Lemon juice is believed to have numerous health benefits but is lemon juice good for eyelashes? Here is a quick guide to what you need to know.
Lemon juice may be good for eyelashes if taken internally. It is rich in vitamin C and contains some vitamin E. Lemon juice can also be used externally to clean your scalp and the hair on your head and eyebrows. It’s also a natural bleach. Lemon juice is, however, too acidic (pH 2) to use safely on your eyelashes.
Benefits of Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is often added to water for its taste and for health. Here are just some of its key benefits.
- May encourage some people to drink more
- High in vitamin C
- May help with weight control
- May benefit digestion and reduce the likelihood of getting kidney stones
- Freshens breath
Why You Shouldn’t Use Lemon Juice On Your Eyelashes
Chemically, lemon juice is mostly water (95%) and citric acid (5%). Its average pH is 2. This means that it is likely to trigger a painful reaction if it gets in your eyes.
In principle, you could reduce this risk by diluting the lemon juice. In practice, the more you dilute the lemon juice, the less effective it will be.
Can Lemon Juice Help Grow Eyelashes?
Lemon juice may be able to help grow eyelashes if taken internally. It’s rich in Vitamin C which helps the body to produce collagen. Collagen helps to build keratin. Keratin makes up about 95% of your hair. Lemon juice also contains Vitamin E. This is a natural antioxidant and supports the health of the skin and hair.
Lemon juice can also be used safely on your head-hair and eyebrows. In fact, it’s often used to counterbalance the alkalinity of many shampoos and restore the hair’s natural pH.
Lemon juice is, however, strongly acidic. It’s therefore very risky to use it in the eye area itself.
How To Use Lemon Juice On Your Eyebrows
There are three main ways to use lemon juice on your eyebrows:
- As a conditioning treatment
- As a bleach
- As a henna/tint/dye remover.
Let’s look at each method individually
1. Lemon juice as a conditioning treatment
Instructions
- Mix equal parts lemon juice and olive, coconut, or almond oil
- Apply to your eyebrows with a cotton swab.
- Leave overnight (or about 8 hours).
- Wash off.
- Use at least once a week.
2. Lemon juice as a bleach
Instructions
- Mix equal parts lemon juice and water or strong chamomile tea.
- If using chamomile tea, leave it to brew for at least an hour.
- Apply to your eyebrows with a cotton swab and leave in
- Use at least once a day for as long as necessary.
3. Lemon juice as a henna/tint/dye remover
Instructions
- Mix two tablespoons of baking soda with lemon juice until it forms a smooth paste.
- Apply to your eyebrows by massaging with circular motions.
- Leave for up to 10 minutes and wash off.
- Use at least once a day for as long as necessary.
3 Alternative Ingredients That Are Good For Eyelashes
It’s risky to use lemon juice on your eyelashes. There are, however, lots of other ingredients that are good for your eyelashes.
Here are three of the best ones:
Eggs
Eggs are packed with all kinds of nutrients. In the context of hair care, however, their stand-out benefit is that they are a rich source of keratin.
This is the building block of hair (and also of skin and nails). Eggs are also a good source of both Vitamin E and biotin.
Olive oil
Lots of vegetable oils are good for your eyelashes. Olive oil stands out because it contains oleuropein. This is linked with hair growth.
Olive oil is also a decent source of Vitamin E.
If you’re using olive oil externally, then consider applying it to the eyelid as well as to the eyelash.
Massage it gently using circular motions. This not only helps the skin itself but also helps to encourage circulation.
Green tea
In the context of hair care, the main benefit of green tea is that it’s a source of Epigallocatechin Gallate.
This is linked with both the prevention of hair loss and the promotion of hair growth.
Green tea is also a rich source of antioxidants in general.