Don’t Believe the Likes

3 skin care trends to avoid (#diyfail)

With the explosion of self-proclaimed beauty bloggers posting on Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube, it's easy to get sucked into viral trends that promise amazing results. But just because a post gets play doesn't mean that the content isn't too good to be true. In fact, it can be downright dangerous.

Pore Strips. We've all tried these. You get them wet, press them onto your nose, and then rip them off like a band-aid. Then you stare at amazement at all the blackheads sticking up from the strip. But guess what? There's more skin on the strip than oil. It literally rips your skin off, and only removes the superficial blackhead top from the surface of your skin. A few days later,  the blackhead reemerges.

Sheet Masks. Sheet masks are the rage right now. We love them in the spa environment, too. But unfortunately, the ones you buy in the store or online are very different than what you receive during a professional facial. Anything sold to the masses is going to be less active than what's sold to licensed estheticians. Is the Hello Kitty sheet mask you bought on Amazon fun? Sure. But it really won't do anything except give you a great #selfie.

DIY Skin Care. I understand the lure of kitchen cosmetics. What's more fun than scouring social media for recipes you can concoct at home? Everyone has the mad scientist gene, but there's a reason why skin care products are regulated. It takes the knowledge and skill of a cosmetic chemist to create safe, effective formulations. Even if you use the same ingredients, you can easily burn your face (baking soda masks) or rip off your skin (homemade charcoal masks).