It’s really important to take care of your skin. It’s your body’s largest organ, and if you handle it with care, you can avoid aging wrinkles, dryness, and so much more. Getting into a skincare routine can be intimidating though, especially if you are new to it. Luckily with the internet, there are tons of resources that provide skincare advice. However deciphering what is true or false can be difficult. To make it easier for you, I've put together 10 things you should never do to your skin!
1. Never sleep with makeup on - At night when you're sleeping, your skin is in replenish/ repair mode. Anything you put on your skin during this time is being utilized in the maximum way possible. If you are sleeping in things like masks, serums or moisturizers your skin will be using all the nutrients to treat your skin concerns. However, if you're sleeping in your make-up (which includes all the dirt and pollution from the day), it hinders the healthy cell turnover and robs your skin of it’s night time recovery mode. That's why when you wash your face it's important to double cleanse. First use a make-up remover to remove makeup, then use a stronger cleanser to clean the rest.
2. Never skip on sleep - It isn’t called “beauty” sleep for no reason. Sleep gives your body’s cells a chance to repair and regenerate. Depriving your skin of essential sleep will stress it out and cause breakouts. Plus, when you’re tired, you tend to eat more junk food to keep you going and that too leads to breakouts and stressed skin.
3. Never cleanse with hot water - The heat is relaxing, but it disrupts your skin’s natural moisture balance. It also strips your skins natural oils, which is what keeps your skin healthy. More and more studies are coming out that shows how good the cold is for your skin. It's really good for anti aging as it sort of “freezes” the aging process. It also helps inflamed skin like acne, and rosacea.
4. Never pick at your skin - Picking at blackheads and other skin blemishes may be at the top of the list. Trying to squeeze blackheads, or popping whiteheads increases your chances of scarring, infection, and of course, pushing the bacteria deeper into the layers of the skin. The best remedy for blemishes is patience, and letting your skincare products do the work for you. Use products like retinol, salicylic and clay masks to get rid of blemishes. (FYI - Don’t use toothpaste to spot treat pimples. Dabbing toothpaste on blemishes can actually make the matter worse.)
5. Never overuse products - You can have great skin by keeping it as simple as possible. Trying too many products can irritate and strip your skin's barrier, which protects you from harmful environmental stressors. It’s best to stick to a simple routine and only introduce new products one at a time.
6. Never over exfoliate - Exfoliation is very beneficial for your skin as it removes dead skin cells, increases circulation, and cleanses the pores. The problem is if you over exfoliate it can strip your skin's protective barrier which can cause dry and irritated skin. Everyone should be exfoliating about 2-3 times a week and no more.
7. Never use food grade ingredients - Natural is good, but natural skincare ingredients are formulated differently than food grade ingredients and things like vinegar, spices, hydrogen peroxide, coconut oil, egg whites, or citrus can cause more harm than good. There is a reason we have chemists in a lab making skincare products. If food grade products worked, I think most of us would be saving money and in the kitchen whipping something up to fix our skin problems. Unfortunately though, it doesn't work like that and professional products work best for a reason.
8. Never touch your face - It’s much easier said than done, but try as best as you can to avoid touching your face. Spreading the bacteria from your hands to your face is just extra fuel for pimples. I think most of us are hyper aware right now of how much we touch our face because of the pandemic. For a healthy immune system and healthy skin, try your best to avoid touching your face, unless you've just washed your hands.
9. Never neglect your neck, chest & hands - Your neck & hands are actually one of the body parts that shows visible signs of aging first, so you want to take care of it. Exfoliate, moisturize, and wear sunscreen on your neck, chest, and hands in addition to your face.
10. Never take skincare advice from just anyone - There are a lot of influencers on the internet today who are being paid to push products that aren’t necessarily proven to work. They may be aesthetically pleasing, but that doesn’t mean they’re effective. Just because someone has good skin doesn't mean they are using the product they're promoting. Kylie Jenner for example, isn't using Kylie Skin, she's using professional products that are proven clinically to work. That being said, it's important to do your own research before buying products and make sure it's going to be effective for you.