Things You’re Probably Doing Wrong With Your Skin Care
Getting flawless and glowing skin isn’t easy. if you aren’t naturally blessed with amazing genetics that has given you flawless skin, you have to take good care of your skin. The problem is that skincare can be a complex task that has several nuances that most of us are not even aware of.
What becomes even more intimidating is that if you aren’t too careful, you may end up making skin care mistakes that can leave you with bad, bad skin.
To help you understand the common mistakes that people usually tend to make in terms of skin care, we have compiled a list below. If you do any of the things listed below, you should stop, immediately.
Being stringent with sunscreen
Firstly, it’s great that you’re using sunscreen as it’s an important part of your skin care routine that can help protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun.
What you need to pay attention to is whether or not the amount you are applying is adequate enough to actually provide the required protection. Usually, people use only a quarter of the amount of sunscreen that they should apply, which, as you might have guessed, isn’t enough. Hence, make sure that when you apply the sunscreen, it’s sufficient to give you complete coverage from sun exposure.
Using the wrong moisturizer formula for your skin
Using a moisturizer has too many benefits to count. Glowing skin, maintaining water levels, and ensuring hydration. But, using the wrong moisturizer formula will sadly do more bad than good.
Depending on your skin type, you should buy a moisturizer that can meet your skin’s needs. If you have dry skin, you should use a formula that has a higher level of emollients. On the other hand, oily skin owners need moisturizers that have exfoliating ingredients such as salicylic acid, or lactic acid.
In fact, be very careful when you are shopping for skin care products. You need to find products that will not irritate your skin type, and help to satisfy its hydration requirements.
Purchasing products without reading the ingredient lists
It should be noted that many beauty companies list beneficial ingredients on product labels but with a catch. The catch here is that the amounts of these beneficial ingredients are not sufficient to actually be useful for your skin and only serve the purpose of “window dressing.“
Hence, before you buy any product, you should educate yourself about the total content of every single ingredient to be fully aware of what you are paying for. If you have sensitive skin, avoid products that contain any kind of harsh alcohol as it may cause inflammation and irritation.
You wash your face way too much
Many of us love a matte finish and want to eliminate any kind of excess shine. But, this doesn’t mean that have a little oil is bad. You see, you need natural oils to protect the different layers of your skin and make you look healthy.
You may have felt a certain tightness or a tingling sensation after you wash your face. Let us tell you that this sensation isn’t a good thing – at all! It means that our skin has been stripped of its natural oils that will only cause irritation.
In order to avoid such situations, you should always use a gentle cleanser and immediately apply a moisturizer afterward. Limit the total washing to only twice a day as over-cleansing is something you need to avoid at all costs.
You avoid cleaning your makeup brushes
With our busy schedules, we may not always have time to periodically clean our makeup brushes. As a result of which, we do end up using unclean makeup brushes that can cause skin issues.
If you use dirty makeup brushes on your skin, you will only end up clogging it. Whiteheads, blackheads, and acne can start making recurring appearances if you still practice caution. If you haven’t found time to clean your brushes, just apply the makeup products with your fingers – only after cleaning them, of course!
Taking a hot water shower
Frankly, we get it. Nothing sounds better than feeling the sensation of hot water against your skin, especially after a very long day. But, hot water has a higher tendency to dry your skin making it more prone to irritation. Instead, you should use lukewarm water and even better if you can opt for a cold water rinse.
This rule remains uniform even during the times when you remove makeup. Always be gentle whenever you are cleaning your face and use only cold or lukewarm water.
Forgetting to apply eye cream
It’s important to incorporate using an eye cream in your daily skin care regime because the skin near our eyes tends to age faster. Your under-eye area and neck are the places where you will first see wrinkles, crow’s feet, and other fine lines. Hence, you should take special care to ensure that these areas are always well-moisturized and hydrated.
Also, eye cream contains ingredients that can help to reduce any puffiness and eradicate premature signs of aging. We would also recommend that you start using eye creams early to prolong the aging process.
You are over-exfoliating your face
Over-exfoliation is not good for your face as it strips the skin of its natural oils and causes inflammation. You should use facial scrubs twice or thrice a week to remove dead cells buildup. If you overdo the process, you may suffer from premature aging and acne issues.
You need to be careful with the exfoliants that you are applying to your face. Try to avoid products that contain harsh ingredients as they may lead to micro-tears on the skin surface. A very common example is using walnut scrubs. The only time that you should use this product is when the walnut particles are grounded and tiny.
Resources – The Healthy, Bustle, Seventeen