We all love a good beauty hack. Whether it’s repurposing lip balm as a highlighter or using castor oil as an eyelash serum, we can’t resist the possibility that there’s a miracle beauty product already hiding at the back of our bathroom cupboard.
Creating our own beauty DIYs might seem like the perfect way to save money (hey, that Ibiza holiday fund has to come from somewhere), but not all homemade beauty hacks are created equal. Clogged pores, inflamed skin, increased redness, the world of DIY beauty hacks is a minefield of skincare nightmares, and we’re uncovering the imposters secretly sabotaging your beauty routine.
One of the biggest offenders is the infamous beauty hack – putting toothpaste on a spot. This beauty DIY is an urban myth that goes all the way back to the secondary school playground where we heard the legend that a dash of Colgate would cure that nasty pimple right in time for the school disco. Some playground wisdom is best left at the school gates, and this skincare hack is definitely one of them.
Debunking this beauty myth for good, Erin Norden from Clean Beauty Market has revealed that toothpaste is far from a skincare saviour
“Toothpaste applied on the skin disrupts the acid mantle,” she explained in an interview with Femail.
In fact, this so-called quick-fix can cause some serious skin damage and make that blemish much worse.
“People apply it to a blemish thinking it will dry a pimple out but what it does is irritate the skin and causes redness.”
Toothpaste isn’t the only beauty hack that’s secretly sabotaging your skincare routine. From using kitchen sugar as a body scrub to trying coconut oil as a moisturiser, we’re all guilty of turning to Pinterest to find a beauty DIY shortcut, but Norden cites these two beauty hacks as two of the worst culprits for damaged skin.
