Products to stop abusing

There are several products that are used for beauty and cosmetic purposes that are not approved for that. Using them is extremely risky because if you react adversely, you will not be in a position to take legal action against the manufacturers.

This is because they are not meant for cosmetic purposes, and most likely, their labels are clear on that. Here are some of the most commonly abused products:

Superglue:

This is used to fix artificial nails. Super glue is made from a binding chemical known as cyanoacrylate. It forms a bond that turns to a hair substance to bind plastic, glass, wood and ceramic.

When it comes into contact with the skin, it forms a hard layer that is difficult to remove. It can cause injury and skin removal. When used to stick fake nails onto natural nails, the bond is often extremely strong and may cause damage and removal of the entire nail, exposing the nail bed.

Some may argue that professional nail glue contains the same ingredients. However, cosmetic use products are tested more specifically to ensure that they are safe to use on the skin and nails.

Using hair dye to colour nails, eyebrows and eyelashes:

This is a very common practice in salons and nail bars. Cheap powder hair dyes are used to create henna tattooing on nails and eyebrows.

Many of these dyes are marketed as black or dark brown henna, when in actual fact they are chemicals. The main ingredient is PPD or para-phenylenediamine.

This chemical is known to cause severe allergic reactions such as swelling, skin peeling, itching and rashes. In some cases, the victims require hospitalization to recover.

When used near the eyes, they can cause blindness in case of accidental contact with the eye. The labels clearly indicate that they are not to be used to dye eyebrows and eyelashes, but this is often ignored.

Patch testing is not carried out before use in most cases. Safe dyes for brow and lash tinting are available at specialist shops.

Using milking jelly as skin moisturiser:

Milking jelly is widely used as a skin care product. This product is not indicated for skin care use on humans and may not be the most suitable because it is often made of thick petroleum jelly.

This type of jelly is designed to give slip and prevent pain on cows’ teats during milking. It is best to use jellies that are approved and specifically meant for skin care.

Baby powder as face powder:

Talcum, commonly known as baby powder has received its share of controversy due to cancer-causing findings and claims.

It is unsuitable for use as a skin care powder because it absorbs the natural skin oils, causing dryness and premature fine lines to develop on the skin.

Information compiled by the Safe Skincare Initiative in Kenya.