Lime: the Natural Key to the Fountain of Youth

natural lime skin care recipes

Did you know the good ‘ol lime is a powerhouse of natural health and beautiful skin? The easily overlooked little cousin to the lemon is in fact one of the best natural cures for bad skin and may in fact be one of the hidden secrets to the fountain of youth. I was looking through one of those free natural health publications that you find outside “good for you” grocery stores and I happened upon a little one paragraph blurb about the effects of lime juice on the face and skin – my curiosity was peaked.

organic lime - natural cure for bad skinIt turns out all citrus fruits contain some pretty powerful anti-cancer antioxidants (hesperidin, lycopene, citric acid, limonene, and others) which of course we hear about the benefits of eating or drinking lots of citrus for that very reason. What we don’t hear as often is the effects of using citrus and especially lime directly on our skin.

These healing properties, as well as lime’s refreshing and clarifying qualities, make lime an especially nice ingredient in topical preparations or skin care. Dr. Jody Alpert Levine, who heads the division of pediatric dermatology at Montefiore Hospital in Bronx, New York, says, “Lime’s astringent, antiseptic, and disinfectant qualities are good for treating oily and acne-prone skin.”

So here are a few natural uses for lime which will give all of us that wonderful youthful skin we so desire. (caution: be prepared to answer a lot of questions on what’s your secret to youthful beautiful skin – shh don’t tell…)

7 Homemade Lime Skin Care Recipes for Healthy Skin

1. Extra Special and Secret (well not any more) Lime Juice Formula

Squeeze a lime into a bowl. Add a glass of boiled whole milk and a teaspoon of glycerin. Stir well and let it sit for half an hour. Apply this mixture on the face, hands and feet before going to bed at night. This treatment every night will help you look even younger and more beautiful than you already are. It is also a great natural cure for acne.

2. To improve a dull and greasy complexion

Mix half teaspoon of lime juice with one teaspoon of cucumber juice and a few drops of rose water. Apply on the face and neck and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with water. This works because lime is a natural antibiotic. Acne occurs when dirt, oils and dead skin cells clog your pores – thus the dull greasy complexion. All this gunk gets trapped in the pores along with bacteria that causes inflammation. Since lime is good at fighting bacteria it is a natural defense against acne and facial blemishes.

3. For very oily skin

Squeeze lime juice in a bowl of ice water. Splash this over the face, massage for five minutes and then rinse with water. This works because lime is a natural astringent which causes a temporary tightening of the pores and reduces oil production. This in combination with the cold water which also tightens pores is an excellent treatment for oily skin.

4. To improve dry rough skin

Take an egg yolk and mix in a few drops of lime and olive oil. Spread on the face and leave it until the skin feels dry. Wash off with water and splash on cold water to help tone the skin. The egg is a great source of protein which enriches the skin and the olive oil helps moisturize. You can also use coconut oil which has many healing properties as well.

5. To relieve tired eyes

Take four tablespoons each of lime juice and ice water. Soak cotton balls in this water and place over your closed eyelids for 10 minutes. A quick pick me up and eye rejuvenation, you’ll feel a burst of energy to recover from a long day.

6. To remove freckles

Surprisingly enough lime can actually lighten your skin and potentially remove freckles or mild pigmentation. It isn’t an immediate removal but if you have dark patches you’d like to lighten try this simple lime skin care recipe. Blanch and grind two almonds, mix it with egg white and a half teaspoon of lime juice. Spread on the face and leave it on until the skin feels dry. Then, wash off first with warm water and then with cold water. Even if you don’t use this recipe to remove freckles it makes a nice spa-like facial masque.

7. Lime Exfoliation:

This lime skin care recipe works perfectly along with a nice steamy shower, in fact it might get a bit messy if you try it elsewhere. When you are in the shower simply cut a lime in half and scrub each half all over your body. Let the lime juice sit on your skin awhile as you enjoy the nice hot steam. This works great as an exfoliation because lime contain citric acid and enzymes that help remove dead skin. Removing dead skin prevents clogged pores which can lead to acne.

