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4 Skincare Home Remedies Your Aesthetician Hates

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Regular trips to the spa for a facial will leave your skin glowing, but what you put on your skin between appointments can work against you if you're not using the right ingredients. Throughout the years you've probably heard a lot of myths about household items that will make your zit disappear, help you avoid bags under your eyes, or add hydration to parched skin. Some of those ingredients may actually be causing more harm than good. Here are a few you should avoid.

Lemon

Sure, lemons are a cleansing fruit. Many people use them to clean out their garbage disposal. Unfortunately, many also use the juice from a fresh lemon as a skincare ingredient. The bright yellow fruit's juices do provide natural exfoliation, but they also effect the pH of your skin. According to Dr. Hanan Taha, skin is normally a little bit acidic, with a pH of 4.5 to 6.5. The pH of a lemon is around 2, which can leave your skin irritated.

Baking Soda

The reason you put a little bit of baking soda in your home homemade cookies is because it causes a chemical reaction that makes those cookies extra soft and scrumptious. Lots of people assume it's safe to use as an exfoliant on their skin because it's already in their kitchen, but this highly basic household product is so strong it could leave you susceptible to bacterial infections!

Toothpaste

The appearance of your first pimple was probably pretty scary, but your mom made it all better by applying a dab of creamy toothpaste. The old wives tale goes that toothpaste will dry out those zits and leave you with clear skin, but according to dermatologist Ranella Hirsch, people with olive or dark skin can develop brown spots from this trick. So keep the toothpaste in your mouth to avoid a more permanent mark.

Sugar

Sugar . . . everybody loves it. It makes that birthday cake drool worthy and can make a bitter cup of joe a comforting coffee. It can also be combined with oil to get that dead skin off your face and body. Yes, your skin will feel smooth and supple after you use it, but beware! Rubbing sugar on your skin will leave your skin scratched at a level you can't see with the naked eye and may prematurely age it.

There are many ingredients you can find in your pantry that do have beneficial qualities for your skin and won't cause harm. Talk to an aesthetician from an establishment like Appearance Dermatology about adding things like honey, oatmeal, and tea to your skincare repertoire.  


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