11 Beauty Items You Don’t Need Or Don’t Work

With the millions of beauty products and brands out there, it can get confusing on what to buy, and what actually works. There are so many items that are oldies but, and now it seems there is new beauty stuff that comes out every other week. I had to do research and write about what the heck BB cream was, and why we needed it, just so I could learn about what it was for myself.

Here is a list of 11 beauty products that you could be throwing your hard earned money away on.

1. Toner
“A waste of your time and money,” says dermatologist Leslie Baumann. “Toners were invented because cleansers used to leave a soapy film on your skin that had to be removed. Today’s cleansers don’t do that.” If you feel that a toner helps to get all your makeup off, it is fine to use, but most women like to cut their routine to save time.

2. Skin Firming Cream
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a magical cream that actually firmed your skin without any exercise? I think if they really worked, those creams would be flying off the shelves. Most of those creams have caffeine which helps to improve blood flow, which can cause a temporary firm. If you want to create your own temp fix, you can try some home remedies. Here are three different home remedies for cellulite.

3. Shaving Cream
Is your shower completely full on all edges with products? Why not get rid of the shaving cream that is not even a necessity anymore. When shaving gel was first introduced onto the market, it was to soften hair follicles so the razor would slide. Since shower gels like Dove Body Wash contain a lot of glycerin, a humectant, it doubles as moisturizing soap and shaving cream. So kick that shaving cream out the stall and save that space for something more important.

4. Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner
Sometimes those shampoos and conditioners that say help dandruff, actually dries out your scalp and can cause more flakes. If you think you have a serious medical issue like psoriasis or eczema, you should see your doctor and get a special shampoo. But if not, then the best thing to do is follow your mother’s advice. Brush your hair 100 times. Use a natural bristle brush before you shampoo your hair. This redistributes natural oils, stimulates your scalp and aids skin shedding.

5. Vitamin E Capsules 
It has been said that by breaking open vitamin E capsules and applying directly onto your skin has some anti-aging effects. But after time and being exposed to light, these vitamins start to break down and are not effective and eventually become useless over time. It is better to buy a cream with vitamin E in the ingredients and the light won’t affect its potentness.

6. Eliminating Split-Ends Serums
Those split-ends serums will help in the short run, holding down flyaways, and holding the the two hair ends together, but it won’t keep them together for longer than a day or two. The only thing that will fix split ends is a hair cut.

7. Neck Cream
Your neck doesn’t need anything special than what your face gets. When you apply your face cream, make sure not to forget your neck. Apply a moisturizer with sunscreen every morning, a retinol cream every night. I have been using Roc Skincare since my dermatologist recommended it as an over the counter cream with retinol. One of the only ingredients to keep wrinkles at bay is retinol. Try RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream

8. Foot Creams
We all need a hand moisturizer with all the purell and hand washing we do. So it is important that you have a good one. So why do you need a separate cream for your foot that essentially does the same thing. Another good option is to use good old  Vaseline on your feet and wear socks to bed to get softer feet overnight. If that feels too greasy for you, a smoothing hand cream with humectants (they draw in water), like Dermatopics Intensive Hand Cream, sold at dermatologists’ offices.

Sometimes a lip exfoliator can cause irritation on your lips. Unless you have super flaky lips, a lip balm by itself will keep them soft and smooth. If you need to remove some dead skin, just apply lip balm, then wrap a tissue around your finger and rub it back and forth on your lips. You’ll remove the flakes and not irritate them for future dry outs.

10. The wrong kind of SPF
There are so many SPF out there with all different types of numbers. It can get so confusing of what is really working on your skin to protect you. When you’re looking for an SPF make sure you are buying a brand that says broad spectrum and includes the ingredients: titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, avobenzone or mexoryl in the active ingredients. Don’t forget to apply it evenly and frequently.

11. Cuticle Oil
The problem with cuticle oil with any home or professional manicure, is that it doesn’t stay on or absorb. I find more cuticle oil ending up on my clothes than stay on my fingers. It is better to use a cream or ointment. In fact, a great cuticle cream is aquaphor or vaseline. It does a great job of fixing your cuticles. Vaseline has so many beauty uses, you should definitely check out 20 More Uses of Vaseline.