For extra exfoliation super powers you can make your own lime sugar scrub in 3 easy steps. Simply combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup coconut oil or olive oil and the juice of one lime.

If you aren’t the do it yourself type look for natural organic lime skin care products to get many of the same healing effects. Below are some current organic lime skincare products for sale on Amazon including lip balms, facial washes and toners, lime cleansing masques and perhaps some pure lime essential oils so you can make your own youthful lime skin care concoctions.

diy lime skin care

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21 comments

  1. Wow, I have a lime rolling around in the produce drawer of the fridge. Perhaps it’s time for an in-house spa night?

  2. This is great! I’m slowly switching over to natural products and lime’s are an easy and cheap option! Thanks for the great info!

  3. @ Ann: An in house spa night sounds delightful – plus you can squeeze a little lime in the margaritas before making the lime facial. πŸ™‚

    @ Sarah: yah, we’ve been doing the all natural switchover as well. I plan to make a series of natural recipes (when I get over the procrastination bug) so stop in again for more ideas.

  4. Lime is very effective in relieving tired eyes. I tried it myself.

  5. This is a great post. i have oily skin that is prone to acne breakouts. Im very excited to try all of these recipes. Im wondering if you can do several of these at once or throughout the day? Say the oil treatment in the morning and the beauty mask at night. Or is that too much for the skin? Anyone know?

  6. Lime is a bit pricey over our area. Very informative article. This is living life lighter and living life in the light! Limelight!

  7. Thank you for your post.

    I find the following natural pimples remedies to have worked for me.

    – Reduce intake of meals that contains carbohydrates having a high GI (glycemic index).
    – Fresh fenugreek paste produced from its leaves.
    – A few drops of lime or fresh lemon juice mixed into one third of a normal cup of water.
    – Cucumber pulp placed onto the affected region for 15-20 minutes daily.

  8. I’m a big fan of natural beauty techniques! They’re just so effective and easy to apply. Not to mention that they don’t have any side effects. I think I’m going to try lime to treat my eye bags.

  9. I love natural alternatives that maintain my beauty skin types. I not having those cosmetics products produced in the market. I stick on what i know on my skin.

  10. Wow its good to hear. It was very true, lime is really good for skin especially for treating acne and some skin problems and the good thing about it, is really effective and safe to use.

  11. I agree! Lime is effective in skin acnes, tiring eyes and many more. I am also using it for alternative purpose. Thanks for a great share!

  12. Wow! This is great news. I think I’m going to be drinking lots of lime juice from now on!There have been some issues on glycerin actually being bad for the skin, but I’ve read further into the issue and learned these negative issues are unfounded, and glycerin is a good moisturizer for skin. Lime + milk + glycerin… who could ever go wrong with that? Another great natural ingredient for beautiful skin is coconut oil. It’s effects are really amazing for skin.

  13. Kalpana Rajagopalan

    Hello Chris!

    I would like to add some more info to your interesting article. If you have scars or dark spots on your skin from blemishes you can use lemon juice, dried pea powder, camphor, and a little milk. Spread it over your skin and then rinse off after leaving it on for around 15 minutes. This combination for a few times a week will reduce the appearance of scars.

    Thanks for sharing your post.

  14. Hi Chris,
    Good, informative post.
    I knew that limes were pretty good, but didn’t quite realize how much so until reading your article here.
    The milk and glycerin recipe is particularly good, milk is great when used this way, but it is one of the things I would avoid drinking if suffering from acne, in fact, having read about what it actually contains, it’s a good idea to find an alternative.

  15. Lime juice is also a very effective deodorant, it neutralizes the ammonia and the citric acid kills bacteria. I was skeptical until I tried it myself.

  16. Oooh I’m intrigued! I use lemon for various things, but I never thought to use lime in anything other than my margarita! πŸ˜‰ Thanks for the tips! <3

  17. I love limes … thanks for the tips for using them in other ways as well as for garnish 😊

  18. Love the idea of natural skin care. These are great tips. Now we just have to invite the girls over for DIY skin care party with margarita to sip. Definitely beat the expensive, store-bought stuffs.

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