What Are The Side Effects Of Colgate Toothpaste On The Face?

You have a big day coming up in a few days, but you are in helpless situation with pimples on your face. Horrible, right?

You may think of using your Colgate toothpaste to eliminate the pimples, since you learned this hack online. Yes, this might have made your day, but at the same time, you should take the side effects of Colgate on face into account before applying.

Colgate temporarily removes acne but will irritate your skin. Damages caused by Colgate include dry skin, burning, and redness. Ultimately, using Colgate as the pimple diminisher will end up in increasing the existing pimples on your face.

Let’s ecplore how Colgate works to damage your skin. In addition, you will get some solutions to heal the damages caused by Colgate on your face.

What causes side effects of Colgate toothpaste on the face?

The chemicals present in Colgate toothpaste cause side effects of it on the face. Because they are intended to clean and strengthen human teeth, not human skin.

Like other toothpastes, Colgate contains sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium bicarbonate, and triclosan. Some Colgate toothpastes contain menthol. When Colgate is applied on the face, these ingredients will  temporarily reduce pain and swelling of pimples.

However, the truth is, these ingredients anger the face skin under the name of shrinking zits. SLS and sodium bicarbonate cause dry skin. If you already have dry or sensitive skin, no need to tell how severe the situation would be.

Triclosan fights against acne-causing bacteria, but it causes burning and itchiness on the skin.

All the mentioned irritations result in breaking the outer layer of your skin. Your skin will produce more oil to compensate for the lost moisture, leading to pore clogging and acne breakouts. Again, severe burning, itchiness, and dryness will leave scars on the face difficult to heal.

Moreover, Colgate has basic level pH, where your skin has acidic pH. Obviously, Colgate ingredients will irritate your skin but adore your teeth.

Colgate contains fluoride, sulfates, artificial sweeteners, colors, fragrance, and preservatives, which are equally harmful for the acidic pH levels.

Treatment of Colgate toothpaste side effects on face

You can use topical or oral drugs or natural products (tea tree oil, aloe vera) to treat the Colgate toothpaste side effects on face.

Medications

Your dermatologist will recommend OTC topical gels, creams, or cleansers for mild-to-moderate acne and pimple breakouts. These medications generally contain retinol, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, alpha hydroxy acids, and sulfur.

If Colgate causes severe breakouts on your skin, your doctor may recommend topical or oral drugs, like isotretinoin, tretinoin, clindamycin, antibiotics, or birth control pills.

Tea tree oil

Since Colgate disrupts the acidic pH of human skin, using something acidic as well as anti-inflammatory, like tea tree oil can be the best natural way to soothe the acne breakouts caused by Colgate.

To use tree oil in your face, you will need –

• 1-2 drops of tea tree oil
• 12 drops of any carrier oil (like almond, aloe vera, or coconut)
• A gentle, acne-specific cleanser or face wash
• A Q-tip or cotton pad
• Moisturizer

Now, here is the process

1. Wash your face with the cleanser or face wash.
2. Pat dry your face with a clean towel.
3. Dilute tea tree oil with the carrier oil.
4. Dab your cotton pad or Q-tip with the oil mixture.
5. Dab the acne spots or blemishes of your face gently with the Q-tip.
6. Air dry it.
7. Lastly, apply your moisturizer.
8. Repeat this treatment every morning and night, until the zits disappear.

If you don’t want to touch sticky oils, use tea tree toner after cleansing your face, twice a day. 

• Moisten a cotton ball or pad with tea tree toner.
• Gently rub it on your face excluding your eyes and lips.
• Air-dry your face and moisturize it later.

Aloe vera

If tea tree oil is not available for the spot treatment, use aloe vera instead. Aloe helps in reducing redness, hyperpigmentation, and acne lesions.

The easiest applications of aloe vera for acne are using pure aloe directly or spraying aloe-water onto the face.

For using aloe vera directly –

• Apply fresh aloe vera gel to existing acne.
• Leave it overnight.
• Wash your face in the morning.

For making aloe water spray –

• Combine 2 parts water and 1 part aloe vera gel. 
• Dilute it well. 
• Spray it onto the affected area, excluding eyes. 

Alternatively, you can combine both tea tree oil and aloe vera to treat mild to moderate acne breakouts.

