12 common skincare mistakes you must avoid

12 common skincare mistakes you must avoid

Skincare has been a game-changer for many of us and we can claim this without any hesitation! As soon as we incorporate this into our daily ritual, our skin feels the difference. Besides, it also provides us with some quality “me-time” in our daily hectic schedule. Looking back, we realize how the skincare routine has come a long way from what it actually used to be. Achieving flawless healthy skin is no doubt the end goal for all skincare enthusiasts, but many of us tend to make these common silly blunders unknowingly. Breaking an old habit is kind of difficult, but keeping good healthy skin as an end goal in mind is motivating enough to rectify them. So, keep reading this article till the end and find out if you’re also guilty of some of these common skincare mistakes!

Related article - https://selflovesoaps.in/blogs/news/difference-between-body-lotion-and-cream-and-when-to-use-each

1. Hitting the hay with the makeup on

This is the worst skincare mistake ever! Assume that you spend a fun night with your friends or had a long day at work and come back home tired that all you want is to hit your head on the pillow and call it a day with makeup on! What is the result the next day? OOPS! A pimple popping up on your cheek. The makeup on your skin could get mixed up with dirt and oil, eventually leaving you with clogged pores, blackheads, blemishes, acne, dull complexion and in worst cases, rashes. The odd occasion is acceptable, but if this is your habit then you need to stop that right away.  

Our skin tends to recover best at night while we are sleeping. Makeup settles down into our fine lines and creases, and additionally, creates a barrier between the skin and the atmosphere, making it hard to breathe. Furthermore, it also blocks the goodness of your essences, serums, treatments or moisturisers from absorbing properly into your skin. So, no matter how lazy or tired you're, remove makeup and wash your face before you hit the hay! Double cleansing is recommended to remove all the traces of makeup even if you use only sunscreen. For double cleansing, as a first step use any oil-based balm or cleansing oil or micellar water to melt down your stubborn waterproof makeup or sunscreen. For the next step, follow up with your regular oil-free cleanser. This simple change in your skincare practice can do wonders! Follow it!

2. Over-Exfoliating

Exfoliation is the key to the end of dead skin cells. Additionally, it helps in combating fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, hyperpigmentation and blemishes. It helps your essence, toner and the goodness of other skincare essentials to penetrate deeper by removing the build-up of dead cells. Being said that, anything in excess often comes along with undesirable adverse effects.  

Over-exfoliating can disrupt the skin’s natural moisture barrier. Dry or tight skin, redness, flakiness, sensitivity and bumpy skin texture are the signs that you’re over-exfoliating. Also, using chemical exfoliators like AHA, BHA or PHA is advisable over exfoliating scrubs with harsh particles like nut shells which can tear and damage the skin. Exfoliating 2-3 times a week is good enough. Listen to your skin and adjust accordingly how often you exfoliate based on how your skin looks and feels. Any signs of over-exfoliation suggest a relook at your exfoliation routine and method. Try handmade exfoliators like https://selflovesoaps.in/products/monalisa for better results.

3. Rinsing With Hot or Cold Water

Taking a hot water bath can be relaxing after a hectic day schedule, especially in the chilling weather. However, hot water can strip the skin of its natural moisturizing oils and tends to dry it out. Additionally, it can also cause redness and irritation. This is true for excessively cold water as well.  Dermatologists recommend using lukewarm water on the skin to avoid dryness.

4. Picking  up your zits or pimples

We know how satisfying squeezing a pimple is. Despite knowing the fact that it worsens the matter, we chose to do it anyways. Squeezing a spot to death just makes it bigger, redder and nastier. In case, you just can't help but squeeze your zits, make sure to properly cleanse your hands and skin. Also, make sure to apply only gentle pressure using the pads of your fingers and NOT nails to avoid tearing the skin. And, if it requires a lot of pressure, better to leave it alone.

 Also, squeezing any pimple present in and around your upper lips and nose can be fatal! Any infection around this area on squeezing can be forced into blood vessels present here which have direct connections to your intracranium. So, next time you chose to do so, reconsider your decision if your pimple happens to be in this dangerous area. If you badly want to get rid of some nasty pimples overnight, try the spot treatment instead.

5. Not Wearing Sunscreen Daily

All your investment in those expensive skincare products, plus your time can go down the drain if you don’t use your sunscreen every single day. Sunscreen is something which you just cannot afford to skip. Wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen (which protects against both UVA and UVB) of at least SPF 30 or higher protects you against premature ageing, skin discoloration and potentially serious skin damage in the form of cancer.

