5 Things You Should Never Put On Your Face

The skin on the face is thinner than the skin on the rest of the body, with the exception of the chest, so it deserves a little more care and attention when it comes to what we put on it.

Some parts of the face—especially the eyes and lips—are more sensitive and fragile than others since this is where the skin is at its thinnest. These are the areas that really need special care—and special products!

It is crazy how we read things and believe them to be good for us, especially when it comes to beauty products. The truth is that we need to be more careful about the things that we put on our faces because some things are good for a quick fix but not for the long-term. Then, of course, there are the exceptions: what works for one person won’t always work for another.

Lately, I have been lazy, so I’ve been using soap to wash my face. The results are not nice and my face has been drier than usual.

As a result, I decided to look into products that shouldn’t be used on the face and I was surprised by some of the results. Keep reading for this valuable information if you care about providing the best care for your face.

1. Alcohol

We know that rubbing alcohol is an antibacterial disinfectant, and that besides using it to avoid possible infections, we use it to clean the house.

When we use it on the skin, we feel a tingling sensation, which shows us that it’s working. However, just as rubbing alcohol is not recommended for hair—because it dries out the hair—so it shouldn’t be used on the skin.

It’s one of the most drying and damaging products you can put on your face as it dissolves the DNA of both bacteria and human skin cells, leading to dryness and buildup of dead skin cells.

So, if you buy a cleanser or toner for your face, remember to check that it doesn’t contain isopropyl alcohol. If it does, it will strip the skin and cause an excess of oil production and clogged pores.

2. Sugar

We know that eating too much sugar is not good for our skin and overall health, yet many homemade facial scrubs still include sugar. Yes, it does work its magic to exfoliate the skin, but remember that the skin on the face is thinner than the rest of the body and therefore requires the use of products that are more delicate.

The texture of sugar grains is too rough for the fragile epidermis on your face, and their sharp edges can damage and prematurely age the skin.

If you want, you can still use sugar for the rest of your body or you can use salt instead. As much as I loved how sugar scrubs left my skin feeling soft and helped to get rid of the blackheads on my nose, I learned a long time ago that this is not something that is good for the skin on my face.

3. Petroleum jelly (Vaseline)

I love Vaseline—especially for my lips! I’m sure you already know that it is helpful for sealing moisture in dry and fragile skin and protecting cuts, bug bites and other wounds from the air. However, it isn’t a long-term fix or sufficient moisturizer.

Of course, the skin feels soft afterwards, but the jelly doesn’t only seal in moisture; it also seals in dirt and debris, which can cause dryness over time because it keeps out additional air and moisture.

In other words, it doesn’t moisturize; it retains what’s already in your skin, including the bad things—and that’s something we don’t want.

4. Hot water

If you are like my mother who likes to take hot baths, then think twice before using hot water on your face. I know that hot water feels great—especially in the cold of winter—but it will destroy the natural moisture in your skin.

Hot water softens the natural oils of the epidermis, and destroys the barrier that prevents moisture from escaping the skin. This will lead to dryness and imbalance. If you have oily skin or breakouts, using hot water is not a good idea. A dry face will put your oil production into overdrive.

To be honest, I didn’t know about this before my research, but then I love cold and room temperature water. It is recommended to use lukewarm water rather than hot, and to keep the scalding showers to a minimum in the winter because your skin tends to be drier and itchier at this time of year.

5. Lemon

This fruit has a pH of 2, which means that it’s highly acidic. While many people use it on their skin and hair, I’m not a fan of lemon because it tends to dry out my skin and hair.

As some of you may know, sucking on a lemon can destroy tooth enamel, so when we apply pure lemon directly to our skin, it irritates and disrupts the acid mantle.

If you decide to use lemon on your skin, please be careful as the oils in citrus fruits are also phototoxic. This means that sun exposure after applying lemon to the skin can exacerbate the resulting irritation, which is comparable to those of chemical burns.

There are many other products that you should not use on your face, including: baking soda, toothpaste, hydrogen peroxide, hairspray and body lotion. These products are too strong for the skin on this part of the body and are not designed for the face.

Do you know of other products that should be avoided when cleaning your face? What are your favorite products to use on your face? Share your thoughts and experiences below in the comments section, and share this useful information with your friends!