Is It Ok To Use Milk Of Magnesia As A Primer? – Beautiful With Brains

One of many craziest magnificence suggestions that pre-dates the web period is utilizing Milk of Magnesia (sure, the widespread laxative!) as a make-up primer. Let me clarify. Dwelling with oily pores and skin is a continuing battle. And when your face is so shiny it brightens up the evening and your basis has utterly melted by the point you’ve completed making use of your eyeshadow, you’re keen to know and use any weapon to beat it as soon as and for all. Even laxative.

Milk of Magnesia is alleged to be an superior primer for shiny pores and skin that’s in a position to hold the shiny enemy at bay for hours. However, like all highly effective weapons, it might flip towards you. Scratch that, it WILL flip towards you. MOM is a Computer virus. What seems to be like essentially the most wonderful reward ever within the quick time period can utterly wreak havoc in your pores and skin in the long term. Right here’s what they don’t inform you about utilizing Milk Of Magnesia as a make-up primer:

Milk Of Magnesia VS Make-up Primers

Earlier than we dig deeper into the risks of utilizing Milk Of Magnesia as a primer, why are individuals even utilizing it? One motive is finances. Milk Of Magnesia is cheaper than most make-up primers on the market.

Then, there’s the best way it feels in your pores and skin. Julianne Kaye, a celebrity makeup artist who worked with Britney Spears and Brooke Shields says: “Numerous the water-based primers in the marketplace simply really feel like one other moisturizer and the silicone-based primers really feel waxy or, whereas they’ll matte you down, they nonetheless don’t stick. Whenever you put milk of magnesia in your face you possibly can truly really feel that veil over the pores and skin.”

If it’s simply as efficient, then it could make sense to make use of Milk Of Magnesia as a primer. However you realize what they are saying. It’s not gold all that glitters…

Is Milk Of Magnesia An Efficient Oil-Absorber?

Milk of Magnesia is so amazingly good at eliminating oil and shine as a result of it incorporates Magnesium Hydroxide, a chemical that absorbs lipids on the skin (that’s what extra sebum/oil is). Add Sodium Hypochlorite (generally referred to as bleach) to the combination and also you kick its oil-absorbent powers up a notch or two. So, yeah, if you happen to smear Milk Of Magnesia throughout your oily pores and skin, it’ll cease shining a lot. Nice, isn’t it? Not so quick…

Is It Protected To Use Milk Of Magnesia On Your Face?

What makes Milk Of Magnesia flip nasty? It’s alkaline pH. It’s not good in your pores and skin. Let me clarify. Your skin’s natural pH is slightly acidic. This enables the nice micro organism that stay on our pores and skin to thrive and people nasty ones that continuously assault it to shrivel and die.

When this acidic mantle is broken, these micro organism can get previous pores and skin’s defences and hurt it. They irritate it. They trigger pimples. And the lack of moisture makes pores and skin as dry because the Sahara. That’s why good skincare merchandise are formulated throughout the pores and skin’s pH vary (from 5 to eight). To keep away from all that nasty stuff from occurring to you.

Milk Of Magnesia has a PH of 10.5. That is manner too excessive. When you use it repeatedly, it can do some critical injury to your pores and skin. I’m not the one one who thinks so. Skincare guru Paula Begoun, who beneficial MOM earlier than studying about its darkish facet, agrees with me: “Milk of Magnesia has a really excessive pH, which, over time, will not be excellent for pores and skin to make use of ceaselessly. Utilizing on occasion, nonetheless, is okay!”

Associated: The Best Primers For Oily Skin

Need assistance creating the very best skincare routine for you oily pores and skin? Signal as much as the e-newsletter beneath to obtain the “Oily Skincare Routine Cheatsheet” (it consists of product suggestions, too!).

What Are The Finest Make-up Primer Alternate options To Milk Of Magnesia?

Look, I do consider you don’t must lay our a fortune on make-up and skincare to look nice. However I additionally consider in treating your pores and skin with tender loving care – and placing laxative in your pores and skin isn’t that! These alternate options could also be costlier, however they’re additionally gentler on the pores and skin. They’ll hold your complexion shine-free with out inflicting irritation and dryness in the long term. Isn’t that a greater deal? Listed here are my high make-up primer suggestions for shiny pores and skin:

• Dr. Brandt Pores No Extra Pore Refiner ($48.00): It makes use of Magnesium Silicate to soak up extra oil and hold your pores and skin matte for greater than 6 hours. However it may be drying in case your pores and skin isn’t very oily to start with. Obtainable at Dr Brandt, Look Fantastic, Sephora, and Ulta.
• Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer ($58.00): Its silicones-based, light-weight texture softens fantastic strains and wrinkles, makes pores look smaller, and helps your basis lasts longer. Alumina, a robust oil absorber retains you matte for a number of good hours. Obtainable at Cult Beauty, Hourglass, Nordstrom, Sephora, and Ulta.

Can You Use Milk Of Magnesia As A Deodorant?

I’ve simply completed telling you the way unhealthy MOM is in your pores and skin, and now am recommending you employ it as a deodorant? Am I nuts? Nope. Simply hear me out.

Everyone knows how sweaty armpits can get, particularly in the summertime when the climate’s so sizzling and humid. This moistness creates the right surroundings for micro organism and fungi to thrive in. Milk Of Magnesium absorbs all that extra moisture, so these micro organism have nowhere to stay. 

In different phrases, if a excessive ph can improve the danger of a micro organism an infection, the lack of sweat can cut back it. On this case, and this case solely, the advantages of MOM are higher than its unintended effects.

The Backside Line

Coping with oily pores and skin generally is a slippery slope. Alongside the best way, you’ll discover Trojan horses that may promise you the answer to all of your woes solely to show nasty whenever you least count on it. Milk of Magnesia as a primer looks like a godsend for pores and skin, till you realise it might trigger extreme dryness and irritation in the long term. If you wish to do away with extra shine, there are better ways to deal with it. And if you’re looking for a primer that can deal with oily skin, check out these three. They’ll work lots higher, belief me!

About Gio

Hello, I am Gio. I am a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is pores and skin coach and author on a mission that will help you obtain your greatest pores and skin day ever – daily. I bust skincare myths and debunk advertising and marketing jargon that will help you work out what’s well worth the splurge and what’s greatest left on the shelf – utilizing science, not hype. I additionally provide skincare consultations that will help you create the very best skincare routine in your distinctive wants.