I’m Judge Makeup Tips and I’m about to bust you for believing one of the most popular DIY’s on the internet and you now have the right to purchase a primer.
“I have the oiliest skin ever and Milk of Magnesia works amazing as a primer! Keeps my makeup on all day, my skin matte plus it is SOO cheap and gets rid of my acne” she said.
Milk of Magnesia (or Mylanta) is basically a liquid you ingest to help ease the pain of Indigestion/Heartburn/Reflux, etc. How this beauty “tip” came to surface I will never know but boy has it become a popular one…
Whilst Milk of Magnesia and other products designed for heartburn relief are perfectly fine to ingest it isn’t perfectly fine to use on your skin however many people argue that since it is safe to ingest it is perfectly safe to use on your skin but this just isn’t true, it is important to remember that our stomachs produce an acid so they can digest food (hydrochloric acid, the skin does not produce this) and to neutralize that acid if you have indigestion you need to use a product that has a high enough pH balance. The skins ideal pH balance is around 5.5 whilst Milk of Magnesia has a pH balance of roughly 10.5, making it unsuitable for use on the skin. Whilst you may find it mattifies your skin and does a great job at keeping makeup on, Milk of Magnesia can (and probably will) destroy your skin… Whilst it has some ability to absorb excess oil it can do more harm than good. Overtime Milk of Magnesia can absorb to much oil often causing the skin to become severely dry and conditions such as eczema and dermatitis to occur… it can also have the reverse effect by causing the skin to overproduce oil to compensate for the oil that has been lost, the high pH balance can cause skin to go all over the place dry itchy and red in some areas whilst oily and acne prone in others.
Instead make sure you have a good skincare routine that is well pH balanced (I find natural/organic skincare works best, not skincare you mix up in your kitchen, I mean good quality brands that have undergone proper testing to ensure they are safe for the skin) after a while the skin should return to a normal pH balance so you shouldn’t be needing any hardcore mattifying primers anyway. If your skin is still super oily (whether it be from a hot climate or just genetics) opt for mattiying primers and foundations, some of my favourites include Korres Pomegranate Mattifying Primer, Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, *Benefit Porefessional and for foundation Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Mattifying Foundation (seriously mattifying only use if you have very oily skin), Estee Lauder Double Wear Liquid Foundation or Revlon ColorStay Liquid Foundation for oily/combo skin
BEAUTY MYTH: BUSTED! Milk of magnesia is for indigestion, not your skin, case dismissed.