Using Lemon for Hair: What are the Benefits
Summary
- What Benefits Does Lemon Have for Hair?
- What are the Risks of Using Lemon for Hair?
- Can I Use Lemon Juice to Lighten my Hair Naturally?
- How to Lighten Your Hair Without Bleaching It
- How to Use Lemon for Hair Growth
- Conclusion
What Benefits Does Lemon Have for Hair?
There are numerous benefits of using lemon for hair. The most popular reason to use lemon as a hair treatment is to lighten hair colour and aid hair growth.
High in vitamin C, lemons are known to boost the production of collagen and additionally stimulate hair growth. Lemons are also rich in citric acid, calcium, magnesium and pectin, all of which strengthen hair follicles and increase the rate of hair growth.
Believed to have antifungal and antibacterial properties, lemons can effectively remove product build-up by absorbing excess oils. Lemons are therefore considered a great natural remedy for Seborrheic Dermatitis and Malassezia which leaves your hair clean, healthy and well-nourished.
As your hair’s pH typically falls between 4.5 and 5.5, many shampoos and hair products can be too alkaline, resulting in damaged and brittle hair. Lemons, on the other hand, have a pH scale of 2. When using a diluted lemon treatment, lemon restores pH levels and helps to improve shine.
What are the Risks of Using Lemon for Hair?
A naturally occurring fruit that is rich in vitamins, lemons are full to the brim with vitamin C and fibre. Just one lemon provides around 31mg of vitamin C. In fact, that’s approximately 51% of your recommended daily intake.
As mentioned however, lemon juice is highly acidic as a citrus fruit. Though undoubtedly less harmful than bleach, prolonged use of lemon juice can be dehydrating and drying to your hair.
Avoid causing unnecessary damage to your hair by limiting how often you apply lemon treatments. Furthermore, we recommend following up with a hydrating treatment.
Moreover, applying lemon directly to the skin or scalp can cause irritation and phytophotodermatitis. Although rare, phytophotodermatitis is a skin reaction that causes rashes or blisters. In order to avoid this its important to perform a patch test on a small area of your skin to check if you have a reaction to it. In the event of any reactions to lemon treatments, seek medical attention from a doctor or professional.
Can I Use Lemon Juice to Lighten my Hair Naturally?
Despite the risks of using lemon for hair, lemons can help to naturally lighten your hair without the need for bleach.
Can lemon lighten your hair without the sun?
If you spend a lot of time in the sun, you will already know about the lightening impact of sun exposure. Sitting in the sun for 1-2 hours (or more) can lighten hair, however, hair can suffer from UV damage.
Lemons have a natural lightening effect and lightens hair when exposed to sunlight. Adding lemon can help with natural bleaching by simply accelerating this process by opening your hair cuticles, allowing the sun to penetrate and lighten the strands.
Activated by heat, citrus juice opens your hair follicles to lighten each strand. Therefore, without the sun, lemon will have no lightening effects on your hair.
Can I use lemon for hair highlights?
Not a chemical lightener but a natural highlighter, lemon creates a sun-kissed look on blonde hair and light brown hair.
There are some downsides to using lemon for hair lightening, however. Applying lemon juice to your hair does not have the power to whiten hair or lift dark hair to blonde as it may turn more orange instead of blonde on darker hair tones.
How to Lighten Your Hair Without Bleaching It
Having your hair lightened with lemon juice is easy. Simply:
- Gently detangle with a good hairbrush
- Squeeze the juice of one fresh lemon
- Mix one part lemon juice and two parts warm water to dilute
- Add to a spray bottle and spray your hair with lemon juice mixture*
- Sit in the sun for 30 minutes - 1 hour (or until the lemon has dried) to activate the lemon juice
- Wash your hair thoroughly to remove all traces of lemon juice from your scalp and hair
- Apply a nourishing conditioning treatment such as Dr Balwi’s Hair Serum
*Distribute the lemon treatment evenly throughout hair to lighten your entire head of hair. Or, for highlights, spray on random strands and continue the next steps to lighten the hair color.
Remember to use lemon treatments sparingly and always follow with conditioning treatments to prevent extreme damage to your hair.
How to Use Lemon for Hair Growth
Known to stimulate collagen and improve hair strength, lemons are a popular treatment to help hair grow when applied directly to the hair and scalp. As lemons can be dehydrating, however, lemon treatments should be alternated with a hydrating conditioner or serum.
Dr Balwi’s serum is rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids to help combat hair loss and hair thinning. Like lemons, the concentrated serum has antibacterial properties that cleanse and clean to result in strong, healthy hair that has all it needs to grow. Alternate lemon treatments with regular use of Dr Balwi’s serum to nourish your hair and support the natural hair growth process.
Conclusion
Lemons are a great natural ingredient with numerous benefits for your hair. Not only is it great for inflammation and detoxification, but lemons can also stimulate hair growth, cleanse to restore pH balance and lighten hair colour.
Naturally high in acidity, however, lemons can be damaging to the hair when used too frequently. Use lemon for hair in moderation and always follow up with a high-quality conditioner to maintain great hair health like our specially formulated serum.
Do you require any additional information or are you suffering from hair loss? Then don't hesitate to contact our friendly team who are on hand to answer all your queries about getting a hair transplant. Furthermore they can also offer a free and non binding hair analysis.
