National Smile Day: Can Toothpaste Affect Your Skin?

Is Your Toothpaste Affecting Your Skin?

We’ve all probably heard that age-old wives tale that tells us that putting toothpaste on your pimples or blemishes will make them magically disappear overnight - well we are here to tell you to stop doing that! Did you know that some ingredients in toothpaste can actually be harming, and not helping your skin?

No matter your skin type, toothpaste can cause a myriad of problems, such as irritation, dryness and, even in some extreme cases, burning if put directly onto a breakout. But did you also know that even dribbled-out toothpaste can also affect your skin too? Many toothpaste brands use ingredients such as baking soda, fluoride, sodium lauryl sulfate, essential oils, hydrogen peroxide, menthol and even alcohol - which, unless specifically designed for, should not be used on our skin!

How To Prevent Toothpaste From Damaging Your Skin

Even if we aren’t putting toothpaste directly on our spots anymore, it still doesn’t stop it from collecting around our mouths - so, how can we prevent this from damaging that glow we’ve been working so hard to get? Well first things first, let’s talk cleansing. 

We all know the importance of a good skincare routine, and how important it is to know what to use, and when to use it. However, what if we told you that you shouldn’t be washing your face before you’ve brushed your teeth? That’s right - so many of us do our skincare routine in the evening, which of course, we should be. But brushing your teeth after cleansing, toning and moisturising your face (yes, in that order), could be doing us more harm than good.

Our Beauty Experts recommend brushing your teeth before cleansing your face. That way, if any of your toothpaste travels out your mouth, and down your face, then it will be washed away with your cleanser. Speaking of quality cleansers, we would recommend the soft foaming gel cleanser from SkinCeuticals, otherwise known as the Glycolic Renewal Cleanser. Created to freshen and brighten your complexion, this skincare essential will give you that ultimate deep cleanse feeling - no more toothpaste rash for us!

Also, to address the elephant in the makeup routine (hopefully that saying works here!), you must also not use toothpaste as a way to prevent a breakout. Before grabbing your tube of toothpaste and putting it on the offending spot, we recommend reaching for a good face mask. With a blemish or breakout, you are going to want to draw out the impurities and calm the inflammation. For this, we of course would go with the 111SKIN Anti Blemish Bio Cellulose Facial Mask.

If you are looking to soothe angry and inflamed skin, then we couldn’t recommend these facial masks enough. These dual-segment masks help to calm and balance the skin, with each half of the mask targeting zone-specific impurities. Our Skincare Experts recommend these masks for those looking to calm inflammation around the chin, jawline or cheek area. They are also great if you suffer from hormonal acne. To use, simply cleanse your skin and then remove the mask from the protective film and apply it to the face. We would recommend allowing it to rest on the skin for 20 minutes - and wala, summer skin pending.

The Key Messages of National Smile Day

Although toothpaste is a no-no when it comes to skincare, it’s obviously essential for your teeth. As well as glowing skin, you will also want a glowing smile, and that’s where good oral health comes in. So, our key takeaway point for National Smile Day this year would be:

1. Brush your teeth twice a day, every day - whether you make this part of your everyday beauty routine or you do it as you rush out the door, nothing says healthy gums quite like two full minutes of teeth brushing (with fluoride toothpaste, of course)

2. It’s all about the floss - remember, good oral hygiene doesn’t just mean brushing your teeth, but also getting in between them too. 

3. Finally, visit a dentist regularly - we know it can be daunting and sometimes even difficult, but twice a year, remember to get those pearly whites looked at!