I’m a big fan of DIY remedies, but let’s face it, at-home recipes can prove to be a disaster if the ingredients don’t suit your hair or skin. Be careful of what you put on your face ladies because not every beauty ingredient is your friend. Even though some women swear by these natural ingredients, you ideally must stay away from them. No matter how sensitive or dry your skin type is, don’t let the internet trick you into using any of the ingredients listed below. Here are 6 DIY skincare ingredients you should totally blacklist from your life. Good luck!
1. Lemon Juice Is Not Your Friend
Like it or not, lemons are highly acidic in nature. In fact, they have a pH of about 2. Since our skin’s natural pH levels are 4-5, lemons can actually interfere with the balance. In fact, due to their acidic properties, lemon juice can tear apart the skin’s protective layer, leaving it dry and flaky. Not to mention that if you use this ingredient on your skin often, it makes it more sensitive to the sun. If you must use lemon juice, mix it with honey and water.
A safer option to brighten your skin is to use this rejuvenating and brightening ayurvedic night cream from Kama (Rs 1,950)
2. Sugar & Salt Make A Deadly Combo
There are many DIY blogs that include sugar and salt in their homemade recipes. If we were you, we’d steer clear. We want you to know that even though sugar and salt are granular in size, the crystals can easily damage your skin and cause inflammation, red marks, and itchiness.
You could try the Forest Essentials Body Polisher (Rs 2,475) it makes a great exfoliator.
3. Baking Soda Dries Out Skin
Baking soda is popular in multiple home remedies as a DIY scrub or a pore cleanser. However, using it often can result in dryness, oiliness, acne and red patches on the skin. Even when it’s mixed with water, the solution becomes alkaline. This can disrupt skin’s acidic mantel and mess with your skin’s natural bacterial composition.
You know what does a better job than baking soda at brightening dull skin? Kaya Brightening Beads Cleanser! (Rs 390)
4. Cinnamon Should ONLY Be Used As A Food Ingredient
You also must know that if you use it as a beauty ingredient it can wreak havoc on your skin! Applying it directly on dry skin can instantly cause irritation, blisters, acne, and boils. For now, you should stick to using cinnamon powder only in your coffee than on your face.
Forget cinnamon powder, the Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask (Rs 1,100) is great for keeping the acne at bay.
5. Raw Eggs Aren’t Very Nice To Your Skin
Eggs are popularly included in various beauty treatments. After all, they’re packed with protein and do an amazing job at improving skin’s complexion and elasticity. However, using eggs as a solo ingredient could be risky. Egg whites contain salmonella which is a bacteria that causes severe food poisoning. Applying it on your skin is like inviting trouble.
If you can’t use raw eggs on your skin, maybe this Dear Packer lemon and egg white face mask (Rs 100) will make a great substitute.
6. Don’t You Dare Touch That Jar Of Delicious Mayonnaise!
Mayonnaise tastes yummier when it’s spread on bread, however, the same cannot be said when it comes to your skin. Remember ladies, mayonnaise as an ingredient is packed with oil and fatty acids. If that ever comes in contact with your skin, you could experience acne and swollen pores. While mayonnaise is effective when used on dry ends, it becomes disastrous when applied on the skin.
For hydrated and moist skin, we think you should give the Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Masque (Rs 2,775) a shot!
Images: Shutterstock