Sh*t You Should Not Put On Your Face.

The Importance Of pH

First, let’s take a trip back to chemistry class for a refresher on ph, but in terms of skincare. The potential of hydrogen (pH) is the measure of how acidic or alkaline a product is. The scale ranges from 1, being the most acidic, and 14, being the most alkaline. The pH of 7 is considered neutral and the optimal pH of the skin is around 4.5-6.

Inconsistency Of Food Ingredients

Plants can be inconsistent in their makeup due to climate, where they have grown, the soil, etc. There is no way of really knowing exactly what you are putting on your skin.

1. Lemon Juice (or any citrus fruit)

The pH of lemon is around a 2 being extremely acidic. When lemon is applied to the skin in a DIY treatment it immediately disrupts the skin’s protective barrier. It causes a significant amount of irritation, redness, and inflammation. Skin that is too acidic is overall more sensitized and may make acne worse.

Citrus fruit is photo-toxic, meaning if you go out in the sun with your DIY toner on your skin it could cause blistering, rashes, or chemical burns. Even diluted with water! There is also a phenomenon nicknamed “margarita dermatitis.” It’s most commonly seen after vacations when people have been sipping on drinks that lemons/limes are squeezed into. The citrus is accidentally squirted on the skin and when mixed with the sun = pigmentation and/or rash and could even turn into blisters.

2. Rubbing Alcohol

I am referring to people that use rubbing alcohol at a full concentration as a toner or acne spot treatment. Let me ask you, do you enjoy your skin barrier? Alcohol at this high concentration will completely dehydrate and strip your skin. Just don’t do it.

3. Toothpaste As A Spot Treatment

Think about what toothpaste is made from. Give or take a brand’s formula and regardless of natural or commercial all toothpaste contain roughly the same combinations of ingredients - baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, menthol, sulfates, fluoride, SD alcohol, and different types of mints. These ingredients are designed to polish teeth which is the hardest substance in the human body.

All of the ingredients in toothpaste are very aggressive and inflammatory to the skin. Now, think about what is going on when you have a pimple - it’s an already red, inflamed, swollen local infection on the face. What do you think those ingredients in toothpaste are doing to that situation? It’s aggravating it and causes more redness, more inflammation, peeling and can lead to post-inflammatory pigmentation when it eventually heals.

4. Crushed Up Asprin

Medication is formulated for the GI tract, not topical usage. The belief is that aspirin contains salicylic acid which works in the same way as salicylic acid skincare products. Aspirin actually contains a substance called acetylsalicylic acid which is not and does not work in the same way as topical salicylic acid products.

5. Hand Soap

Hand soaps are formulated to thoroughly wash away dirt, bacteria, or any other gross things your hands may have come into contact with. The skin on your hands is thicker and tougher than the skin on your face and can tolerate a more aggressive soap. Plus, the pH of soap is very high so it would be super stripping and drying for facial skin.

6. Baking Soda

The pH of baking soda is around 8-9 making that wayyyyyy too basic/alkaline for the skin. Particularly, at high amounts like using it at a scrub, mask, or acne spot treatment. Using baking soda on your skin as a DIY can throw of the balance of the skin’s natural pH disrupting the barrier of the skin, causing irritation, dryness/dehydration, or causing a chemical burn.

Also, if you have ever developed a rash from a “natural” or antiperspirant/aluminum-free deodorant, it’s because most of them contain baking soda! Sweat and moisture + friction + baking soda = rash

I will also add that you may have seen some skincare products, toothpaste, or bath bombs that contain baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) as part of their formulation. As with anything in life or skincare, "the dose makes the poison.” So a finished formula is not necessarily basic/alkaline or un-skin-friendly because of the ratio and the other ingredients in the formula. It’s also formulated by a chemist and NOT a DIY!

7. Cinnamon

The active compound in cinnamon, cinnamaldehyde, is highly irritating to the skin and can cause a chemical burn. In fact, it’s commonly used in lip-plumping glosses because it causes the tissue on the lips to become so inflamed it swells, hence the plumping effect.

8. Hair Spray As A Makeup Setting Spray

Why are we doing this? Hairspray is meant to hold your hair, not your makeup. The ingredients that are in hairspray are formulated for hair and can cause a lot of irritation to the skin plus most are full of high concentrations of alcohol. Not to mention, the ingredients in true makeup setting sprays are not even in hairspray. It’s likely not even effective!