blemishes without causing further irritation, or our Chamomile Shampoo, designed to brighten and streJust use code BATHTIME at checkout.