Beauty experts share how to make more than lemonade with the tart yellow fruits from Limoneira Company, the largest distributor of lemons and avocados in the U.S., in the Unleash the Power of Lemons campaign this summer. "Lemons are one of the most versatile items in the produce department," says John Carter, Limoneira's director of global sales. "Lemons are a great recipe ingredient and enhancer, but they also have many uses in the areas of health, lifestyle, beauty, and cleaning.” Here’s how a few pros used this multipurpose citrus:
- Yamaguchi Salon at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village (Westlake Village, CA) offers the Lemon Cooler Pedicure, which incorporates owner Billy Yamaguchi’s traditional Feng Shui principles.
- Kristin Akins, a skincare professional and owner of Pelle Sana Salon (Chicago), softens clients’ cuticles with lemons.
- Chiaki Kawashima, M.D., a member of the Japanese Dermatology Association and specialist at Azabu Skin Clinic (Tokyo), uses lemons to exfoliate skin by rubbing a lemon slice dipped in a half-teaspoon of sugar over the face to remove dead skin cells and refresh the complexion.
- Shizuka Bernstein, co-founder of Shizuka New York Day Spa, created a citrus recipe for clients that gives dull, damaged hair a healthy reboot. Combine three-quarter cups of olive oil, half a cup honey, and three tablespoons of lemon juice, and comb mixture through towel-dried hair. Cover entire head with a plastic cap to allow the ingredients to work for 30 minutes, then shampoo and rinse thoroughly.
- Known for her simple, natural beauty tips, blogger Christine Dychiao suggests applying equal parts lemon juice and honey to the face and neck for radiant skin. Leave the mixture on for 10 minutes to let the alpha hydroxy acids in the fruit get to work, then rinse off with cold water.
- Liliana Elgueta, spa director for the Tierra Atacama Hotel’s Uma Spa, an oasis in the Atacama Desert of Chile, recommends applying a mixture of lemon essential oil and jojoba oil to skin. Mix one part lemon essential oil with 10 parts jojoba oil to rejuvenate the complexion.
Is your spa creatively using lemons this summer? Share your citrus solutions here.