Who doesn’t want soft, bright, and younger-looking skin? Stupid question, I know. We all do.
But, sometimes, it’s bad habits that get in the way and mess up your skin. I should know. These are lessons I’ve learned the hard way, and now I’m sharing them with you, so you don’t have to.
Here they are, the top 5 skincare mistakes to avoid:
Skincare Mistake #1: Exfoliating Too Much
Oh man, I love exfoliation!
Once those old and rough dead cells are gone, my skin looks so smooth and bright. And who has breakouts anymore?
Seriously, exfoliation is so good, part of me wants to do it all the time. But, that would be a recipe for disaster. If you exfoliate too often, you will remove too many layers, exposing the raw skin underneath that wasn’t ready to come up to the surface yet.
That raw skin is gonna be red, dry, and hurt like hell. Ouch!
So exfoliate, but never overdo it. That’s the biggest skincare mistake of all.
Related: How Often Should You Exfoliate?
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Skincare Mistake #2: Using Body Products For Your Face
Sometimes, if I don’t like a facial moisturizer, I’ll use it on my body. It’d be such a waste to just throw it away, and I hate waste.
But, doing the opposite, and using a body moisturizer on my face? Mmm… NO. It’s true, products for the face and body contain the same ingredients. BUT, and this is an important but, in different amounts.
Body care products contains higher amounts of emollients, fragrance, and other ingredients that could irritate the more delicate skin of your face, or, at the very least, cause breakouts. Thanks, but no thanks.
Skincare Mistake #3: Not Using Retinoids After 25
Why oh why did I wait so long to try retinoids? Retinoids, such as Retinol, Retinyl Palmitate, Tretinoin and Retinaldehyde to name a few, are all forms of Vitamin A, the best weapon for fighting the signs of aging.
Retinoids accelerate cellular turnover and boost the production of collagen, which reduces wrinkles and dark spots. For real. Not like those silicones that only fill wrinkles in or concealers that hide the unevenness. Retinoids are the real deal.
I think your mid 20s are a great time to start using a retinoid cream at night. I wouldn’t use it during the day, because retinoids can make skin more sensitive to the sun (so ironic, as they’re so great at treating sun damage!).
Related: The Best Skincare Products With Retinol
Skincare Mistake #4: Getting Too Much Unprotected Sun Exposure
Who knew that sunscreen wasn’t just for the beach? Sadly, the sun doesn’t just make your skin burn. It also causes wrinkles. And dark spots. And skin dryness. And skin cancer.
The worst part? Sun damage (with the exception of sunburns, of course!), doesn’t appear straight away. The damage done today will accumulate and show up in a few years’ time. It’ll be totally unexpected. And not at all pretty.
So, put your sunscreen on. Every day.
Skincare Mistake #5: Touching Your Face
Am I the only one who loves touching her face? Facial oils and silicone-based foundations make it so smooth, I can’t keep my hands off it. Ok, I’ll stop being a weirdo, now.
Point is, your hands are full of germs. And, when you touch your face, you’ll transfer some germs on it. Eww! That’s gross. Plus, it can cause pimples. And irritations.
So, resist the urge. Keep those hands off your face, ladies! It’s an underrated skincare mistake that can cost you dearly.
I’ve broken rules 2,3,5. I never over exfoliated and I don’t even use an exfoliator at the moment though I’m planning on getting one. I have gotten way too much sun too many times without sunscreen a few years back. I only used body products for the face for a week and it was moisturizer.
Right now, I’m breaking rule 3 by not using a retinoid product. 😮
Janessa, I think we have all broken most of these rules every now and then, especially number 4. I wish we had known earlier how important wearing sunscreen daily is. And you should really consider getting a retinoid product. You will see a bit difference in how your skin looks and feels and it may even help repair some of the damage caused by unprotected sun exposure.
Yeah, I’m guilty of touching my face: especially when it’s feeling particularly soft and awesome. I just can’t stop touching it when it’s so nice. But then I ruin it that way.
I’ve been on a quest to stop. 😀
Trisha, that’s a habit hard to break, isn’t it? I like to touch my face too when it is all soft and smooth as it just feels so nice, but I’m slowly learning not to do that as it’s not really good for skin. I hope you’ll soon be able to stop doing that too.
very good list…i touch my face too much, oye vey. that’s my sin
Vonnie, it’s hard to keep your hands away from your face, especially when it feels really soft, isn’t it? Unfortunately it’s not really good for skin so it’s best to keep that to a minimum.
guilty as charged….especially for #5! i can’t stop myself from popping those blackheads ><
Xin, you shouldn’t, that’s really bad! But I know it’s hard to resist. When you get a blackhead, all you wanna do is get rid of it as soon as possible.
Great post and I raise my hands up to No5. But what I have learnt to do over the years is use the back of my hand to rub my face if needed, I suppose it does help to some extends. Thanks for sharing
Grace, I had never thought of doing that. Thanks for sharing.
I definitely exfoliate way to much! and yes Im a big victim of face touching! Not so big on the picking of blackheads.. and now I never will be 🙂
Lynda, exfoliating too much is never good. You can really risk to damage skin. But it’s good that you don’t pick blackheads, that’s another big skincare no-no. 🙂