The Absolute Worst Beauty Advice On The Internet

#1 Limes In Place Of Deodorant

The idea of rubbing a lime under your pits is zesty and earth-friendly, right? But Joshua Zeichner, MD, says it could quickly take a turn for the worse (lime is acidic, after all). "Limes can cause skin irritation and red, burning, scalding rashes," he tells us. Even a splash of the highly sun-reactive citrus from a poolside margarita could be majorly bad news.

#2 Using hair spray to fix your makeup

People say hair spray works well not only on the hair but also on the face as a makeup fixation solution and a pore tightener. Of course, it doesn’t work. The components of hair spray may cause skin irritation and rashes. Choose a product that will work for your skin type and lose the desire to use extreme tips.

#3 Use Peanut Butter as Shaving Cream

Aside from the obvious downsides (it'll gunk up your razor in seconds, make a sticky mess in your bathroom, and attract vermin—we could go on), this so-called tip just seems like a huge waste of perfectly good peanut butter. If you run out of shaving cream, use conditioner. It gives the same slip as shaving gel while also "changing the hairs' pH, making them softer and easier to cut," says dermatologist Jeannette Graf.

So save the peanut butter for sandwiches.

#4 Make a Face Mask Out of Kitty Litter

This face-mask hack is mentioned on a number of different sites, which begs the question: Who on earth tried this first? Turns out, they might not have been completely crazy. Clay-based kitty litters often contain bentonite and silica, two ingredients found in many skin-care products formulated to absorb surface oils and create a barrier to hold moisture in, says dermatologist Jason Emer. But other kitty-litter ingredients, like the masking fragrances, could be harsh and abrasive on skin, warns dermatologist Joshua Zeichner. Both derms say they'd recommend sticking to clay-based face masks that are known to be safe and also provide benefits like exfoliation, hydration, and cleansing

#5 Soothe your skin with boiling hot steam

Facial steaming has been hailed as a miracle cure for everything from blocked pores to head colds. But Expert says that while a steam can do wonders for your skin, you may want to veer away from using boiling water.

'Steam hydrates the skin, rushes oxygen to your face and increases circulation, giving skin a rosier, dewy appearance,' she says.

'However, make sure the water is not so hot that the steam burns the face and causes broken capillaries. Using too-hot water and too often could actually dehydrate your skin, leaving it dry and irritated.'

#6 The egg hair mask

While coconut oil works wonders as a hair mask, not all DIY masks are made equal. In fact, Reddit usertwpop shared “I read online a recipe for a hair mask that included conditioner, olive oil and an egg (beaten). When I got in the shower to rinse it off, the water was too hot and it cooked the egg in my hair. I had bits of scrambled egg in my hair for three days.”

#7 Heated eyeliner

This hack involves heating a pencil eyeliner with a lighter to soften the product. While effective in theory, the risk associated with this hack is high, as user That’s_way_harsh_tailearned. She explained, “I lit an eyeliner pencil to soften it. It worked, except I didn’t wait for it to cool down and burned the crap out of my eye.”

#8 Turmeric face mask

The benefits of incorporating turmeric into your skin care routine have been well documented. However, the spice is best left out of face masks for those with pale skin tones as one user found it stained her face and left her looking more like an Oompa-Loompa than a glowing beauty.

#9 Rubbing toothpaste on spots will dry them out

Avoid this one if you don't want dry, flaky skin, Expert warns: 'Certainly the characteristics of toothpaste could help due to the anti-bacterial properties, cleansing properties and its ability to absorb oil.

'However, we need to remember that toothpaste has been developed to treat the hard surface of tooth enamel. Personally, I would refrain from using toothpaste on a spot as it can make the skin very sensitive and result in dry patches.'

#10 Using ‘PVA glue as a DIY porestrip’

This bizarre technique has been doing the rounds for years, and earlier this month beauty blogger Huda Kattan tested it out for herself, saying she was pleasantly surprised with how many blackheads it removed in a tutorial that went viral.

'Not one I would advise,' Expert says. 'Apart from the danger of getting glue in your eyes it could certainly lead to an horrendous allergic reaction. Even the non-toxic variety. Glue could also lead to clogging the pores.

#11 Pop a Pimple With a Safety Pin

The issue here—other than the fact that you're voluntarily sticking yourself in the face with a pin—is that you shouldn't be popping your pimples at all, let alone with a sharp, unsterilized metal object. "When you break the skin, the bacteria that's on your face can penetrate it, and the contents of the pimple get pushed deeper," says dermatologist Heidi Waldorf. "All that irritation is going to take much longer to heal and can lead to scarring." So if you get the urge, remember that popping a pimple can lead to a vicious, never-ending cycle of zits that your future self will hate you for. If you absolutely can't resist, there's a right way to do it. "Using two Q-tips against either side of the pimple will help limit any trauma to the surrounding skin," says Emer. Then deal with the aftermath by dabbing the area with witch hazel to disinfect it and applying an antibiotic salve, like Neosporin, which will continue to fight bacteria and help the spot heal with minimal scarring.

#12 Transparent nail polish for concealing lip herpes

You’d better not follow this tip because nail polish applied to such a rash may cause irritation or aggravation. Purchase a special cream in the drugstore, and carry it with you.

#13 Using horse shampoo

This tip works but only right after washing. However, you will be totally disappointed as the high levels of silicone in these products make hair fragile and thin. It is better not to improvise with horse shampoo, especially taking into consideration the fact that humanity invented a whole variety of shampoos for people.

#14 Lemon juice for getting rid of freckles

This may come in handy, but only if you are not allergic or sensitive to the sun. However, these are the properties of light skin that is normally covered with freckles. It is safer to buy a cream with vitamin C.

#15 Nail polish as eyeliner

This is an absolute no. Nail polish contains so many chemical components that may severely damage the eye. Why would someone apply nail polish to their eyes if the bottle says "Keep away from eyes"?