There are many DIY guides that promise to beautify your face with the contents of your kitchen cabinet. If it sounds too good to be true, however, it probably is. Here are 9 “suggestions” commonly found in beauty guides that can actually hurt your facial skin.
1. Lemon
Lemon is one of those natural cures that people like to recommend for everything. Unfortunately, it won’t work any miracles on your face. The acidity of lemon juice is actually bad for the tender skin around your cheeks and eyes, so steer clear of these yellow fruits in your beauty regimen.
2. Hairspray
Hairspray is touted as a magical drying agent that will eliminate acne by dehydrating your pores. This is complete fiction. While it’s true that hairspray will dry out your skin, the chemical irritants found in hairspray will dirty your pores and increase your risk of acne, so you’re better off not using it at all.
3. Vaseline
On the opposite end of the spectrum, many people use Vaseline to try and hydrate their facial skin. This is also a mistake. Vaseline contains too many oils and compounds to be good for your sensitive facial skin; it’s especially harmful when it collects in the creases of your eyes, ears, and nose and stays there for hours. All in all, Vaseline is another “beauty tip” that does the exact opposite of what it claims.
4. Body Lotion
It’s called body lotion for a reason. If you’re ever reading a beauty guide that tells you it “doesn’t matter” or “isn’t a big deal” if you use body lotion on your face, the author doesn’t know what they’re talking about. The skin on your face is much thinner and more sensitive than the skin on the rest of your body. It can be irritated and eve damaged by using harsh products not meant for it. Stick to body lotions for your body and face creams for your face.
5. Sugar
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Sugar is often suggested as an alternative to exfoliation products but think for a moment about the harshness of sugar crystals being scrubbed into the delicate skin under your eyes. Does it make you shudder? Then don’t use sugar on your face.
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6. Heat
This one is tricky because heat can be used to soften your skin in preparation for hydration or exfoliation. When recommended in beauty guides, however, most people suggest using heat to “steam” your problems away, and that procedure doesn’t do anything but redden and irritate your face. Most skin problems go deeper than the surface. Steam won’t affect them on that level.
7. Alcohol
Alcohol is equally efficient at killing brain cells and skin cells. It might be trendy to suggest a splash of vodka in your beauty mask, but it will only end in dead skin cells and a desperate need to exfoliate. Leave your liquor in your liquor cabinet.
8. Toothpaste
Toothpaste causes the same problems as hairspray. It’s simply too harsh for the skin of your face, especially if you’re leaving it on for long periods of time in hopes of drying out pimples and acne. Toothpaste can actually cause chemical burns when allowed to stay on your skin, so treat it with caution.
9. Hydrogen Peroxide
It may help your cuts and burns, but it won’t do a thing for your blemishes. The best case scenario is that it’s a useless waste of time; the worst case scenario is that it burns, irritates, reddens or otherwise mars your skin. Do yourself a favor and save the hydrogen peroxide for your next scraped knee.
DIY beauty guides may be helpful, but they aren’t always accurate. Use this list to help you figure out which stylists know their stuff and which ones are just perpetuating beauty myths.
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