Why Lightening Your Hair With Lemon Juice Could Trigger a Painful Skin Condition
Is it possible to give up the living room (and at its high price) and make sunny locks for less than a dollar (alias the cost of a lemon)?
Technically, the answer is yes. Many of us (depending on our natural hair color and our type) can lighten our hair with lemon juice and a little sun but The results may not be what we expect and, more importantly, it puts us at risk of phytophotodermatite. Thus, although it can be tempting to save a few hundred dollars, it may be useful to treat this DIY DIY in particular with a little caution.
Lemon juice and high hair moments
The key to lemons whitening properties lies in their acid content. Lemons contain high doses of citric acid, which opens the cuticles of hair and allows the sun to reach melanin below. The ultraviolet rays (UV) found in sunlight decompose melanin into colorless compounds, causing hair lighting.
It is often greeted as a natural (and cheaper) alternative to lightening treatments that you could find in a living room or a spray bottle like the sun, but it can leave brittle hair. Not to mention the fact that other lemons compounds can lead to an unpleasant skin condition called phytophotodermatite.
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What is phytophotodermatitis?
Phytophotodermatitis is a skin reaction that occurs when the furanocoumarins (natural photosensitive compounds found in plants) are stained on the skin which is then exposed to the sun. It means that affected skin becomes bright red and can cause painful blisters. According to HollowThe condition can leave marks of postinflammatory hyperpigmentation that can last for years.
Phytophotodermatitis received the nickname “Margarita Burn” thanks to its association with limes and the sun, but other fruits and vegetables – such as celery, carrots and, of course, lemons – can also be triggers. Barmans and workers in agriculture, which frequently manage lime and lemons, can be more likely to develop a phytophotodermatite, as are hikers and gardeners exposed to plants such as meadow grass and thick.
Beauty products can be another risk factor. That you bottled in the bergamot oil purchased in stores, stifling you Homemade tanning lotion based on fig leavesOr rinse your scalp in lemon juice, the furanocoumarins found in plant extracts could trigger a phytophotodermatite.
According to Kord Honda, MD, Dermatologist in university hospitalsLittle exposure is necessary to cause a phytophotodermatitis, but gravity can vary depending on the individual as well as his type of skin and the quantity of furanocoumarins on the skin.
There are other products that have been presented as natural hair lighteners, including honey and chamomile. We cannot promise that they will offer results worthy of the living room, but at least there is less danger of developing a phytophotodermatitis.
This article does not offer medical advice and should be used for information purposes only.
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Rosie McCall is an independent writer living in London. She has covered scientific and health subjects for publications, including Iflscience, Newsweek and Health.
