In today’s #allorganiceverything world, it can be tempting to go all natural all the way—starting with your recipes and ending with your at-home remedies. But even though DIY lotions and potions seem like a healthy way to go, experts say that not all of them work—and some can even do more harm than good. So we asked the experts for a list of at-home fixes you shouldn’t actually try at home.
DIY Nut Scrubs
“One of my clients came in and her face was bloody due to a nut scrub,†says board-certified dermatologist Whitney Bowe, M.D. That’s because she’d crushed up a bunch of pistachio shells, walnuts, and almonds and combined them with olive oil. Then, she put it on her face. “The problem there is that you’re getting a lot of jagged edges if you make a scrub with shells and nuts, and those edges create microtears in the skin. It’s really bad!â€Â
At-Home Enemas
Brace yourself for this one. Enemas are traditionally done by pouring water up your rear end to try to “evacuate†your stool, says Jennifer Berman, M.D., director of the Female Sexual Medicine Center at UCLA Medical Center. And weirdly, Berman says she sees a lot of people do them, sometimes even with coffee because they think the caffeine will help clear their system. “This is not true,†she emphasizes. “With any sort of enema, you end up running the risk of perforating your rectum—death is even a possibility,†she says. So it’s no surprise that most doctors don’t even recommend doing them in an office—let alone at home. If you feel like you’re backed up, reach for OTC constipation meds first, and then see your doctor if those don’t help.Â
Treating Acne with Toothpaste
The common logic here is that the baking soda in toothpaste dries out your pimple and therefore makes it die down. But while the baking soda itself is probably fine, the added chemicals in toothpaste could irritate your skin way more. “The three worst toothpaste ingredients are alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and menthol—all of them can irritate the skin more than help it,†says Bowe.
MORE: 10 Tips for Acne-Prone Skin
Yogurt In Your Vagina for Yeast Infections Â
The principle behind this is that the live cultures in the yogurt contain acidophilus, which may help rid the environment of bad bacteria. Unfortunately, it’s not clear if these live cultures will actually flourish in the vagina, says ob-gyn Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., clinical professor at Yale School of Medicine. And you should never ever use the sugary, flavored yogurt that’s sitting in your fridge. That’s because sugar in or around your vagina can lead to even more infections.
Egg White Masks
Rumor has it that egg whites improve your complexion by tightening your skin, so many women hop on board. “But actually, there is zero documented evidence that egg whites tighten your skin,†says Bowe. ?â€If anything, people think it does because the egg whites dry on your face, so it feels tighter. But once you wash it off, it hasn’t really done anything.†Plus, you can run the risk of salmonella! “There’s a chance you get some in your mouth, and then you just end up sick,†says Bowe.
MORE: 3 Incredible Face Masks with Super Powers
Butter On Your Skin to Treat a Burn
Spread the news: This tactic simply doesn’t work, says Bowe. “Bacteria can grow in butter and can set you up for infection later on,†she says. The best thing is to run cold water on it, and then apply an antibiotic cream and cover.
Petroleum Jelly for Vaginal Dryness
This is another below-the-belt don’t, says Minkin. A study in the journal Obstetrics Gynecology found that many women used this in place of traditional lube. Unfortunately, these women had a 22 percent increased risk of bacterial vaginosis, a common bacterial infection caused by out-of-whack pH levels.
MORE: 7 At-Home Remedies That ACTUALLY Work