9 Dermatologist-Approved Homemade Skin Care Treatments

The risks of homemade products

DIY skin care recipes are all over the Internet, boasting to miraculously transform your skin. Most dermatologists, though, are skeptical of how those claims hold up. “Lots of things that are in our kitchens are likely to break our skin out, and you can be allergic to ingredients,” says board-certified dermatologist Tracy Evans, MD. For instance, the lemon in skin brightening recipes can make your skin extra sensitive to sunlight, leaving you with blisters or a rash, says board-certified dermatologist Esta Kronberg, MD. Even if a homemade product doesn’t do damage, it probably won’t do as much good as you’d hoped, Dr. Evans says. She recommends sticking with products that have been through clinical trials for your big skin problems, but says DIY recipes can be fun and feel good. Before you smear anything on your face, she recommends doing a patch test. Hold a bit of the product to your arm with plastic wrap for a few days. If you don’t get any bad reactions, you’ve got the green light to use these dermatologist-approved recipes on your face. Check out what happened when one writer put homemade skin products to the test.