A Complete Guide on Using Lemon for Treating Dandruff

Are you tired of trying expensive shampoos and conditioners to treat dandruff? Believe it or not, a completely natural home remedy to combat dandruff is lemon! Dandruff causes discomfort with symptoms like itchiness, flaky scalp, and redness. However, the citric acid in lemon has antimicrobial properties that treat itchy scalp from the roots of the hair follicle.

This article covers everything one needs to know about how to use lemon to get rid of dandruff and if there are any side effects of doing this!

Can We Apply Lemon on Hair?

Lemon provides numerous benefits for your hair. Be it treating damaged hair or reducing oil and dandruff, applying lemon juice to hair gives productive results. Though consuming lemon juice is considered to be beneficial for hair health, applying it directly to the scalp is said to have its own set of advantages.

Lemon not only helps in treating dandruff but also treats other dandruff-related issues, including having a dry or itchy scalp. Lemon juice should be massaged into the scalp for better results.

Also Read: How to Have Healthy Hair?: 10 Best Hair Care Tips

Is Lemon Good for Dandruff?

Research suggests that the citric acid in lemon is a natural pH-balancing agent. Lemon balances the pH level of the scalp and helps to treat dandruff. Sometimes excess oil in the scalp leads to flaking, thus resulting in dandruff. Applying freshly squeezed lemon juice helps remove excess oil in the scalp, which in turn helps prevent dandruff.

How To Use Lemons To Treat Dandruff?

There are multiple ways in which lemon juice can be used in the dandruff treatment. It can either be applied solely or mixed with other ingredients for more effective results. Some of the popular ways to use lemon juice for dandruff are as follows-

• Lemon with honey: Mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with 3 tablespoons of honey. Apply the mix to the scalp for 20 minutes and rinse with cold water.
• Lemon with Baking Soda: Mix lemon juice with baking soda. Apply it to the scalp for 4 to 5 minutes. Rinse it off with water.
• Lemon and Tea: Mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with half a cup of hot water and 2 tablespoons of tea powder. Apply the solution to the scalp for 15 minutes before you wash it off.
• Lemon and Amla: Mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with 2 tablespoons of amla juice. Apply the mix on the scalp using a cotton ball. Rinse it off with shampoo after 30 minutes.

Side Effects of Using Lemon for Dandruff

The use of lemon for dandruff is considered highly beneficial. However, citric acid sometimes leads to skin irritation, which may result in itching, burning, redness, and dryness of the scalp.  

Therefore, in order to avoid any unintended side effects, start by doing a patch test at home by applying lemon juice to a small portion of the skin before applying it directly to your scalp. Or use it either by diluting it with water or mixing it with some other ingredient!

Closing Remarks

Though lemon's use for dandruff is considered quite beneficial, one needs to be careful about its side effects. Scalp conditions vary across individuals. Hence, it is important to consult a physician about your scalp condition before starting/trying out any new scalp or hair care regime.