Home cosmetics, “folk remedies” for skin care with your own hands – have you met such recipes on the Internet? Probably! They often use the most elementary, affordable ingredients that will be found in every home. The ways they are used bribe with their simplicity. What’s complicated there – mixed and namazal, everyone can! And people fearlessly use these “useful” tips from the network, although many of them are not so useful at all!
Here is a list of popular home remedies that I would beware of using for the person – the harm from them can be more than the potential benefit.
Soda scrub for the face
Food soda is often recommended as the basis for a scrub. Indeed, soda costs a penny, is always at hand, and its grainy texture is very similar to the consistency of ready-made, “branded” scrubs. Soda actually produces a noticeable peeling effect. But in parallel, it produces a stunning effect on the acid-alkaline balance of the skin.
Soda is this alkali and its pH level is 8-9. For comparison, the pH of liquid dishwashing products is 7-8. You will not wash your face with a dishwashing product! Not only does soda have a higher pH level. From friction during the use of scrub the destructive effect of alkali on the skin only increases! Your skin is not a cup to be cleaned from tea breaks. Soda is great for this purpose, but for home cosmetics – it’s too aggressive!
Lemon skin whitening
If on some site you are advised to whiten your skin with a slice of lemon, that is pure, undiluted lemon juice – forget the way to this site. Unless, of course, you have a spare face skin that you can wear when you burn this one.
Unlike soda, lemon juice is acid, the opposite pole on the pH scale. The pH level of lemon juice is 2. For your information: sulfuric acid has a pH of 1, hydrochloric acid has a pH of 0. Maybe we should immediately wipe our face with undiluted hydrochloric acid to make sure we bleach?
Pure lemon juice can not only cause acidic burning of the skin, but even corrode tooth enamel, so it is dangerous to use it for teeth whitening. Not only that, lemon juice is photo toxic. This means that the treatment with lemon juice makes the skin more susceptible to sunburn and pigmented spots.
Lemon is wonderful in sauces, creams and pastries! But to use it in cosmetics, you need to select very finely the dosage and concentration, which is rarely possible at home.
Toothpaste from acne
There are many stories on the web about how simple toothpaste perfectly “treats” acne. Indeed, thanks to some of the active ingredients in its composition, toothpaste can have an antibacterial effect and dry out acne. But at the same time, a number of basic ingredients present in almost any toothpaste can cause irritation to the skin and literally dry it. Moreover, dark traces may remain in place of acne treated with toothpaste, and it is already unclear what to remove them!
Even assuming that toothpaste helps you get rid of your existing pimples faster, it certainly doesn’t eliminate the cause of these pimples! Let’s use toothpaste for its intended purpose, and fight pimples and rashes with system aids.
Hydrogen peroxide and home cosmetics
Another favorite and widely recommended folk cosmetic product is hydrogen peroxide. 3% peroxide solution is an effective antiseptic that prevents the spread of infection. Therefore, it can be used spotly to disinfect wounds and cuts. But with masks and homemade peroxide-based creams, which in many cases are recommended in the network, you need to be extremely careful!
Peroxide is a powerful oxidizer, it removes stains, discolors hair and is part of many professional skin whitening and pigmentation removal products.
It would seem that why pay more for a whitening cream with a small percentage of peroxide, if the peroxide itself stands in a pharmacy for a kopeck, and it is certainly more effective? Alas, it is not that simple.
Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful allergen, it can cause irritations and even chemical burns, especially in people with sensitive skin. It is unlikely that you will be able to find the best dosage of peroxide at home. And getting allergies and burns instead of porcelain skin is a questionable prospect.
Let’s leave the use of hydrogen peroxide to professionals, for home cosmetics this is too risky an ingredient!
Ice washing
This is a favorite means of “home beauticians” – almost free and, as they claim, super-efficient. There are many recipes of decoctions and healing solutions in the network, which offer to freeze and wipe the face with the obtained ice cubes. And there is a refrigerator with a freezer in every house!
Thermo-shock from skin contact with the ice can really have some cosmetic effect. But few people write how many contraindications this folk spa procedure has. Too dry, thin and sensitive skin cannot be rubbed with ice, it will only increase its tendency to peel and irritate. Ice rubbing of the face is not recommended in case of maxillary sinusitis and rhinitis, migraine propensity.
And in people with weak vessels, ice washing can cause the formation of a noticeable red capillary net under the skin. Ironically, for the time being, you may not even suspect that you have a problem with your blood vessels. Until you start to wipe your face regularly with ice and see the consequences in the mirror!
Our skin needs care all the time, quality cosmetics are expensive, and it’s no secret that often cosmetics companies put a high price on products based on the simplest and most budget ingredients. Therefore, the temptation to deceive the “sharks” of the cosmetics industry and create alternative care products with your own hands at home can be great. But let’s still be guided by this common sense and balance the potential benefits of home cosmetics with their possible harm.
There is an easy way to check how safe a popular cosmetics recipe is with your own hands – ask yourself the question: “How does it work? Google the information about the ingredients, their pH level, the mechanism of their effect on the skin and possible side effects, and everything will immediately fall into place. By the way, the same procedure should be done with the ingredients of ready-made, “store” cosmetics.