DIY Skincare to Put to Rest

Spa nights at home are always a treat… until you break out into a rash from the skin scaries. Learn the products and DIY skincare ingredients to leave out of the mix.

Everyone loves to dabble in a little DIY experiment every now and then. Or, sometimes a quick fix is what you’re looking for. Finding fresh, natural ingredients from right inside your home sounds harmless. And if they sell it in stores, it must be ok, right? Well, that’s where you may be wrong.

Some ingredients can actually be harmful on skin, and result in a skincare gone-wrong moment. Let’s save you from a breakdown and breakout by avoiding these products and DIY skincare ingredients.

Fresh Lemons

It’s not uncommon to see DIY skincare recipes feature fresh lemons. The cold, tart truth, though? Lemons are highly acidic, which means they are known for irritating skin and disrupting the natural skin barrier and natural acid mantle. This often results in dryness, redness, and inflammation.

If you’re aiming to lighten dark spots or improve skin texture, we recommend taking a new approach. Instead, reach for gentle, resurfacing products that include AHAs, BHAs, or fruit enzymes that are safe on skin. You can find that kind of smoothing action in Hydraglow Cleansing Gel.

Baking Soda

Although baking soda is one of those easily accessible ingredients in your pantry just waiting to be used, your face is not the place to experiment. Baking soda is highly alkaline, which means it causes similar imbalances to applying overly acidic products. Dryness, irritation, redness, and even the risk of a rash are all reasons to leave this ingredient for baking.

Baking soda has also been proven to strip your skin of good oils. And if you didn’t know, excessive dryness can cause unwanted blemishes. *Swerve.* If you’re trying to stop a blemish in its tracks or tackle excess oil, reach for BHAs, Bakuchiol, and a gentle clay mask to reset skin.

Nut Exfoliants

There’s nothing inherently wrong with using a physical exfoliant, but when it comes to your pretty face, we like to be extra cautious. Milled nut shells are notorious for having sharp, jagged edges that cause micro-tears on skin– leading to more harm than smoothing.

Physical exfoliants on the face can also cause irritation to sensitive skin. The skin on our face is thinner than the rest of our body, so less is definitely more when it comes to exfoliants. Chemical exfoliants, on the other hand, have proven to be much gentler and more effective all around in combating texture and digging deep into pores. AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs are your besties when it comes to finding the perfect formula.

Raw Eggs

Eggs might be a balanced breakfast for some but on our face? Forget about it. Placing a raw egg on your skin can increase your risk of salmonella poisoning– which is not how you want to spend your weekend.

If you’re looking to tighten skin, reach for firming ingredients, like peptides found in Fresh Lift Moisturizer. If reducing excess oil is your aim, try a simple clay mask instead. It’s much safer, more effective, and less… gross.

Pore Strips

As satisfying as it may be, pore strips are very abrasive on skin. Redness and irritation are likely, but long-lasting effects are not. Pore strips only temporarily “clear” pores, and oftentimes, the entire blackhead plug is not even removed.

Using a blemish-fighting lineup of products is a far safer and more effective solution to unclogging pores. Plus, you get to go skincare shopping. How fun!

Next time you plan to do a DIY skincare night, be sure to keep these ingredients in the cabinets. Instead, click here for a few face mask recipes that are safe on skin.