NEVER Use This Popular DIY Pimple "Hack". It Puts Industrial Waste on Your Skin and Causes Chemical Burns.
This Actually Works Instead…
You have a big event coming up...and you break out with a horrible, bright red pimple, mocking you from the mirror.
Do you try a popular (and disastrous) DIY "quick" fix?
No! Do this instead...it is proven to work.
I know...I just had to use it!
The Overnight Acne Lie That's Hurting Your Skin
Why do these myths take hold? Simple.
Let's take the toothpaste myth. Toothpaste contains baking soda, alcohol, and mint oils. People think these ingredients dry out pimples fast. Quick fix! Problem solved!
Except... no. Wrong.
Here's the truth: these ingredients weren't designed for facial skin. At all.
Toothpaste? pH of 8-9. Your skin? pH of around 5.
This difference doesn't just irritate – it destroys your skin's defense system.
Dr. Marisa Johnson, Clinical dermatologist and Director of Clinical Research at Manhattan Dermatology Associates in New York, doesn't mince words:
"Toothpaste contains detergents and abrasives designed to clean teeth enamel—one of the hardest substances in your body. Your facial skin, by contrast, is delicate and permeable. Applying toothpaste to acne essentially creates a chemical burn."
Chemical.
Burn.
Let that sink in.
And it makes sense...among other things, toothpaste has flouride in it. Did you know fluoride is literally an industrial waste product?
In fact, it is a key element in creating nuclear weapons and melting aluminum.
Do you want that on your face???
How It Hurts Right Away
The moment toothpaste touches your pimple, a cascade of damage begins:
Your skin's protective barrier? Shattered.
Those mint oils everyone loves for fresh breath? They're setting your skin on fire with irritation – creating redness worse than your pimple.
The drying agents strip away oils, and what happens next? Your skin panics and produces more oil!
And then? The rash. Red, itchy – lasting days or weeks.
That one pimple you tried to fix? It's now a red, inflamed disaster zone that takes twice as long to heal.
Long-Term Problems
Think the damage stops there? Think again.
Dark Spots: Those marks that linger months after acne heals? Toothpaste guarantees them. The chemical irritation triggers pigment production, creating spots that refuse to fade.
Weakened Skin Barrier: Attack your skin with harsh ingredients, and its protection system gives up. The result? More breakouts. More sensitivity. Faster aging.
Scarring: When inflammation intensifies, so does your risk of scars – especially if you're prone to hyperpigmentation or have cystic acne.
Mental Toll: The stress of dealing with worsened skin impacts your confidence. And guess what fuels breakouts? Stress. It's a vicious cycle that toothpaste accelerates.
Other Emergency "Quick Fixes" That Damage Your Skin
Toothpaste isn't the only culprit lurking in your bathroom. Here are eight more emergency "quick fixes" that might be sabotaging your skin:
-
Rubbing Alcohol That bottle of isopropyl alcohol might seem like a bacteria-killing superhero, but it's actually your skin's arch-nemesis. It strips away essential oils completely, compromises your skin barrier, and triggers even more oil production than before. The temporary drying effect? It's setting you up for a rebound breakout that's twice as bad.
-
Lemon Juice "Natural" doesn't always mean "gentle." Lemon juice has an extremely low pH (around 2) that creates chemical burns on your delicate facial skin. Even worse? It makes your skin photosensitive, meaning that sunlight exposure after application can lead to dark spots that take months to fade.
-
Hot Water or Steam That satisfying steam facial? It's potentially inflaming your already angry pimple. Excessive heat increases blood flow to the area, which sounds good in theory but actually amplifies redness and swelling. The temporary "open pores" effect isn't worth the inflammatory cascade that follows.
-
Crushed Aspirin Paste Yes, aspirin contains salicylic acid, but not in the controlled, skin-friendly formulation your face needs. This DIY hack delivers an unregulated dose that can burn sensitive skin and disrupt your pH balance. Let pharmacists and cosmetic chemists handle the formulations—they went to school for this!
-
Baking Soda Scrubs With a pH of 9, baking soda is one of the worst things to put on your slightly acidic skin. The harsh alkalinity doesn't just clean—it strips, irritates, and compromises your skin's natural defenses. The rough texture? Adding physical trauma to chemical damage.
-
Hairspray The myth of "drying out" a pimple with hairspray introduces a cocktail of alcohols, plasticizers, and fragrances that suffocate your skin. These ingredients were designed to coat hair—not to interact with living tissue. The result is clogged pores, irritation, and potentially worse breakouts.
