Lemon Juice as a Brightener
Lemon is a trendy ingredient in skin care. I'll even admit that I am a lemon trend follower. One of my favorite exfoliators contains lemon extract, and it works wonders to brighten my skin. Pure lemon, however, is a different dangerous story. Using pure lemon on your face can break down the skin's natural barrier, and can cause intense burning, irritation and make your skin even more sensitive to sun exposure. In super confusing scientific speak: An ideal pH level for your skin is anywhere between 4-5. A lemon's pH is a very low, very acidic, 2.
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Instead of Lemon Juice, Try...
Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop, $23
If you want the benefits of lemon, try a product that is safely formulated with lemon extract instead. Let the fancy scientists do that work for you! But, if you're looking for a brighter complexion, then you'd benefit even more by using a vitamin C serum, such as this option from Klairs. The K-beauty favorite does everything you think that lemon in your fridge does and more. It also helps protect the skin from pigmentation and reduces appearance of fine lines. And honestly: Can a lemon do that?
Toothpaste as an Acne Spot Treatment
This DIY is tricky: Toothpaste does, in fact, have the potential to shrink pimples, and that's because, it dries your pimple out. That's it. All it does is dry your skin. But, a pimple is a build up of oil and dirt — it's an infection — and toothpaste does nothing to actually treat the real issues at play.
Toothpaste is for your teeth — it says it all in the name — and, so, its ingredients aren't formulated to benefit your skin. It's made with harsh chemicals, fragrances and additives that in the long run can f-you up, and lead to skin irritation, clogged pores, drying and scarring.
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Instead of Toothpaste, Try...
Cosrx Acne Pimple Master Patch, $5.
If you really want to kill a zit, try an acne patch. These convenient little colloidal stickers not only shrink pimples, they also breaks down all the impurities under your skin to help remove them completely.
At Home Face Scrubs
As a general skin-care rule of thumb: Say no to DIY face scrubs! I've seen DIY face scrub recipes polluting the internet that use sea salt, sugar, used coffee grounds, baking soda and more. And as we've just established: Say no to face scrubs! Why?
Physical exfoliants tend to be too rough causing micro-tears on your skin that can lead to irritation and inflammation — it's literal face abuse. Be gentle with your skin!
Two ingredients to watch out for: Baking soda and used coffee grounds. Baking soda has an extremely high pH level that can be damaging to your complexion, and used coffee grounds are a breeding ground mold. Yuck!
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