Why DIY Face Masks Aren’t Always A Good Thing
In the age of skincare, it’s easy to get sucked into all kinds of popular trends and fads that pop up online. Especially over the past year, since we’ve all been stuck at home with nothing to do. Why not try and perfect your skincare routine to get that coveted glow? Part of this mega-trend has been and still is, DIY skincare. Mainly face masks. There are so many different variations you can find online, it’s like an endless pit of information and recipes. Naturally, there are a lot of upsides to this trend; from saving time and money to learning more about different ingredients and the way your skin works. However, there are also a lot of negatives to this trend. That’s what we’ll be focusing on today – why DIY face masks can do more damage than good.
It All Depends On Your Skin Type
The first thing you need to do before starting any sort of skincare routine is figure out your skin type and its needs. The last thing you need is to accidentally use ingredients that will irritate or dry out your skin. This is one mistake many people tend to make when delving into the world of DIY masks. They get so excited about the little experimentation and potential for better skin that they don’t do the proper research. This, of course, can lead to disastrous results. If you’re adamant and want to use a homemade face mask, take the time to learn what your skin type is before making or using anything.
Check The Ingredients
Every ingredient you happen to use on your face can have a different effect on your skin. It makes sense, right? So, it’s crucial to take a look at the ingredients you’re interested in using before putting them in anything. Do research about each ingredient; what it can be used for and its effects on the skin. There are plenty of popular ingredients that people use that shouldn’t actually be used on the skin at all – not directly at least. For instance, lemons. Squeezing half a lemon into your face mask is a terrible idea. You might want that vitamin C benefit, but lemons are extremely acidic. Our skin’s natural acidity is 5.5 while a lemon’s acidity is 2.0. Throwing off your skin’s acidity levels will only lead to trouble.
Physical Exfoliation Can Be Damaging
Another common ingredient used in a lot of DIY face masks is sugar. While using natural ingredients might sound healthier and appealing to most, it isn’t always the case. As a matter of fact, using sugar on the face is not a good idea. Since sugar molecules are all different shapes and sizes, they can over-exfoliate the skin without you even realizing it. Additionally, the different sizes of sugar molecules can cause micro-tears in the skin, leading to more problems in the future. If you want to exfoliate your skin, you’re better off using chemical exfoliants like salicylic acid (for acne-prone skin) or glycolic acid (for mature skin) among others, depending on your skincare needs. One thing to stress, however, is that using multiple acids at once can be a bad idea. Before starting your new regimen, be sure to read up on each product or ingredient you’re going to use to make sure you don’t damage your skin in the process.
