Does Windex Work On Zits?

August

Nickers needs to know: Does Windex, the window cleaner, work on pimples? Because I just saw “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and they said to “Windex it.” Like put some on a cotton ball and dab it on. Is it true? The Right Brain responds:

We hate to break bad on scientific beauty advice from any major motion picture, especially a block buster romantic comedy such as this, but with all due respect: FORGET ABOUT IT!

Windex is a mixture of water, rubbing alcohol and some industrial solvents. Yes, it might help degrease your oily skin and it might even kill off a few acne causing bacteria, but it won’t work as well as pimple medications that you buy in the store. And it might even irritate your skin and make your pimples worse. Stick with Clearasil! (By the way, you’ll feel 13% smarter if you read our explanation of what causes acne.)

Or if you really want to try something different, check out the Zeno Zit Zapper. Yes, it’s expensive but it really works!

10 Responses to “Does Windex Work On Zits?”

Caspia Says:

Windex may not work very well on zits but it works wonders on carpet stains.
Lynnette Says:

Hey everyone,
Windex may not be the product of choice for using it on breakouts, but it is EXCELLENT for getting rings on and off. If your rings are tight, just spray Windex on your fingers/toes and POOF! the rings slide right on!
thebeautybrains Says:

Lynnette, while this might work I don’t think we should be recommending that people spray glass cleaners on their skin. It contains 2-butoxyethanol which isn’t a great chemical for your skin. For removing rings and things you could use something like vegetable oil.
Lynnette Says:

BB,
I have probably the most sensitive skin of anyone I know or who has become my client. I used this recently to put a ring on and washed it immediately off the finger. For me, it was no different than wiping the windows with a wet Windexed paper towel. Really, I did not react and it is not on the skin long enough to penetrate. You will find this being done at many jewlery stores. Gets it right over that knuckle! But, thanks for your concern and reply!!! PS– I am not using it on my clients…they can do it if they want to.
thebeautybrains Says:

We’re probably being over cautious. For the most part people should avoid exposure to chemicals though. They don’t have the same safety requirements for household cleaners as they do for cosmetics. Thanks for your comments.
Mike Says:

I had a roommate once who used Lysol for everything. If he were sick, he’d spray into into the vents, so it would be distributed throughout the apartment. If he had a cold sore, he would cut it with a razor and dab it with Lysol (I don’t know which is worse, actually cutting it with a razor, or dousing it with Lysol). Windex as an acne treatment. He would have loved it! Me? I work with dermatologists and plastic surgeons all over the country, including a doc who performs plastic surgery in New Jersey, and I can tell you one thing for sure: I’ve never seen any of them carrying Windex as a professional skin care product!
Vanessa Says:

Feel free to call me crazy, insane, etc. But after years of dealing with break-outs, I got fed up and tried the Windex. And you know what? It worked. After washing my face, I would spray a little onto a cotton ball and gently wipe the area where I had a zit. Within a couple of days they were almost gone. The Windex was a complete act of desperation. I had tried EVERYTHING else – believe me – everything. I probably spent thousands of dollars on products that helped for a few days and then everything went back to normal.

Now, my skin is happy, and I’m happy. It may not be a professional skin care product, but it helped me. I have extremely dry skin and I was very apprehensive the first time I used it. I figured it was going to burn like crazy, but it didn’t. I couldn’t even feel it. But the next morning, I could already see a major difference.

Like I said, call me crazy… but it truly worked for me.
Kevin Says:

Um… washing your face, good.
Windex… might disinfect. But if you are going to use chemical cleaners, disregarding the harm they do, then by all means just cut off whatever part of the body seems to hurt, and you won’t have to worry about it ever hurting again. Shoot, go ahead and just use super glue to hold your hair in place. You won’t ever have to do it again.
Heck, have your taxidermist in your Fav Five for those times when you want to look your best but never want to worry about dealing with it again…
Melissa Says:

The Windex on zits really does work,not as an all over treatment but more like a spot treatment( i only suggest using it on a zit that is really really bugging you) how do i know?
my friend Brandon used it once when our school took the drama students for a weekend retreat at a very expensive lodge,we woke up one morning and the zit was right on the end of his nose and it was huge,he dabbed some Windex on it out of curiosity and i worked wonders and by lunch time it was completely gone!
Surprise! « Blah blah blog-o-licious Says:

[...] My right hand flies up to my face landing on the the mother of all zits. In fact, it’s a 50 year old mother of all zits, about the size of the Big Island, perched on my upper lip, getting ready to take a dump down my face. I have a freakin zit!! A zit that is big enough for my husband to notice and he doesn’t notice anything. Did my body not get the message I’m way past puberty and it’s my birthday for cripes sake.? Maybe the hotel will lend me some Windex. [...]