Lemon, Baking Soda, Toothpaste in Winter: The Home Remedies That Damage Your Skin

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The short answer

In winter your skin is already dry and fragile, so lemon, baking soda, toothpaste, raw garlic and scrubbing in hot water do even more harm at this time of year.

Lemon is a strong acid, and in the sun it can leave burn-like marks. Baking soda is alkaline and destroys the skin's natural acidity. Toothpaste stings pimples and leaves dark marks. Raw garlic can burn the skin. Unbranded "whitening" packs or creams from the market can hide harmful ingredients; avoid them completely.

Use these instead: COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch 24 Ct on pimples, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser Normal To Dry Skin to wash your face, a sunscreen such as Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Niacinamide SPF50+ PA++++ every morning for marks and dullness, and Minimalist Niacinamide 5% Face Serum at night.

Why these remedies do more damage in winter

The top layer of healthy skin is slightly acidic (a pH of roughly 4.5 to 5.5). This mild acidity plus the skin's own oils form a wall that holds water in and keeps germs out. In winter, dry wind, hot baths and heaters weaken that wall already. Add a strong acid, an alkali or hard scrubbing on top, and the wall cracks. The result: stinging, redness, peeling, and on brown skin, dark marks that can take months to fade.

Lemon: both the acid and the sun are a problem

Lemon juice has a pH of about 2, far more acidic than skin. Put directly on the face, it stings and makes skin peel.

The bigger problem is the sun. Lemon juice, especially from the small green kagzi lemon or lime, contains compounds that react with sunlight and cause a burn-like reaction on the skin. Going into the sun after applying it can lead to redness, blisters and then brown marks that last for weeks or months. People even get marks on their hands after squeezing lemons outdoors at a winter picnic or while sitting on a sunny rooftop.

What to do instead: for brightness and marks, the biggest single step is daily sunscreen. In the morning, after moisturiser, apply two finger-lengths of Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Niacinamide SPF50+ PA++++. At night, 2 to 3 drops of Minimalist Niacinamide 5% Face Serum. If lemon juice gets on your hands, wash with soap and water. To see what genuinely works for brighter skin at home, read home remedies for brighter skin.

Baking soda: an alkali that breaks the skin's wall

Baking soda has a pH of about 8 to 9, which is alkaline. It wipes out the skin's mild acidity. Many people rub it on as a scrub for blackheads or darker elbows and knees. The grains leave tiny scratches, and the alkali strips the skin's oils. In winter, the result is tight, stinging, peeling skin.

What to do instead: for blackheads and an oily nose, wash your face with COSRX Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser two or three nights a week and use a gentle cleanser on other days. For rough elbows and knees, apply a lotion such as CeraVe Moisturising Lotion for Dry to Very Dry Skin after bathing, and do not scrub.

Toothpaste on pimples: an old mistake

Toothpaste is made for teeth, not skin. It contains menthol, foaming agents (such as SLS), fluoride, and many toothpastes also have baking soda or agents meant to make teeth whiter. On a pimple it feels cool at first, so it seems to be working, but in reality it dries and burns the surrounding skin. On brown skin it leaves dark marks that often last longer than the pimple itself.

What to do instead: when a pimple appears, wash and dry your face and put one COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch 24 Ct patch on the spot, leaving it overnight or for 6 to 8 hours. The patch protects the pimple from dust and picking fingers and absorbs fluid. Do not pick. There is more in our post on home remedies for acne: which are safe.

Raw garlic: can burn when put on pimples

The pungent compound that forms when garlic is cut can cause a wound like a chemical burn. Blisters and sores have been reported in the medical literature, especially when crushed garlic is held under a bandage or left on overnight. Eating garlic is a different matter; do not put raw garlic on your skin.

What to do instead: a patch on the pimple, and for red or dark marks after acne, a thin layer of ANUA Azelaic Acid 10+ Hyaluron Redness Soothing Serum at night. Patch test any new serum first.

Scrubbing in a hot bath: comforting, but damaging

In winter many people take long, very hot baths and scrub hard with a rough pumice stone or loofah. Hot water melts and washes away the skin's own oils, and scrubbing strips the top layer. That is why skin itches and flakes white after the bath. It looks like "dirt coming off", but what is coming off is your skin's protective layer.

What to do instead: lukewarm water, a 5 to 10 minute bath, a gentle body cleanser, light rubbing with your hands. Pat dry and apply lotion within 3 minutes. Read more in hot-water baths in winter.

"Whitening" packs and creams: do not use them

Markets, online pages and parlours sell many unbranded "whitening" creams and packs that promise "results in 7 days"; do not use them. Unlabelled products like these have sometimes been found to contain mercury, hidden steroids or harsh chemicals that are not listed on the label. At first the skin may look shiny, but later you can get thinning skin, acne and redness, and when you stop, dark patches worse than before. Mercury also harms the body from inside.

We do not promise to change anyone's skin colour with any product. Sunscreen, niacinamide and azelaic acid can help fade marks and uneven tone slowly; they do not change your skin colour. Read about the long-term damage of low-quality creams in home remedies that damage your skin.

Your winter routine: what to do instead of remedies

1. Morning: lukewarm water and a pea-sized amount of Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser Normal To Dry Skin; massage gently for 30 seconds and rinse.
2. Morning, after washing: one fingertip of moisturiser, such as Purito Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Cream.
3. Before going out: two finger-lengths of sunscreen on the face and neck. Even winter sun darkens marks.
4. When a pimple appears, any time: one patch on a clean, dry pimple; change it after 6 to 8 hours.
5. Night: wash your face, 2 to 3 drops of niacinamide serum, then cream. If your skin is very dry or stinging, skip serums for a few days and use only a barrier cream such as Dr. Althea 147 Barrier Cream.
6. Two or three nights a week: a salicylic acid cleanser for oily or blackhead-prone skin. No scrubs.

See the whole day's order in the 24-hour winter skincare routine.

Common mistakes

• Thinking "it stings, so it's working". Stinging means damage.
• Mixing lemon, honey, turmeric and baking soda into one pack.
• Applying lemon and then sitting on the roof in the midday sun.
• Sleeping with toothpaste or garlic on a pimple.
• Scrubbing hard with pumice or a rough loofah in every bath.
• Starting several new actives at once; start one, and add the next after 2 weeks.
• Buying unbranded "results in 7 days" creams.

The Bangladesh reality

New "home packs" go viral on Facebook and YouTube every day, and wedding season peaks in winter. Before a wedding, many people rush to rub on lemon and baking soda and end up with a stinging face and dark marks, right when the photos are being taken. On brown skin, dark marks after irritation appear very easily and fade slowly.

Some remedies are safe, such as a little glycerin with rose water, or a short honey mask. Read about them in ghee, honey and milk cream: how well they work. The main point: if a remedy stings, stop it for the winter.

Why buy authentic

TheSkinProof is an invoice-verified skincare marketplace. The source of every product is checked against an invoice. If a product is proven counterfeit, you get twice the price back; claims must be made within 7 days of delivery. A fake sunscreen gives no protection, and nobody knows what is in a fake serum. We deliver across Bangladesh, and cash on delivery is available.

When to see a doctor

• Blisters, sores or burn-like marks appear after lemon, garlic or any pack. Rinse under cool water for 20 minutes first.
• A red, swollen, warm area is oozing pus or fluid.
• You keep getting deep, painful pimples, or pimples that leave scars.
• You have used an unlabelled "whitening" cream for a long time; do not stop suddenly without advice, see a doctor.
• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, ask your doctor before starting any new acid or serum.

Read more

Short answers to home-remedy questions are on our winter home remedies FAQ page.