-
DIY Physical Scrubs Those sugar and salt scrubs might feel satisfying, but they're creating micro-tears in your skin. These tiny wounds become entry points for bacteria and can spread your breakout to surrounding areas. Natural doesn't mean safe when it comes to abrasive particles on inflamed skin.
-
At-Home Extraction Tools Those metal extractor tools? In untrained hands, they're scarring devices. Without professional knowledge of proper angle, pressure, and technique, you're likely pushing bacteria deeper into your skin or creating permanent damage that lasts far longer than the original pimple would have.
What Really Works
Still with me? Great – because I'm about to transform how you handle breakouts.
I understand. I used to wear turtlenecks all summer long to cover the cystic acne on my neck and jawline.
When that pimple appears, you want it GONE! But truth: those fixes are trapping you in a cycle of damaged skin and disappointment.
Your skin deserves better. YOU deserve better.
Instead of reaching for that tube of toothpaste, imagine having solutions that tackle breakouts and PREVENT new ones from ambushing you before important events.
I've discovered two products that revolutionized my approach to breakouts:
-
ZitFix from Carter + Jane (Night-Time Treatment): This fix contains organic tea tree oil, frankincense oil, and lavender oil – all working while you sleep. But the magic? It's packed with zinc (fights bacteria and calms redness), French pink clay (draws out impurities without stripping skin), and prickly pear seed oil (normalizes skin). Unlike toothpaste's scorched-earth approach, ZitFix tackles the problem while healing your skin overnight.
"This Stuff WORKS!!"
After plenty of products I've tried after all these years and even a very similar item I've purchased before with pink clay, Zitfix works the best! You can visibly see the difference overnight, & wake up to clearer skin! I will be purchasing another before this one runs out! - Kimber
"ZitFix works!"
I purchased ZitFix for my son who has pockets of cystic acne that will not go away. Many treatments have been purchased and used but nothing worked. ZitFix is clearing his skin! He uses it every night and even commented on how good it smells. I highly recommend it! - Margaret Falkenberry
-
Buzz Off Blemish Stick from Skinbuzz (Daytime Treatment): This spot treatment contains bee propolis, tea tree oil, and willow bark extract. The standout ingredient? Malic acid – a multi-tasking miracle worker that improves texture, reduces redness, shrinks pores, exfoliates, AND moisturizes all at once. This stick delivers these ingredients where needed, without spreading to healthy skin. While toothpaste destroys your skin's barrier, Buzz Off fights the breakout while being gentle enough to use throughout the day.
"ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!"
My massive, painful zit was gone within hours! - Diane C.
"A miracle"
My teen daughter loved this. She said it was 'a miracle'. Large pimples disappeared overnight. :) Thank you! - Sara C.
Making a Better Choice for Your Skin
Here's what no one tells you: The path to clear, healthy skin isn't hidden in bathroom "tricks" or TikTok hacks. It comes from understanding what your skin needs and treating it with respect.
Every time you slather toothpaste on a pimple, you're not just irritating your skin – you're sabotaging your beauty goals. You're telling your body that fixes matter more than health.
Is that the message you want to send to the face that represents you to the world?
Imagine waking up on your big day. You glance in the mirror and see calm, clear skin – not because you applied toothpaste in desperation the night before, but because you've established a relationship with your skin based on what science knows it needs.
That confidence? It radiates more than any makeup could.
Your Clear Skin Solution – Available Now
Today marks your skincare turning point. The day you stop fighting your skin with myths and start nurturing it with solutions.
Next time a pimple appears and panic strikes, remember: your skin is resilient, but it needs allies, not enemies. Choose treatments designed for acne.
Be patient with the healing process. And be kind to the skin that works to protect you every day.
Stop Damaging Your Skin Today. Start Healing It Instead.
For just $33, get ZitFix from Carter + Jane for overnight treatment and for only $18, add the Buzz Off Blemish Stick from Skinbuzz for on-the-go care.
That's your complete day and night acne solution for $51 total – far less than a single dermatologist visit that could cost $200+ without even addressing your immediate breakout!
Special Blog Reader Offer
Use code NOMORE at checkout to save 15% on your first order! Why "NOMORE"? Because today is the day you say NO MORE to damaging toothpaste hacks and YES to skincare that actually works.
Our Clear Skin Promise
If you don't see visible improvement in your skin within 30 days, we'll refund every penny. No questions asked. We're that confident in these products because we've seen them work time and again – even on the most stubborn breakouts.
Your future self – with clearer, healthier, more radiant skin – will thank you for ditching the toothpaste tube and embracing skincare that works.
Because you deserve products as smart and beautiful as you are.