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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Instead of Home Face Scrubs, Try...
Cosrx AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner, $17
Even if the DIY route's a no-no, exfoliation is a must for healthy skin. So, try a gentle option like this one instead. This chemical exfoliant sloughs away dead skin cells and has all-natural acne fighting ingredients to exfoliate underneath the skin to remove dirt and oil too.
Coconut Oil Face Wash and Moisturizer
Coconut oil is, like, the DIY junkie's holy grail. But to be completely controversial: It doesn't actually work as well as coconut oil die hards believe it does. Now as a religious double cleanser myself, an oil-based face wash is one of my skin care musts. Pure coconut oil, however, doesn't work the same as specific oil-based cleansers.
Just like they taught you in school: Oil repels water. So, while rubbing coconut oil on your face may melt off make up and pick up dirt and grime, it doesn't really wash away too well, because coconut oil and water don't mix. Whereas, a typical oil-based cleanser is specially formulated to rinse off with water.
This also means using pure coconut oil as a moisturizer may not be the best option either. Yes, coconut oil can provide your skin moisture, the issue is that it won't help you retain that moisture, and can even prevent your skin from the hydrating benefits of other products in your routine.
Image via Photo by Joel Sharpe/Moment/Getty
