One Lemon, Six Simultaneous Uses

On one balmy June night, Aye TaiTai had a brain wave about lemons. You know, lemons... those bright yellow fruits with really sour juice?

Use #1

  
Remove the peel from the lemon. Wait, wait, wait. Is it called the "peel", the "skin", the "rind" or the "something-carp"?

(From Blogspot)

Ok ok, so Aye TaiTai is not sure what the parts of a lemon are called. Since Google is her good friend, she found this:

 (From Cobalt Group)

Now that it is clearer, Aye TaiTai meant - "Remove the exocarp of the lemon. It's ok to include some mesocarp." Let's use "lemon peel" for short.

Put this into a pitcher of water (Must be at least 500ml, or it would be too sour!) and chill it in the fridge overnight. Makes one refreshing drink when you wake up in the morning!

What's Good About It?

• Nutritious : Lemon peels contain about 5 to 10 times more vitamins than lemon juice. They are  an excellent source of fiber, potassium, magnesium, calcium, folate, and beta carotene. Containing high amounts of calcium and vitamin C, lemon peels have been shown to aid preventing osteoporosis, inflammatory polyarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Detox : Lemon peels contain citrus bioflavonoids which are very powerful at reducing your levels of oxidative stress . Lemon peels also aid in eradicating toxic elements in the body and removing carcinogenic elements.
• Healthy Heart : Consumption of lemon peels helps in decreasing the cholesterol levels in the body, which in turn helps in promoting a better heart health. The potassium present in the peel actually helps in maintaining the blood pressure. The polyphenol flavonoids lowers the LDL cholesterol, which are the bad cholesterol.

   
Use #2

  
Wait. Don't throw away the lemon peels. Put these near places with household pests as they are a natural deterrent.

  (From Garden Harvest Supply)

  
Alternatively, leave the peels in the fridge or oven for a day to remove odours. 

(From Smoke Without Fear)

   

Use #3

  
Cut the peeled fruit into 4 slices. Squeeze a bit of juice from each quarter. This can be made into an instant and refreshing honey-lemon tea. Perfect for a hot day!

 

(From Garden Harvest Supply)

  

Use #4

  
What remains is the pulp of each quarter. These will be used for facials. Freeze the other 3 that are not needed now.

Take the remaining quarter and decide what you want to add to it:

• Lemon pulp with salt : Exfoliation
• Lemon pulp with egg yolk : Moisurizing
• Lemon pulp with honey : Detoxification

(From Care2)
  

Use #5

  
After your facial, once again, no need throw away your pulp quarter.

Got any greasy pots and pans? Or any stains on your sink?

 (From Accentlabasp)

Just add salt to the lemon pulp and rub the lemon pulp onto these. Let them sit for a while before rinsing off. Cleans off the grease easily!
       
  

Use #6

  
If you have potted plants, you can add both the leftover peels and pulp to your plants - Works perfectly as a natural pest deterrent before becoming organic fertilizer.

 (From Real Simple)

    
So there. 6 simultaneous uses for a single lemon. What do you think of that sour yellow fruit now?

 (From Ruby Works)

Sleeping Beauty - Honey Lemon Face Mask

Aye TaiTai is vain. Yes, she admits it. So she constantly sources the internet lah, books lah, people's word of mouth lah, for recommendations on how to further "beautify" herself. (Errrm, not that she is a "beauty" herself lah, but chey, no harm looking better anytime, all the time right?)

One fine day, she spotted a recommendation on her friend's Facebook - the use of honey with a fresh lemon for a face mask. Nice... and not as messy as egg!

(From MozzarellaMamma)

So she turned on her computer and sourced through this thing called the World Wide Web. Here's the gist of it:

(From MediManage.com & ShowUpFitness)

1. Squeeze 1/2 a lemon into a bowl.
    
2. Add 2 tablespoons of honey.
   (Remember not to use a metal spoon with your honey!)
     
3. Mix it with a spoon until the lemon juice is blended into the denser honey.
     
4. Tie up your hair or use a hairband.
     
5. Apply it all your face.
   (There are some versions which recommend avoid the eye area, but Aye TaiTai figured since this is more a moisturizing mask with no astringent effect, it's ok to use it around the eyes and mouth areas.)
     
6. Leave on for 15-20 minutes, or till it dries.
     
7. Apply another 1-2 layers after it dries for a better effect.
     
8. Rinse it off with water or a mild facial foam.
      
9. Continue this for 2-3 times per week for about a month for best results.
      

Feel the difference!

(From EggMyths)

Alternative

Aye TaiTai likes to use a cut lemon. She cuts a lemon into four pieces from pointed end to pointed end. A few drops of honey is added on to the lemon slice before she applies it to her face. The lemon slice acts as a sponge to absorb the honey. It also prevents the occurrence of sticky honey-stained fingers.

(From StyleBees)

The Science Behind It All

Lemon brightens and exfoliates. It is a fruit rich in Vitamin C, which acts as an anti-oxidant to prevent wrinkles, sunburn and fights free radicals which can cause blemishes and acne. It is also a natural cleanser and an organic spot eraser. Continued use will lighten your face and clear up clogged pores.

On the other hand, honey is anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. It absorbs impurities from the pores and the skin, and has a slight moisturizing effect. So the end result is clear baby smooth skin!