While all of us long for a healthy and youthful skin, some of our daily habits and routines can actually harm it - without us even knowing. We might wonder why our skin breaks out even though we wash it daily, or why we have to deal with dry patches and tightness despite exfoliating often. If you want your skin to look and feel better, you need to avoid these 10 bad habits.
1. Using Dirty Brushes
No matter how carefully you wash and exfoliate your skin to get rid of dirt and dead skin, you might sabotage your skin regime simply using dirty brushes. Using dirty brushes, full of bacteria and germs, will eventually cause your skin to break out and get irritated. Just think about it: By using dirty brushes, you are putting months-old oil, dead skin and dust back onto you skin. So no matter how clean your face is when starting to apply Makeup, it definitely will suffer from bacteria and germs your brushes have been collecting over time.
2. Sharing Makeup
Another reason why you might be breaking out is sharing Makeup. Every time you touch Makeup, you are transferring germs and bacteria to your eyes, mouth and skin. When sharing Makeup, you are cross-contaminating the products, which is especially dangerous when sharing eye-makeup (hello eye-infections!).
3. Sleeping With Your Makeup On
This has happend to all of us - especially after a long day at work or a few drinks too much. But be careful, sleeping with your Makeup on will age your skin, no matter if it only happens a couple of times. Foundation clogges your pores - causing it to break out, lipstick left on over night will cause your lips to chap and get dry and mascara, when worn over night, can cause your eyelashes to get brittle and break. So really, nothing good can come from sleeping with Makeup. Tip: Put some Makeup remover wipes and a moisturizing lip-balm in your nightstand. This will give you no room for excuses.
4. Washing Your Face In The Morning
While washing your face is important to keep it clean and to get rid of unwanted oils and bacteria, using (aggressive) soaps and cleansers in the morning is not necessary and can even dry out your skin. It is important to get rid of all Makeup and dirt before you go to bed, but it is enough (and even healthier) for your skin to only wash your face with water in the morning (or a sensitive cleanser if you really feel like you need it).
5. Sunbathing
Yes, I understand that we all like to have a beautiful tan all year around (especially when you are as pale as me!), but no matter if you sunbath on the beach or use sunbeds, it's equally harmful for you skin. Sunbathing doesn't only age your skin extremely with premature wrinkles and dry patches, but also gives you a much greater chance of developing skin cancer and other skin problems.
6. Skimping Sunscreen
The best way to protect your skin from harmful UV rays is to use sunscreen, especially on your face and neck, and places where clothing doesn't cover your skin. Use sunscreen everyday underneath your Makeup, even on cloudy days (clouds can reduce or even increase UV levels).
7. Constantly Touching Your Face
Picking on your skin (especially pimples) can damage your skin tissues, cause skin infections and scarring. But you don't even have to pop any zits to cause damage to your skin - touching it with your fingers (even if you think they are clean) can cause breakouts and acne due to germs and bacteria. The same goes for dirty pillows and your phone. Tip: Always keep some hand sanitizer in your purse and make sure your phone is clean.
8. Over-plucked Eyebrows
Most people underestimate the power of eyebrows and how they can shape your face. Over-plucked and too archy eyebrows can make you appear much older than you really are, while thicker eyebrows can make you look more youthful. If you don't have naturally thick eyebrows, you can achieve this look by outlining and filling in your brows with a brow pencil (like this one - it's my favorite!) or a brow pomade (like this one) applied with an angled brush.
9. Not Getting Regular Haircuts
If you are trying to grow your hair longer, it might seem contradictory to get regular trims. But don't be mistaken: regular cuts lead to healthier and more beautiful locks. If you have split ends, it can cause your hair to look more damaged than it really is. Taking off a couple of inches can make your hair look much more shiny and healthy. Depending on how often you wash your hair and use heated styling tools, you should get a trim every 8-12 weeks to keep your hair from being damaged and developing split ends.
10. Over-Exfoliating
Exfoliating is amazing to unclog pores and remove dead skin cells, leading to a much healthier and youthful looking skin. But exfoliating too much can be harmful for your skin, causing irritations and weakening its barrier function. Signs of over-exfoliating are tight skin (because of a lost of moisture), increased sensitivity, itchiness and redness. So how often is too often? In general (depending on your skin type), you should exfoliate between 1-3 times a week.
Do you have anything to add? What are your favorite tips for better skin?
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