It’s 2018, and just like gas prices, beauty products keep skyrocketing in price. If you want to DIY repair your home, you head to Home Depot. If you want to save your hard earned cash on beauty products, you get creative. Thanks to Instagram, YouTube, and Google, it’s never been easier to turn everyday household products into last-minute live savers.
There’s a lot of good DIY solutions and a whole lot of bad ones. Here are ten skincare routines that we would recommend you stay clear of.
1) Coconut oil… as a face moisturizer? No thanks.
Today you can’t walk 10 feet in a mall without being offered a sample of coconut oil moisturizer, and for a good reason. Coconut oil can work wonders on your dry skin. This magical oil can turn cracked, desert dry skin into a lush, smooth oasis that smells like a Piña Colada. There are so many applications for coconut oil that it makes sense why the internet thinks it’s good for your delicate face.
But please, don’t do it. Coconut oil will clog your pores and leave your face an oily, greasy, mess.
2) Using lemon or lime juice to remove dead skin.
Would you squeeze a lemon into your eyes? How about an open cut? The obvious answer is no. Well, what do you think happens when that same juice gets into your face’s sensitive pores? Spoiler alert, it’s not pretty. When exposed to the sun, lemon juice can cause permanent damage to your skin in the form of a rash, chemical burns, and even hyperpigmentation.
A better idea would be to save those lemons for a refreshing cocktail.
3) Exfoliating your face with sugar, salt, or baking soda? Don’t do it.
There are hundreds of different body scrubs that use salt, sugar, and baking soda to help exfoliate the skin on your body, and it works!
The coarseness of the granules make it perfect for getting rid of dry skin cells, but when it comes to your face, it’s like scrubbing your face with sandpaper. Instead of being left smooth and shiny, your face will be red and blotchy. Not the best look.
4) Toothpaste for pimple treatment? Not the best idea.
Toothpaste is crucial for getting your dentist off your back and making sure your teeth stay sparkly and clean. And there’s a reason for that.
Toothpaste is made of fluoride, peroxide, and other strong chemicals. Those same chemicals can cause rashes, irritation, and all around more red skin on your face. Word to the wise, keep the toothpaste on your teeth, not your face.
5) Using raw egg whites to tighten face pores
Surprisingly, out of all these beauty hacks, this is one that actually works. However, you’re playing with fire.
Egg whites have been proven to fight oily skin due to the fact that they can shrink your pores and tighten your skin. But, raw egg whites can also contain salmonella. So unless your office has an unlimited sick day policy, or you’re willing to trade an oil-free face for horrible salmonella symptoms, then this is the life hack for you.
6) Using diaper rash cream for spot treating acne
There ’s probably a good reason that diaper rash cream is used to treat a certain area of the body and not the face.
That’s because the cream is full of ingredients like zinc and petroleum. Now without the petroleum, zinc would actually be a great tool to fight acne due to its anti-inflammatory properties. However, when mixed with petroleum, you would essentially be locking the infected acne underneath your pores. AKA, the exact opposite effect that you want.
7) Using your deodorant as a mattifier
Just like diaper rash cream leaves your face in a worse condition than you started, deodorant will do the same.
Deodorant works wonders for controlling sweaty pits, and the post-gym smell. But what it can’t do for you is absorb the oils on your face. Instead of drying out the oils, your deodorant stick is going to leave your pores clogged and prone to breakouts. But hey, on the bright side your face will smell fantastic!
8) Taking care of blackheads with glue
Glue is a great product for elementary school projects, cheesy valentine’s day gifts, and even cleaning the surface of your phone.
You know where you shouldn’t put glue, which should be obvious, your face. Blackheads are the bane of everyone’s existence, but please keep the glue away from your face. Like most of the potential dangers from these beauty hacks, glue can leave your face red and irritated, drawing even more attention to your unpleasant blackhead.
9) Toning your skin with rubbing alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is filled to the brim with nasty chemicals that you want nowhere near your skin. It works best for cleaning stains, electronics, or disinfecting medical tools, none of which are similar to your delicate face.
If applied to your face, rubbing alcohol will leave your skin extremely dry and will most likely leave your face irritated and red. It’s best to leave this product under your sink.
10) Using hairspray to set your makeup
Once again we come across a product that should be sprayed nowhere near your face, but thanks to viral videos on the internet, we get to put this hack to rest.
Hairspray contains lacquers which will most definitely dry out your skin, leave it irritated, and maybe even cause a chemical rash. There are hundreds of setting sprays out there on the market made safe for use on your face that won’t leave you looking like a circus clown.
What did we learn today?
If you are to take away anything from this guide, if you have a gut feeling that something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
There are plenty of safe DIY solutions out there that won’t leave your face irritated and red. All it takes is a little research!