The Internet is really God sent when it comes to tips, tricks, and how tos, but sometimes, it can be a little too much. Here's what I mean by that. Daily, we are bombarded with tutorials on how to remove this and that, how to get better whatever, etc. These are all at home recipes that require little to no prepping and with ingredients that you already have. You know what I'm talking about: I've not only done it myself but I've preached about it on here! Using baking soda to remove blackheads, lemon juice to shrink pores, etc. But it wasn't until recently that I discovered that these common household items may be a lot worse for you than you think! So here are 10 common household items you should never, EVER put on your face.
10 Household Items To Never Use On Your Face
#1. Rubbing Alcohol
While rubbing alcohol is great for cleaning and disinfecting wounds and as a household cleaner, the same doesn't boast for your skin. While you may feel a tingling sensation on your face and think that you're getting a deep, disinfecting clean, rubbing alcohol actually dries up your skin like nothing else. It dissolves the DNA of both bacteria and human skin cells, leading to dryness and buildup of dead skin cells. This extreme dryness will in turn make your skin produce more oil which will lead to breakouts. So say NO to rubbing alcohol on your face!
#2. Hairspray
Believe it or not, there are a ton of people out there using hairspray to set their makeup. Say whaaa? I've personally never done that before, but if you are one of these people please stop now! Hairspray was never intended for your skin and there's a good reason behind that too! Hairspray will dry out your skin and in turn, make you break out. It has also been known to cause extreme irritation.
#3. Sugar
While sugar is great for exfoliating your legs and such, it's not so great for your face. The skin on your face is much thinner than the skin anywhere else on your body. So when you go ahead and make a homemade exfoliator that contains sugar, please refrain from using it on your face – you'll only end up damaging it!
#4. Body Lotion
Body lotion is great for your body but not for your face. Applying body lotion to your face is simply a beauty crime. As I mentioned above, the skin on your face is very sensitive and not at all like the skin on the rest of your body, which is way thicker. So applying a lotion that is meant for your body, on your face, will only cake your face with unnecessary ingredients and an overload of moisture which will just end up clogging your pores and lead to breakouts.
#5. Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is great when it comes to treating infections and cuts, but never to be used as something against breakouts. While you may think you're using it as a disinfectant, it can actually cause more breakouts, infection, and inflammation. Simply put: hydrogen peroxide is way too strong of an agent for the sensitive skin on your face.
#6. Hot Water
Although many people believe hot water is great for getting rid of oily skin, it's actually the thing that will make your skin produce even MORE oil. You see, hot water may getting rid of oil on your face but simply put, it's just too hot for your skin to handle and it will just dry it out. So instead, use warm water, but never, ever HOT water.
#7. Petroleum Jelly
Petroleum jelly or Vaseline, does seem like a great thing to use on your face and for short periods of time, it does work well! But be aware when using petroleum jelly as a moisturizer. All it really does is KEEP the moisture that is already on your skin along with dirt and whatever else may be in the air. It doesn't actually add moisture, just retains in. So really, get yourself a real moisturizer and forget about the petroleum jelly.
#8. Toothpaste
While toothpaste is the go-to remedy for most people when it comes to removing a pesky pimple, it actually does more damage than good. Sure toothpaste will dry out that pimple, but it will also dry the area around it and with that, there's a high chance that you'll have dark scarring on that area. So it's best to stay away from toothpaste and use an acne spot treatment instead or even tea tree oil.
#9. Baking Soda
A lot of people use baking soda on their faces (including myself!), because you get that clean feeling after and it actually does get rid of blackheads. But users beware…the long term consequences of using baking soda on your face are dire! In the end, baking soda is just way too harsh on your skin and will only dry it out. The only time you should be using baking soda is for cleaning your house and baking!
#10. Lemons
Lemons, just like baking soda, are highly acidic and frankly put, way too acidic for the skin on your face. In fact, lemons will disrupt the balance of your skin and will lead to breakouts and irritation. Although we see a lot of lemon DIYs for the face, try to stay clear of them.
Of course, as with everything, take this with a grain of salt! If rubbing a lemon on your blackheads helps you out, by all means, keep doing it – but just make sure you're aware of the possible consequences as well as the long term damage!
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