In general, the thickness of your skin varies all over your body, but the skin on your face is thinner and much more sensitive than the skin on your body. This is why you should be very careful about what you are applying to the face.
Finding the right facial skin care products can be pretty challenging, but there are also many things that you should avoid applying to the face and here are some of them.
Witch Hazel
Also called the “winter bloom”, witch hazel is a plant that finds its origin in North America. This highly concentrated plant is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, which is the reason why the leaves and the bark of this plant have many medicinal uses.
Witch hazel is also known for its skin healing properties and so it is used to fight against acne, inflammation, small cuts, blisters and many more. The healing nature of the plant also helps to fight skin inflammation, oiliness and sometimes rashes and its antiseptic nature helps in reducing the growth of bacteria on the skin.
From the bark and the leaves of the plant, a special type of liquid called “polyphenols and tannins” is extracted and is then mixed along with alcohol to make a very concentrated fluid called “Witch Hazel toner.” And, applying the toner can help in keeping the skin tone and tidy for a very long time, but it can also strip away all the natural oils from your skin, which can eventually lead to dryness, irritation and trigger allergic reactions.
Hair Dye
People in my country have a long history of using hair dye on their eyebrows. According to some, adding depth to eyebrows with leftover hair dye works great. However, I would not recommend this at all.
There is a sharp contrast between scalp skin and facial skin. The skin around the eyes is extremely sensitive and can absorb toxins more readily than the skin on the scalp. The chemicals used in hair color are thus too harsh to be used on your eyebrows. So, please do NOT dye your eyebrows with hair color, unless you want to risk serious damage to your eyes.
Want to match your eyebrows to your hair color? Use an eyebrow pencil or brow gel!
Urine
Wait what??? Who the hell would do that?
There are many and it’s much more common than you think.
The “urine beauty therapy” is a bizarre and hot new trend that involves people wiping urine across their faces. According to Dr. Gohara, “Applying urine on the face is a wonder therapy and this natural exfoliant can help in softening skin and breaking down the top layer of skin cells.”
Studies even found a 70-year-old woman in UK, who was applying urine to her face every day, having smooth and glowing skin.
However, many experts don’t recommend using urine on the face because it can cause a reaction akin to diaper rash and doesn’t contain enough “nutrients” to be considered effective.
And, for sweet heaven’s sake, it’s a bodily waste. Putting that on your face is just gross!
Very Hot Water
Washing your face with warm water can open the pores and allows impurities to be cleaned out. However, I’m talking about very hot water.
It’s not recommended to wash your face with very hot water as it can strip your skin of its natural oils and can cause your skin to dry out and eventually lead to aggravated skin issues. Piping hot water can also burst your blood vessels and leave you with red spots.
So, follow the Goldilocks rule: not too cold, not too hot, but just right!
Body Lotion
When you run out of cream face lotion, it’s very tempting to substitute it with a body lotion. But, please don’t do that!
The skin on your face is very different and much more delicate than the skin on your body. Unless your body lotion says that it’s both for the face and body, you shouldn’t use it on your face.
Why?
Using body lotion on the face can clog the pores and can cause whiteheads and congested skin.