In a world of tips from beauty junkies, and makeup enthusiasts, it’s hard to decide what you should and shouldn’t do. You could try to do everything yourself, but there are some things you should probably leave to professionals. A lot of those things involve skincare.

There are great skincare DIYs out there, like making an avocado face masks and using coconut oil as a moisturizer. But there are a lot of bad ones that include ingredients that should never even go near your lovely face. Some kitchen ingredients are totally fine, but please leave the following out of your beauty routine.

Lemons 

We, too, used to be fans of lemons as a skin-brightening ingredient. That is until we realized it’s actually super damaging to the skin. It’s true: lemon juice can brighten your skin. However, it’s highly acidic and dangerous to your skin. Lemon juice can cause severe dryness, burning, blisters, and even phytophotodermatitis, which is basically a serious burn that occurs when certain botanical substances react with UV rays. It is horrible, painful, and absolutely not worth it. If you want great looking skin or control hyper-pigmentation, practice healthy habits of using a broad spectrum sunscreen daily.

Baking soda 

There are plenty of DIY face scrubs and masks with baking soda as an ingredient. We’ve used it on our faces before. But baking soda has a pH of 9, meaning it can strip all the good acid out of your face, increase dryness, and end up causing your skin to overproduce oil. Some people swear by using baking soda to exfoliate, but it can cause serious long-term damage to your skin.

Eggs

Putting egg whites in your face mask probably won’t make your skin fall off, but using eggs in combination with other ingredients can cause adverse reactions. Your biggest worry is being exposed to salmonella. While eggs are fairly safe and can tighten your skin, if they’re not preserved correctly, you may experience not-so-pleasant results. If you really want to utilize eggs in your skincare routine, there are plenty of options you can get at your favorite beauty store that contains the correct ingredients and preservatives.

Sugar or salt 

Sugar and salt are awesome exfoliating ingredients for your body. Mix some coconut oil with brown sugar, and you’ve got a killer body scrub. But don’t you dare put those granules on your face. They are too harsh for the skin on your face, which is thinner and more sensitive than the skin on your body. The granules are too large and jagged, which can cause abrasions to your face. Err on the side of caution and reach for an exfoliant that’s actually meant for your face.

Cinnamon

Many beauty bloggers claim that cinnamon is the perfect ingredient for getting rid of acne, dark spots, and hyperpigmentation. Too much cinnamon may cause serious burning, dryness and can even cause permanent damage, according to dermatologists.

Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise works well as a DIY hair mask, but it’s not as great as a face mask. While it will make your hair super shiny and soft after 20 minutes, it will leave your face feeling greasy. Mayo is too thick for your face, can clog your pores, and will make you break out. Save it for your hair, salads, and sandwiches.

Generally, just be smart about what you’re putting on your skin. If you find something that works for you, great! But if you are going to try a new ingredient, do so sparingly and test out a spot before applying it all over your face.