THREE popular skin fads that are ruining your skin!

We all want our skin to look as flawless as B-town celebs, don't we? But unfortunately, we don't have access to the same resources as them, so we resort to the internet for help.

We're so focused on looking for quick fixes and readily available tips that we forget to do our research and try to find out if what we're going to use will even work for our skin or end up doing more harm than good.

Today, we'll talk about THREE popular skincare fads that are everywhere and are slowly but surely killing our skin.

1. Baking Soda

It's a staple in everyone's home, isn't it? That's why when we see DIY skincare recipes online involving this ingredient we excitedly hurry to our kitchen and whip up the recipe that some YouTuber told us. 

The truth is, baking soda isn't good for our skin, and we'll explain why in just a moment.

Let's go back to chemistry class for a second and remember what pH is. The dictionary defines it as such, a figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a logarithmic scale on which 7 is neutral; lower values are more acid and higher values more alkaline.

Do you know what baking soda's pH is? N I N E! Yes, you've read it correctly. Its pH is nine which means it's incredibly alkaline. A group of doctors found out that such a high pH can damage our skin barrier and turn it into a bacterial breeding ground which obviously is something we don't want to happen.  

2. Lemon 

Another staple in everyone's home, readily available and favorite item in DIY skincare recipes. Some say it lightens the skin; other says it helps with clogged pores... but what they all fail to mention is how acidic it is. It has a pH of 2, and it contains citric acid. Researchers have found out that it makes you extremely sensitive to sunlight, and other than that, it is phototoxic - which means it renders the skin susceptible to sunburn, blisters, and rashes.

Yes, it does have some short-term results - which is why bloggers and YouTubers cluelessly rave about it, but they're NOT worth it because the long-term damage it does to our skin is tough to repair. 

3. Sugar (other harsh abrasives) 

By now, you must've noticed that all of these skincare fads are grocery staples and in fact, the main reason they're so popular it's precisely this. 

Pinterest is filled with sugar face scrubs recipes that will allegedly unclog your pores, give you softer skin than a baby's butt, cure your acne and do your taxes too! 

The thing with sugar is that it is not as bad as baking soda & lemon, and it can be used to make DIY scrubs but for the BODY only! Or facial skin is very sensitive. 

Studies and dermatologists have verified that harsh abrasives such as sugar, create micro-tears in our skin that will irritate it, increase the likelihood of infections caused by bacteria, and speed up the aging process. 

Here's what some renowned doctors had to say about this: 

“You are disrupting the barrier,” said Dr. Adam Friedman, associate professor of dermatology at George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. “Your skin is dry and cracked, but you are breaking your skin down further with these scrubs.” 

Dr. Dennis Gross says, “Scrubs are a primitive way to exfoliate. It’s like using sandpaper on your face. If you look closely at the sandpaper surface, you’ll see lots of scratch marks, and that’s what happens on the skin.” He agrees with Begoun that the inflammation and irritation triggered by scrubs can accelerate the aging process. 

These are only three out of the many skincare fads that are doing the rounds of the internet these days and if you'd like us to dispel some more or would like us to write about other skincare concerns let us know in the comments.