The world becomes more and more complicated. The skin care industry keeps up with it. Each year you see so many new skin care brands, products, and even separate ingredients, that it feels like you need to get another university education to distinguish fads and fakes from things worth using.
Perhaps this feeling that everything is over-complicated makes some people interested in tips that look simple. Just go to the kitchen, throw some “natural” products to the blender, put it on your face for a few minutes, and that’s it.
Of course, your food could influence the way your skin looks. Typically, when it is taken within. Unfortunately, foods applied to your face will never be more efficient than cosmetic products that are designed in laboratories with the latest equipment.
While most DIY skin care recipes will just show a little to zero effect, there are some tips on the web that are either dangerous or EXTREMELY dangerous to your skin. We think this topic must be discussed on our blog, as it is dedicated to the health and beauty of your skin.
DIY sunscreen
As you know, each blistering sunburn increases your chances to get a skin cancer. It means that you should be very cautious, when choosing means for sun protection.
Apart from the fact that the store-bought sunscreens containing chemically active ingredients are more reliable than those containing only zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, or both, homemade sunscreen does not pass any quality control. You can’t be sure that you or your “natural skincare expert” had achieved the correct ingredient concentration and it would be applied evenly enough to deliver adequate sun protection.
If you’ve tried a few sunscreens and they didn’t fit your skin, try to consult a dermatologist to figure out what was wrong. Anyway, the DIY option is too dangerous for your one and only skin.
Lemon juice for skin lightening
Lemons are great when you put them in your glass of soda. But when the lemon juice is applied on your face, it destroys the natural protective barrier of your skin and increases its photosensitivity. As a result, a person who used lemon juice to get rid of sunspots only increases their number. Skin becomes weaker and prone to inflammation, which may lead to severe acne breakouts.
DIY scrubs
Face scrubbing has never been a good idea, especially for those who suffer from acne or have sensitive skin. But DIY scrubs containing baking soda, cinnamon, sugar and other abrasive substances are especially dangerous for your skin. Baking soda destroys lipid barrier of the skin, making it prone to dehydration and quick premature aging. Scrubs made with cinnamon, sugar and similar things are scratching the skin, thus leaving small wounds on its surface. Skin becomes prone to redness and vulnerable to various infections.
Deodorant as a makeup foundation
We guess this tip was invented in the hope to decrease oil production. The problem is that sebaceous glands and sweat glands are different organs. A person putting deodorant on his or her face will most likely get a terrible irritation due to the presence of aluminium salts and strong fragrances in the product composition.It also clogs pores so that the acne-prone skin will react immediately.
Oil instead of face cream
Although in the short run products like almond or grapeseed oil really deliver almost instant moisturizing and comfort, the long-term effect is precisely the opposite. 100% oil creates a film on the skin surface, which does not allow your skin “breathe” normally and prevents the evaporation of water. As a result, metabolic processes in the skin slow down, it becomes dry and dehydrated. And if you have oily skin, most oils clog the pores so that you can get acne breakouts in addition to the previously described effects.
Most oils are fine when appropriately chosen and used correctly, i.e., for point application or one-time procedures, after which they are washed away. The idea is not to replace your daily moisturizer with oil on a regular basis.
Toothpaste for the pimples
Toothpaste is aggressive to your skin, so using it may end up with severe irritation or even chemical burns. As there are so many products designed to address this problem, we don’t even know how people came up with this idea and why it is still replicated.
Hydrogen peroxide and isopropyl alcohol
Peroxide is fine for handling minor cuts or wounds. But one should never apply it on the face or body for “cosmetic” purposes. With regular use, it will cause inflammation and severely impair the level of skin hydration along with its ability to regenerate.
Some people with oily skin think that alcohol-containing solutions can be used to get rid of excess oil. However, alcohols take an essential lipids, proteins, and fats from the skin surface, thus making it weak and sore. So you should not use it regularly even as an antiseptic unless you work in the health area.…
Share your insights!
Perhaps we didn’t cover all the crazy ideas spread all over the web. Have you ever seen anything like that in the social media or at “healthy” lifestyle websites? What do you think about it? We look forward to hearing your opinion!
