Have you been trying to get the perfect skin but you never seem to be able to get what works for your skin? Maybe you have tried so many skincare products, but each product was met with huge breakouts. Take a moment to ask yourself if you are doing everything right. Because if you are making any of the mistakes on this list, that could be why you don’t have your dream skin yet.
So, here is a list of 10 skincare mistakes you are likely making right now, and how to fix them.
1. You Are Using Toxic Substances On Your Body
Many skin care products contain ingredients that are toxic to your body. Some, you may notice a few weeks after you start using them. The effects of others may remain hidden for years until your body can’t take them anymore and starts showing it. For instance, there are ingredients in some skincare products that have been known to cause allergic reactions or increase the risk of cancer.
Many countries and international bodies have moved to ban these ingredients. The European Union has over 1300 of these cosmetic ingredients in its black book. Unfortunately, they can’t ban them all because some are still being discovered.
How To Fix This Mistake
If you haven’t, take a break now to look up the ingredients in your skincare products that are harmful to you. Discontinue the use of any product that does not pass this test and opt for other products that have ingredients that are not a threat to your health.
2. Not Using Sunscreen
Many people think sunscreen is only for summer and spring. Some people even skip it entirely, whether in summer or spring. And some others only apply it on their faces and limbs, but not anywhere else. Finally, some people ditch mineral sunscreen for chemical sunscreen filters.
If you fall into any of these categories, you are making a huge mistake (or mistakes if you fall in more than one).
How To Fix This Mistake
Always use your sunscreen, even when it doesn't look like the sun is shining. And don't forget to use mineral sunscreens instead of chemical sunscreens. The reason is that many chemical sunscreens contain ingredients that are harmful to your skin. Some of these ingredients include avobenzone, octocrylene, oxybenzone, and homosalate.
3. Failing To Moisturize After Cleansing
It is normal for your skin to be dry after you wash it at the sink or in the shower. The dry skin could even be exacerbated when you use harsh cleansers or hot water. Although you may feel clean after a hot shower, the dryness of your skin could damage your skin, and cause itchiness and irritation.
As the name suggests, moisturizer adds moisture to your skin. Failure to moisturize after cleansing could lead to dry skin problems.
How To Fix This Mistake
Always moisturize after you cleanse your skin. This returns moisture to your already dry skin. Also, only wash with lukewarm water. Hot water could damage your skin.
4. Touching Your Face
This is probably the easiest way of getting a breakout. Your hands touch everything. You shake the hands of other people, hold the doorknob, press your computer keyboard, all with your hands. As a result, your hands become home to all sorts of germs and bacteria. So, when you constantly touch your face, you transfer unwanted microorganisms to your face.
How To Fix This Mistake
Simple. Touch your face only when necessary. If you have formed a habit of touching your face for no reason, you need to get rid of that habit. Also, always sanitize your hands to keep the dirt on the low.
5. Mixing Ingredients That Are Incompatible
It is easy to take a look at two skincare products and mix them with the hope that the mixture would become more effective than either product. But the mistake you are making here is that these two products are nothing but chemicals. Mixing them might set up a chemical reaction that could be dangerous for your skin.
One common example is mixing skincare products that contain glycolic acid and salicylic acid. These two acids could expose your skin to a risk of over-exfoliation. Another common example is mixing retinol with chemical exfoliators. This combo could cause skin irritation, even if all you did was to use them separately but in the same routine.
How To Fix It
Steer clear of mixing ingredients if you are not a dermatologist or if you are without a prescription from one. Otherwise, you may risk harming your skin with incompatible ingredients
6. Daytime Use Of Retinol
Retinol is a great anti-aging agent. It is known to reduce wrinkle sizes, treat acne, and improve hyperpigmentation. With the usefulness of retinol, it might be easy to assume that it could do no wrong. However, using retinol in the daytime could do more harm than good. Retinol gets unstable when you expose it to light and heat.
How To Fix This Mistake
Include retinol only in your night routine. Retinol takes any of these forms in products: Retinyl acetate, Vitamin A, Retinol, Retinoic acid, retinyl esters, retinaldehyde, and retinyl palmitate. So, avoid using products that contain any of these ingredients in your morning routine.
7. Heavy Reliance On Facial Wipes
Facial wipes are easy and convenient to use. They are travel-friendly, and they feel good on the skin. You just have to dab your skin properly and all your makeup comes off. There are, however, some disadvantages to using facial wipes.
No matter how well a facial wipe cleans, it cannot replace a proper cleansing. Facial wipes do not clean your skin as cleansers would. And sometimes, you might need to scrub your face with the facial wipe before you are about to get the makeup off your face. To add to that, scrubbing your face could cause your face to be in distress, which you don't want.
Moreover, facial wipes are usually not eco-friendly. So how do you fix the mistake of heavy reliance on facial wipes?
How To Fix This Mistake
Facial wipes are good, but cleansers are better. Use facial wipes only when it is the last resort. Otherwise, stick to cleansers.
8. Not Exfoliating Properly
Exfoliating your skin is good practice. But over-exfoliating or under-exfoliating is wrong. It doesn’t matter whether you are using physical exfoliators or chemical exfoliators.
When you are using physical exfoliators, take it easy on your skin. Don't use it too often, or it could distress your skin over time. Over-exfoliating with physical exfoliators can cause little tears on your skin.
Chemical exfoliators are not as tough on the skin as physical exfoliators, but even then, they have to be used moderately.
How To Fix This Mistake
Try to find out what kind of exfoliators work best for you, physical or chemical. The best way to do this is by trying both exfoliators. And when you find your holy grail, stick with it. But don't forget to only exfoliate about twice or thrice in a week. No more.
9. Using The Same Towel For The Body And Face
Whatever touches your face often should always be kept clean, including your towel. Have you ever wondered why your towel gets dirty when you only use it after you have washed? It’s because you are not completely clean even after you wash. Many people use their towels for at least a week before they wash or change it. So, when they use this same towel that has accumulated dirt for over a week on the face, they are only inviting bacteria and germs to feast on their faces.
How To Fix This Mistake
Have a separate, small, and easy-to-wash towel for your face. This way, you would be able to wash it every two or three days, and too much dirt does not accumulate on it. If you can keep up with washing your face towel this often, you may use disposable paper towels. However, this is not an eco-friendly alternative.
10. Failing To Clean Your Makeup Sponges And Brushes
Your brushes and sponges have oils and microorganisms accumulate on them from constant use. And when you don't wash them deeply for over a week, you would be transferring the unfriendly microorganisms to your face with each use.
How To Fix This Mistake
Clean your makeup sponges and brushes every week, especially if you don’t cleanse your face regularly.
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