Skin Care Tips: What NOT to Put On Your Face

Photo courtesy of flickr user sloverton

Every now and then you may overhear a woman talk about her latest discovery of some amazing new trend, and you might wonder if it is worth trying for yourself. While these trends usually seem to go hand-in-hand with convincing personal testimony, they are not always the best options. Sometimes it is easy to just go along with the crowd, but if you do that you might end up doing some damage to your precious skin.

Here is a list of things that you should avoid putting on your face or use in moderation:

• Lemons: Just because something comes from the ground does not always mean that it is good for you. Lemons are a citric fruit and they contain acid. This acidic nature can cause inflammation and irritation to your skin. The area you put the lemon on will also become more susceptible to sunburns, and no one wants to walk around with a red face!

• Hairspray: While getting a little on your face when you are applying it to your hair is not the end of the world, if you were intentionally using it on your face you might end up with a problem. In many cases, it isn’t uncommon for some women to use hairspray as a way to keep their makeup from running if they have oily skin or if they sweat. It may seem like a good idea, but doing this often or using lots of hairspray will only clog your pores, dry out the skin and cause a lot of irritation down the road.  

• Toothpaste: Many people have heard the claim that toothpaste can help dry out pimples. While toothpaste does possess the ability to dry out the zit, it will also dry out the skin surrounding the applied area. It also has the potential to chemically burn your face, and this is hardly the way you want to go for your chemical peel.

• Rubbing Alcohol: Alcohol is known as a disinfectant and is commonly used to sterilize your cuts and wounds. Even though popping pimples isn’t the way to go to get rid of them, it isn’t unheard of to rub a cotton ball with alcohol over the pimple after you have popped it. After all, it seems like the perfect win – you ideally get rid of any part of the acne you didn’t get from the popping, and if you have oily skin you also removed the pesky oil. Unfortunately, the alcohol does not only destroy the bacterial DNA. It also destroys the human DNA. This can lead to extra dryness, the buildup of dead cells and, of course, the pimple returning with a vengeance.

• Body Lotion: OK, it seems odd that this is something that is bad for your face since you’re told that it helps moisturize skin. However, the skin on your face is not as thick and resilient as the skin on the rest of your body. Due to the facial skin being so delicate, it is best to use gentler moisturizers for your face to keep it from being overpowered by thick, fragrant body lotions. Even if your face seems to be drying out and you only have body lotion, resist the temptation!   

Now you know a few things that you should pay more attention to concerning your facial care. Keep in mind that these things can be OK in moderation, so don’t worry if you have used them before. Just be sure to pay close attention to the current trends and make sure they are actually safe for your skin! Do you have any more questions about things to not put on your face? If so, write a comment and we will try and get back to you.