DIY Skincare Ingredients To Avoid: Never Add These 5 In Your Skincare!

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Many people turn to their kitchen cabinets for traditional remedies. But not all natural products are good for your skin, just because they're natural doesn't mean they're safe. Just because they're natural doesn't mean they're good for your skin.

DIY skincare is all the rage -but, how good are these natural skincare ingredients? Is it safe to use them all?

Many dermatologists don't recommend DIY skin treatments because they've seen cases where DIY treatments have been used incorrectly - like toothpaste for pimples, sugar for scrubs, etc. [1].

Let's take a look at DIY Skincare Ingredients To Avoid.

5 DIY Skincare Ingredients To Avoid

As a first point, not every natural ingredient is the same. Generally speaking, kitchen ingredients are believed to work better for the skin than over-the-counter products as they are more 'natural'.

Before using at-home ingredients, it is important to know your skin type [2][3].

1. Lemon

Lemons can harm the skin if used without care. With its abundance of vitamin C, lemon juice has anti-oxidative properties that brighten the skin. However, excessive lemon juice use on your skin can cause skin irritation, redness, blistering, and dryness.

Getting out in the sun after applying lemon to your skin can cause severe sunburn as well.

2. Vinegar

Despite its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, apple cider vinegar can alter the skin's pH levels and over-exfoliate the skin, resulting in irritation and dryness if used excessively. It is important to avoid vinegar entirely from your skin care regimen if you suffer from contact dermatitis or atopic dermatitis.

3. Coconut oil

You shouldn't use oils in your DIY skincare routine, and there's a reason for that. You can use oils sparingly to retain moisture on dry and dehydrated skin, but if your skin is oily or acne-prone, you'll only end up with more sebum, which can lead to bad acne breakouts.

4. Toothpaste

The majority of evidence that toothpaste can heal acne comes from unsubstantiated reports. While toothpaste has been marketed as a spot treatment for years, it can cause irritation and further aggravate acne, leaving the skin feeling sore for days afterwards.

5. Baking soda

Baking soda, which has high alkaline properties, disrupts the skin's protective oil layer known as the acid mantle and strips the skin of its natural oils and moisture, disrupting this protective layer. The skin may be further irritated by blistering, dryness, redness, and inflammation as a result of this [5].

On A Final Note...

There may have been a certain family recipe for skincare that has worked for your mum, however, if you live a modern lifestyle, then you may not achieve the same results. It is imperative to consult a skin care expert to assess your skin type since at-home remedies are often anecdotal in nature.