• Mix equal parts of water and aloe vera.
• Add 2-3 drops of tea tree oil to it.
• Clean your face with this solution.
• After 2 minutes, wash it off with water.

Charcoal

An activated charcoal face mask can be another good option to reduce the damages caused by Colgate on face. It will remove impurities from your skin, combat acne-causing bacteria, and soothe inflammatory lesions.

To make an activated charcoal face mask, take –

• 2 teaspoons of water
• 1 teaspoon of activated charcoal powder (you can use 1 activated charcoal capsule instead)
• 1 teaspoon of bentonite clay
• ½ teaspoon of raw honey
• A drop of lavender/lemon/tea tree essential oil

Here is the process you have to go through

1. Add essential oil to water. You can exclude oil if you want.
2. Add bentonite clay and let it absorb in the water.
3. Add charcoal and honey.
4. Keep stirring until it forms a paste.
5. Apply this mask on your clean, washed face. Don’t apply it on your eyes.
6. Use your fingertips to gently massage the mask.
7. After 15 minutes, rinse it off with warm water.
8. Pat dry your face.
9. Moisturize your face with a facial moisturizer.

How to avoid the side effects of Colgate toothpaste on the face? 

Simply, stop using Colgate as the fast acne shrinker if you already have sensitive skin or on a regular basis.

Sometimes, Colgate is not the only responsible for breakouts. Rather, unhealthy lifestyle accelerates the side effects of Colgate toothpaste on the face.

Therefore, always eat healthy and fresh food, avoid junk or leftovers, sleep properly, exercise regularly, drink plenty of water, and be stress-free. These habits will prepare your body to combat toxins and not let Colgate toothpaste react easily against your skin.

Check the skin care or makeup products you are using currently and try changing them. It might be possible that you are using wrong skin care products.

Minimize your vitamin C intake if Colgate affects your skin. Because vitamin C irritates the affected area more. Avoid drinking lemon juice and adding it in the face pack intended for your irritated skin.

Add prebiotics (like whole grains, greens, bananas, soybeans) and probiotics (like buttermilk, cheese, yogurt) to your diet. These ingredients increase the beneficial bacteria on the skin and help them to fight against acne-causing bacteria. This way the toothpaste won’t get the chance to destroy your skin.

Wash your face thoroughly right after brushing, not before than that. This way, the chemicals of the toothpaste won’t be able to crack your lips or irritate the skin around the lips.

Can I use Colgate toothpaste if I have sensitive teeth?

Of course, you can. Colgate’s line of sensitive teeth toothpastes will relieve your teeth from sensitivity 24/7. In addition, they will prevent plaque and cavity from building on your teeth, freshen your breath, and whiten your teeth.

Moreover, they will polish away surface stains from your teeth without destroying the enamel. To receive these benefits, brush your teeth correctly with a Colgate sensitive teeth toothpaste twice-daily, for up to 2 weeks.

FAQ 

Is it safe to use Crest toothpaste on my face?

Absolutely not. Crest toothpaste contains stannous fluoride, which makes it harsher than other toothpaste brands with sodium fluoride. If you apply Crest on your face, you may feel burning. Leaving Crest toothpaste on pimples overnight will result in redder, more painful pimples.

Should I avoid using toothpastes with fluoride in them when I have sensitive teeth?

No, rather you should use toothpastes with fluoride if you have sensitive teeth. A mineral like fluoride will rebuild your tooth enamel, reduce sensitivity, and prevent tooth decay.

How can I protect myself from dental problems if I’m using over-the-counter (OTC) dentists or mouthwash products?

Read the instructions labelled on your purchased OTC dentists/mouthwash products and use them accordingly to prevent dental problems from happening. Before applying, you better ask your dentist and see if he approves them or not.

What should I do if I experience any side effects from using Colgate toothpaste on my face?

Stop using Colgate toothpaste on your face immediately if you experience any side effects. Try applying aloe vera or tea tree oil to heal your irritated skin. If your irritation still exists, consult your dermatologist.

Verdict

After knowing the possible side effects of Colgate on face, you should stop trusting toothpaste for eliminating your zits.

You may use Colgate in a pinch to get an acne-free face overnight, but you should try keeping your skin healthy always so that you won’t have to rely on any fast, risky acne-removal method.

Also read – Which toothpaste is best for pimples?