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Toothpaste for zits?
As a long-time acne sufferer, I was interested to find out whether this trick would work. Had I been wasting my time all these years with benzoyl peroxide and Proactiv? I used Colgate Total Advanced in my test because a) it's what I had on hand and b) my Internet research informed me that for this tip to be effective it's important not to use a gel-style toothpaste.
While I understand the science that backs up this tip -- toothpaste kills bacteria, which are a leading cause of zits -- I'm sad to report that this at-home trick was not overwhelmingly effective. It didn't cause a breakout, but it didn't make my acne better, either. Plus, the strong mint smell made my eyes water. My recommendation? Keep the toothpaste in your mouth where it belongs.
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Baking soda as an exfoliator?
Many people revere baking soda for its "gentle" face scrub qualities ... but as a gal with somewhat sensitive and dry skin, I was less than enthused. Full disclosure: I had spent the entire day at the beach when I tested this treatment, and my post-sun face didn't appreciate the exfoliating attempts. It felt like I was lightly buffing my face with fine grain sandpaper, which some people are into, but I am not.
On the plus side, baking soda and water is pretty simple, and dirt cheap. My guess is if you have oily skin, or you're acne-prone, you'll benefit from baking soda's redness-reducing qualities ... but because it's also drying, use it sparingly.
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Pepto Bismol as a face mask?
I'm not usually one to get squeamish about putting something unconventional on my face, but I have to say the application of this anti-diarrheal medicine was a little nauseating. But Pepto Bismol is supposed to clear skin and give you a glow, so I guess it's worth a try. It's a liquid, so it doesn't go on like a typical face mask, and it doesn't come off like one either.
After struggling for five minutes to cover my entire face (while the foamy pink gooeyness ran down my arm), it took nearly three times as long to get the stuff off. There was a weird filmy, pink sheen left over after it was all rinsed off ... enough to warrant me breaking out my Clarisonic and a face scrub to get rid of it.�Long story short, I'll stick with more conventional face masks in the future.
You know the State Farm commercial where the woman says "You can't say anything on the Internet that isn't true"? We laugh, because obviously there's an infinite amount of baloney circulating online. We take everything we read on the interwebs with a boulder of salt.
Of course, that doesn't seem to stop people from believing -- and passing around -- such timeless beauty treatment myths as "toothpaste is great for zits" and "beer will make your hair shiny." A few have enough science to at least somewhat back them up, but others ... not so much.
Out of curiosity (and service to our dear, faithful audience), we tried out some of the most outrageous at-home beauty treatments we've ever heard of: laxative face primer, mouthwash pedicures, and more. See our final word on whether these at-home beauty remedies work ... or if they're just another load of Internet hooey.
Of course, that doesn't seem to stop people from believing -- and passing around -- such timeless beauty treatment myths as "toothpaste is great for zits" and "beer will make your hair shiny." A few have enough science to at least somewhat back them up, but others ... not so much.
Out of curiosity (and service to our dear, faithful audience), we tried out some of the most outrageous at-home beauty treatments we've ever heard of: laxative face primer, mouthwash pedicures, and more. See our final word on whether these at-home beauty remedies work ... or if they're just another load of Internet hooey.