Benefits Of Citrus Peels & 7 Ways to Use Them For Healthy Skin

Are you looking for a solution to make your skin summer ready? Citrus peel can be your go-to ingredient.

Citrus fruits like lemon and orange are enriched with vitamin C, and are immensely good for your skin. While the fruits themselves are highly beneficial for your health, the peels are no less!

Let's learn about the benefits you can obtain from citrus peel and how you can use them to get healthy & glowing skin!

Highlights:

• Is Citrus Peel Good For Your Skin?
• Benefits Of Using Citrus Peels For Healthy Skin
• How To Use Citrus Peel For Your Skin?
• Tips & Precautions While Using Citrus Peel

Is Citrus Peel Good For Your Skin?

Usually, after extracting the juice from lemon and oranges, people throw away the peels. Those peels are no less beneficial than the fruit itself. They are the powerhouse of vitamin C, antioxidants and minerals. If used the right way, they can serve plenty of skincare purposes.

Peels of citrus fruits are antibacterial and antimicrobial properties that can help you treat acne issues and infections too. Besides, the citrus peels work as skin lightening agents and fight against pigmentation and dark spots. High levels of antioxidants detoxify the skin and make them a potent agent for anti-ageing.

Benefits Of Using Citrus Peels For Healthy Skin

1. Reduces Acne Breakout

Citrus fruits contain ascorbic acid and are high in antioxidants. [1] Ascorbic acid reduces the sebum oil production in your skin, thus, reducing the chances of acne breakout. They also have antiseptic qualities that help to kill acne-causing bacteria on the skin. In addition, the antioxidants in citrus fruits detoxify your skin. It treats the redness and inflammation caused by acne. Citrus fruits also have alpha-hydroxy acids that can treat acne and improve acne-prone skin.

2. Fights Pigmentation

Citrus peels contain vitamin C in high amounts. Almost every skin lightening cream or lotion contains vitamin C as the key ingredient. It has skin lightening properties that slowly helps in reducing the pigmentation and tanning to get a clear and bright skin tone. [2]

3. Reduces Ageing Signs

Vitamin C and antioxidants in citrus peels help reduce ageing signs. Vitamin C stimulates collagen production that increases firmness and elasticity of the skin. [3] The citric acid in the peels can remove the damaged layer of the skin and help in new skin generation.

How To Use Citrus Peel For Your Skin?

1. Orange Peel and Yogurt Pack

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of orange peel powder
• 2 tablespoons of yoghurt

Process: Take a bowl and mix the two ingredients well.

Application: Wash your face with a mild face cleanser. Apply the face pack on your facial skin evenly. Make sure you avoid the eye region. Keep the face pack on your skin for at least 20 minutes. Wash it off with lukewarm water later.

2. Orange Peel, Honey & Turmeric Pack

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of orange peel powder
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• One pinch of turmeric powder

Process: Mix the three ingredients in a bowl. Blend it perfectly.

Application: Apply the pack on your face and leave it for 5 to 10 minutes. Wash your face with a cleanser afterwards. You can also use rose water for a better result.

3. Lemon Peel Body Scrub

Ingredients:

• A handful of lemon peels
• Olive oil
• Half cup of sugar

Process: Grind the lemon peels and form a paste. Pour the paste into a bowl. Add sugar to the paste and mix well. Then, add olive oil according to your skin type. If you have dry skin, add extra olive oil to it to add hydration.

Application: Wet your skin first. Massage this scrub in gentle circular motions to gently exfoliate your skin. Once you are done exfoliating, rinse it off with water. Apply a moisturizer afterwards.

SkinKraft Tip:

Limit the use of this scrub to once a week. It may lead to excessive dryness or exfoliation otherwise.

4. Lemon Peel Face Mask

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of lemon peel powder
• 2 tablespoons of rice flour
• Milk

Process: Pour the rice flour into a bowl. Mix it with cold milk and a pinch of lemon peel powder. Form a paste.

Application: First splash some water on your face. Then apply the mixture evenly on your wet skin. Keep it for a few minutes and wash it off immediately before it gets too dry.

5. Lemon Peel Spot Treatment

Ingredients:

• A handful of fresh lemon peels
• Water

Process: Grind the lemon peels and make a thick paste adding water to it.

Application: Apply the paste wherever you have dark spots or age spots. Let the paste stay on your face for one hour. Rinse it off with water.

6. Orange Peel, Multani Mitti & Rose Water Pack

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of orange peel powder
• 2 tablespoons of Multani mitti
• Rosewater

Process: Take a bowl. Mix Multani mitti and orange peel powder. Add rose water to it to make a smooth paste.

Application: Apply the mixture on your face and neck region evenly. Keep it until it's semi-dry. Wash it off with fresh water.

7. Orange Peel, Sandalwood & Walnut Powder Pack

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of orange peel powder
• 1 tablespoon of sandalwood powder
• 1 tablespoon of walnut powder
• 2 tablespoons of rose water
• 2-3 drops of lemon juice

Process: Mix the orange peel, sandalwood, and walnut powder well. Add rose water, lemon juice and water to it. Form a smooth paste.

Application: Apply the paste to your skin and keep it for a maximum of five minutes. Rinse it off gently with warm water.

Tips & Precautions While Using Citrus Peel

• The easiest way to make these homemade face packs is to get dried orange peels or lemon peel powder from a local store. You may even use fresh orange or lemon peels too extracted from the fruits.
• Other than using it for your skincare purposes, dried citrus peels can also be used in your tea. Since dried peels are a little bitter, you may add a little bit of honey to them to taste better.
• Usually, there are no side effects of orange or lemon peels. If you are allergic to citrus fruits, then you can get an allergic reaction. However, allergic reactions to citrus fruit are also very rare.
• Try to buy organic citrus fruits to use on your skin. Usually citrus fruits have a high amount of pesticides.[4] Even after you wash it, it leaves a residue of the pesticides which is harmful to your skin.
• Frequently using lemon or its byproducts can sometimes cause harshness in your skin or make it dry. That's because lemon peels have higher concentrations of nutrients and chemical compounds which might not be suitable for your skin. Always, do a patch test before using it on your skin.

Note:

It's always advisable to use citrus peels on your skin in moderation to avoid any side effects.

Wrapping Up

Citrus peels can help you achieve healthy and glowing skin. They can brighten your skin tone, reduce aging signs and treat acne breakouts. You can make simple homemade face packs and masks with orange and lemon peels and see the difference in your skin. However, before using citrus peels on your skin, do a patch test first to be sure.

Begin By Knowing Your Skin