Last week I read an article about the “uses of lemon juice”. There are hardly people out there who might not have savored the lemon drinks to scorch the summer heat. But there is much more to lemon juice than just being a refreshing drink. Here are the top 10 uses of lemon juice:

Hair conditioner
Lemon juice is considered to be one of the best known hair conditioners ever used by man. There are many myths associated with the usage of lemon juice for hair rinsing. You might have heard people saying that the usage of lemon juice will fasten up the greying process of hair- which is not true. Generally trichologists recommend a honey and lemon juice rinse for dull hair, to make them shiny and strong. Lemon juice has been used in preparation of many of the herbal hair conditioning remedies since last many centuries. Lemon juice also acts as an astringent, and antiseptic and it helps in cleaning the dandruff debris in the scalp and making them infection free. Generally lemon juice and tea conditioner is recommended for greasy oily hair. The lemon juice-tea conditioner removes the greasiness from hair, without drying the scalp or altering the ph value of the scalp.

Copper-Brass polish
Lemon juice can also be used as a copper brass polish. Mix up a quarter cup of table salt and lemon to make a thick paste.  Then apply this coating to any copper or brass vessel and allow them to remain like that for about 10-15 minutes. Then rinse with warm water and you can feel the difference. This natural polish works better than any other copper brass polish you have ever used.

Laxative
Lemon juice is a natural laxative, with zero side effects. For best effects, you can mix up two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to eight ounce glass of warm water. As citrus juice helps to regulate your digestion, it is also recommended as one of the best weight loss remedies.

Stain remover
Lemon juice is used as an effective stain remover. Perhaps there are quite a few of us who might have tried this to clean various objects like utensils, vases, taps, and other home appliances using lemon juice. For best results, mix up quarter cup of lemon juice with water and fill this in sprayer and after a few good shakes, apply it on greases.  Lemon juice is also used to remove stubborn stains from clothes.

Disinfectant
Many of us don’t know that lemon juice is a good disinfectant too. Lemon juice is used in preparation of disinfectant floor cleaners because it is rich in citric acid, which is popular for its disinfectant properties. You can easily use pure lemon juice to clean- floors and cutting boards, used in kitchen.

Medicine – Throat sores and coughs
If you want to quieten the hacking cough and sore throat then a spoon of lemon juice can do wonders for you. Simply mix up two teaspoons of lemon juice with a half teaspoon of honey and swallow the mixture soon. For best results repeat the same procedure several times during the day.

Weight loss diet
Lemon detox diet drink has recently grabbed headlines for being part of the weight loss diets followed by many of the Hollywood celebrities, who claimed to have tackled off 12-20 pounds within 2 weeks of using the drink. This drink helps you to curb hunger and you can save yourself from chomping unwanted calories during the day.

Remove stickiness from hands
You can remove some stubborn stickiness inflicted by use of hard gums like pine tar or jack fruit gum. Just rub a lemon juice and table salt mixture over the hands and you will be free of stickiness.

Remove rust and mineral decolorations from clothes
Use one cup of lemon juice to remove the rust and mineral decolorations on clothes. Stain the infected area with a spoon of lemon juice and allow it to leave for some time, and see the difference.

Nail cleaner
Many people don’t know that lemon juice can be used as a good nail cleaner too. You can whiten, strengthen and brighten your finger nails by soaking them in lemon juice for not more than 10 minutes.

Image courtesy: tanningadvice.com.au