Inculcate the habit of finishing your skincare routine in the a.m. by applying sunscreen, can follow up with make-up. As a general rule of thumb, 2 to 3-finger lengths of sunscreen should be applied for adequate protection. Also, make sure to reapply it every three-four hour, especially if you tend to sweat a lot! For all those who feel that sunscreen is required only in the summer. No, that's not the case! Irrespective of the climate outside, if you're heading out during the day, just slather in some sunscreen. You need to apply sunscreen even indoors if you are working on a laptop or even while cooking as that also radiates heat.

6. Not Changing Your Towels and pillow covers

Your towels and pillows get dirty through regular use and are harbingers of bacteria, which are transferred to your skin as they have direct contact with your face thereby causing blemishes and pimples. Make sure to change your towels weekly to avoid bacterial build-up and ensure that they are hung at the end of each use to properly dry out after every use. If you happen to use a washcloth to clean your face, you should change your washcloth after every single use. 

Our pillow cover accumulates tones of stuff while we sleep - oil, sweat, sebum, dirt and haircare product residues. Henceforth, changing your pillow covers regularly is mandatory to avoid all possible skin infections.

7. DIY Skin Care

Okay, not all DIY skin care is bad for your skin. But there are a lot of DIY masks and treatments out there that can do more harm than good. So, we mustn’t simply put any random stuff we see on the internet. The most commonly used ingredients in DIY masks include lemon juice, toothpaste, glue and baking soda. Remember, all products and their ingredients are formulated and tested for specific uses; the above-mentioned ingredients are not intended to be applied to the skin and have not even been tested for this purpose, so be cautious of what you apply!

Lemon juice can hamper the natural pH levels of your skin, leading to dryness and irritation. Toothpaste on the other hand often has cooling agents like menthol, which can reduce redness and inflammation temporarily. But both, the redness and inflammation tend to come back again in a while. Moreover, toothpaste tends to dry out the skin, impair healing and can cause the appearance of dark spots once the pimple heals. Instead, use products and ingredients which are formulated to cater to these problems. If you want to play safe, rather use homemade skin care products from https://selflovesoaps.in/ according to your skin type. You will get a range of authentic homemade soaps and other skincare range with no preservatives, and no parabens.

8. Touching Your Face Too frequently

On an everyday basis, your hands go through a lot of things, they happen to touch all different kinds of surfaces during the day, carrying tones of bacteria and dirt! So, one of the effortless and most common ways to get a breakout or blemishes: running your fingers on the face constantly. Many of us constantly touch our faces countless times a day; it’s a natural habit and a common skin care mistake as well. So, try and control this habit of yours.

Also remember to disinfect your cell phone on regular basis, as our fingers are continuously touching the phone screen, which also rests against our face while we are on call. It is said that your phone surface is dirtier than a toilet seat because of all the probable places it is exposed to kitchen counters, restaurant tables, gym floors, maybe even bathrooms and many other public places. 

9. Not checking ingredients labels before adding them to your cart

Before you proceed to buy any skincare products, it’s of utmost importance to check their ingredients list and look for any toxic ingredients, parabens, fragrances or any ingredient to which you might be allergic. If you’re someone with acne-prone or oily skin then you must look for any Comedogenic Ingredients in the product you’re intending to buy. “Comedogenic” is just a fancy word for “clogs your pores”. Look for products with non-comedogenic formulas instead! You can truly enjoy your skincare ritual if you’re fully aware of the things you’re applying to your skin!

10. Storing Your Products Improperly

Ensuring proper storage of your skincare products is unavoidable if you want to ensure their efficacy and longevity. You can store most of your skincare stuff in your refrigerator, although it’s not obligatory. However, if you happen to store it outside, make sure to keep it away from direct sunlight and avoid storing them in moist, humid areas. Most products do well at the range of natural cool and warm temperatures throughout the year, but if direct sunlight falls on them on a hot humid day, they can heat up and deactivate in a moment.

11. Doing your skincare routine right before going to bed

Your skin resets, repairs and rejuvenates during the night. Henceforth, your p.m. skincare routine is essential. It’s recommended to do your p.m. routine at least one hour before hitting the bed so as to allow them enough time to absorb into your skin and work. Doing so would not let your product go waste as your pillow cover tend to absorb everything otherwise.

12. Neglecting your Neck

 We apply plentiful products on our faces, but we just forget our necks! It’s time that we stop this discrimination because the skin on the neck is thin and sensitive. So it's essential to take care of the neck from an early age to ensure that the skin remains taut and plump. So, next time you do your skincare, just shower in some love to the skin of your neck as well!

So, we have tried to cover some of the commonest yet inevitable skincare mistakes we tend to make, in case there’s anything else you all would like to know, just drop in your queries or doubts in the comment box below!