Neither lemon nor toothpaste: The new TikTok trend for polishing car headlights

A trend is rapidly spreading on the social media platform TikTok, promising to restore yellowed, dull car headlights to a brand-new look for next to nothing. In videos racking up millions of views, users show how they've restored their headlights to their pristine shine using just half an orange and some baking soda.

The yellow layer that forms on car headlights over time due to sun, dirt and external factors, which not only looks aesthetically unsightly but also reduces lighting performance, is a common problem for many car owners.

This homemade solution, popular on TikTok, offers a practical and inexpensive alternative to this problem.

The application is quite simple: An orange is cut in half, the cut surface is dipped in baking soda, and then this mixture is applied directly to the mattified eyeshadow surface with circular movements.

The logic behind this method is based on the power of two basic components:

Citric acid in orange: It acts as a natural oil and dirt solvent, softening the deposits on the surface of the headlight.

The abrasive effect of baking soda: It acts as a gentle sandpaper with its fine-grained structure, physically cleaning the oxidized and yellowed upper layer.

The results shared in the videos show that this method provides a visible shine and cleanliness in a short time. However, experts warn that while these homemade solutions may provide a temporary shine, they can cause problems in the long run.

This unprofessional method can damage the protective UV coating on headlights. Wearing down this protective layer can cause headlights to yellow and become dull more quickly in the future. Therefore, while this method may provide impressive results as a temporary solution, professional headlight cleaning kits or services are recommended for a permanent solution.