Citrus peels: Doctors share benefits, tips to use them for healthy glowing skin

Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, kiwis etc are packed with immune-boosting Vitamin C but apart from eating their fleshy part, fitness and skincare experts suggest consuming the citrus fruit’s peels for a healthy skin. Yes, you read that right! Citrus peels are completely edible and delicious but woefully underused despite keeping blood pressure in check courtesy their potassium content while the limonene in them can help with heart burn and might have anti-cancer effects as it is a phytochemical.

Even though they are not nearly as sweet or as juicy as the pulp, they contain a good amount of polyphenols that protects against several diseases. Apart from having more fibre and being packed with immune-boosting vitamin C, citrus peels are anti-inflammatory and contain antioxidant bioflavonoids along with bone-building calcium.

The orange peels or the skin of the orange are rich in fiber, vitamin C, folate, vitamin B6, calcium, other essential nutrients and also have anti-cancerous properties due to the same naturally occurring chemical – limonene. Echoing the same in an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Kaustav Guha, R&D Head at SkinKraft Labs shared, “We all know the amazing benefits that citrus fruits offer to our skin but the peels are also no less. Usually, after extracting the juice from citrus fruits like lemon and oranges, most of us tend to throw away the peels. Those peels are no less beneficial than the fruit itself.”

He explained, “Citrus peels not only help to achieve healthy and glowing skin but brighten the skin tone, reduce aging signs and treat acne breakouts. They are enriched with vitamin C, antioxidants and minerals. Be it fighting pigmentation, reducing aging signs or minimizing acne breakouts, citrus peels serve plenty of skincare purposes, if used the right way. You can use citrus peels in the form of face packs, masks, scrubs, etc. Homemade packs made of dried orange peels or lemon peel powder purchased from a local store can also serve your purpose. You can even use fresh orange or lemon peels extracted from the fruits themselves. Besides, you can also add dried citrus peels to your tea.”

Stressing that citrus peels are usually safe to be used on your skin, Dr Kaustav Guha alerted that with frequent use, your skin may turn dry as for example, lemon peels have a high content of chemical compounds that might not suit your skin and to avoid such reactions, always do a patch test before using it on your skin. Dr Hitasha Patil, Consultant Dermatologist at Pune’s Kaya highlighted, “Citrus plants include fruits like orange, mandarin, lemon, grapefruit, lime etc. Fruits and their pulp are nutritious but their peels also have great value. Citrus peels are a great nutraceutical, they contain flavonoids, polyphenols and dietary fibers. They also contain minerals, carotenoids and essential oils. citrus peels are a powerhouse of Vitamin C and antioxidants. They have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.”

Dr Hitasha Patil listed 7 ways to yield benefits from citrus peels, especially for your skin:

1. Lemon peel can be used as a face mask to reduce pigmentation on the skin.

2. Orange peel works wonderfully as a body scrub when mixed with sugar and olive oil.

3. Similarly, lemon or orange peel can be used as a face scrub to exfoliate your face once in two weeks.

4. Grind lemon peel, add to black or green tea, it will help you glow inside out.

5. Citrus essential oils can be added to a carrier like olive oil, which can be applied to restore moisture to the body.

6. Lemon or orange zest added to yogurts and salads, will promote gut health and improve the quality of your skin.

7. Half a grapefruit juice mixed with plain yogurt can be a great brightening face mask. 

Gushing about how citrus peels use naturally fruit-derived alpha hydroxy acids which are rich in antioxidants, Vipin Sharma, Senior Product and Research Manager at Fixderma India Pvt Ltd., pointed out that they are non-irritating, highly effective and suitable for all skin types. Given that citrus peels are amazing for reducing signs of aging, acne, pigmentation, dark spots and dull skin, he too added to the list of ways you can use citrus peels for a healthy and glowing skin:

1. Homemade face pack of lemon and honey.

2. A skin exfoliating mask of orange peel and yogurt.

3. A soothing face mask of orange peel, multani mitti, and rose water to treat oily acne prone skin.

4. Multi fruit AHA based peel pads. It contains naturally derived extracts of lemon, orange, sugarcane, sugar maple and bilberry.

5. Multivitamin facemask rich in antioxidants.

6. Lemon/orange peel mixed with yogurt or milk can also act as good exfoliant for body.

7. Mixture of yogurt and grapefruit juice for spotless bright skin.