Is Lemon Good For Hair? 4 Top Hair Benefits & Uses

Lemon juice is a popular remedy for treating wide variety of hair care problems including dandruff, excessive oiliness and itching. Just a squeeze of lemon juice in a hair pack will treat dandruff and itching very effectively. Apart from treating dandruff and itching, it is also used for hair lightening and treating scalp inflammation.

Is Lemon Juice Good For Hair?

Yes, because of it’s antimicrobial properties, it helps treat a wide variety of scalp problems thus helping with hair growth but we should know to use it correctly to prevent any side effects. Consuming lemon juice internally also will help with hair growth.

Lemon Juice Hair Care Benefits:

1. Treats Dandruff:

Due to its antimicrobial properties, it helps treat dandruff very very effectively. Here in our village, we apply lemon juice mixed with coconut oil as a home remedy for treating dandruff and it works really well.

To do the treatment, mix equal quantities of virgin coconut oil with freshly squeezed lemon juice in a bowl. Mix well and apply it all over the scalp, wait for 15 to 20 minutes and then shampoo and condition your hair as usual. You can find all the other home remedies using lemon juice to treat dandruff here.

2. For Hair Lightening:

Lemon juice is rich in citric acid which acts as a natural bleach. When we apply lemon juice and expose our hair to sun, it lightens hair by reducing our hair colour pigment. This process works best for people with lighter colours, I have dark hair colour and I barely noticed any change when I tried it.

To lighten hair, boil a cup of water with a cinnamon stick. Once it comes to a rolling boil, pour it over 2 chamomile tea bags. Add in the juice of 1 full lemon and a teaspoon of virgin coconut oil mix well. Spray all over your hair and expose your hair to sunlight for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, shampoo and condition your hair as usual.

3. For Shinier Hair:

I have personally found that using lemon juice in hair rinses makes the hair super shiny. I like to make a hair rinse using green tea to get shinier hair. To make the the green tea and lemon juice hair rinse, I boil a cup of water and add in 11/2 tsps of green tea and let it steep for 5 minutes. Once it cools down, I strain and add in the juice of one small lemon. I use it as a final hair rinse and it gives a wonderful shine to the hair.

4. For Scalp Inflammation:

Lemon juice can help reduce scalp inflammation which is one of the leading causes for hair fall. To use lemon juice for treating scalp inflammation, mix a tablespoon of neem powder and bhringraj powder with curd and lemon juice to form a paste and use it as a hair pack. To use, apply the pack all over the scalp and hair. Wait for 10 to 15 minutes and then wash and condition your hair as usual. This hair pack will greatly reduce scalp inflammation.

Side Effects Of Applying Lemon On Hair

Usually lemon juice does not cause any irritation when we apply on the scalp like it does on the face. But very rarely, it can cause scalp irritation for some people. If you experience scalp irritation when you apply lemon juice, I would suggest mixing it with conditioning ingredients like curd before applying.

If in doubt you can always do a patch test before applying. To do a patch test, apply tiny bit of lemon juice on a small part of the scalp. If it causes irritation or itching, mix it with a conditioning ingredient and then use. But if the irritation still persists, please discontinue use.

Another thing we have to remember when we apply lemon juice as a final hair rinse and expose the hair to sun for long periods of time is it can damage our hair. So always never expose your hair to sun for more than 30 to 45 minutes after applying lemon juice.

Consuming Lemon Juice For Hair Health:

Lemon is rich in vitamin c and consuming vitamin c is very important for iron absorption. Here in India, many Indian women suffer from iron deficiency which is the leading cause of hair fall. If you are having anaemia, try having a cup of lemon water every single day, it will greatly help with iron absorption.