Enfnts Terribles

skincare mistakes

Latifa

8 Nov
Beauty

Skincare Faux-Pas: Are You Making These Skincare Mistakes?

Taking care of your skin should be the best part of your day. You know, a moment of indulging in self care and treating yourself, right? So, why bother with rules when you can just go with what feels right? The thing about skincare is that it’s not just about applying a series of products onto your face. These different products, all with different ingredients, have a certain way of working together to give you all the benefits. But that also means that these ingredients should be paired correctly, because some of them counteract each other or shouldn’t even be used in the same routine. And let’s be real, if you invest in that 70 euros-serum, you’d at least like to get all of its benefits, right? Let’s tackle a few rookie mistakes that will allow you to perfect your routine by introducing some small changes.

1. Slow Down on the Acids

Every skincare expert will tell you that chemical exfoliation by using acids is one of the best things you could do for your skin. Acids such as salicylic acid or glycolic acid slough off dead skin cells, minimize the appearance of fine lines and they help with hyperpigmentation. Of course, with every good news, there’s some bad news too. When acids are used correctly and sparingly, they could be your one-way ticket to healthy, glowy skin. But some people make the mistake of using high percentages of acid daily or even mix different acids in the same routine, because of the misconception that it will give them quicker results.

The reality is that when you over-use acids, you only damage your skin barrier and irritate your skin. When implementing AHA’s or BHA’s into your routine, make sure you slowly introduce them by using them once every other day or three times a week. And avoid using different acids on the same day, go easy on your skin!

Skincare mistakes

2. “I have oily skin, so I skip the moisturizer”

Having oily skin can be really frustrating as it’s really hard to control. But did you know that most people who think they have oily skin actually have dehydrated skin? Sometimes oily skin just means that your skin lacks the moisture it needs to be healthy, and in reaction to that it produces more oil to compensate the lack of it. That’s why hydrating and moisturizing your face are the most important steps to your routine.

It’s also important to know that there’s a slight difference between hydrating and moisturizing. When your skin is dehydrated, it means that your skin lacks water and here’s where you’d want to introduce a serum with hyaluronic acid into your routine. But when your skin is dry, you’re most likely not moisturizing enough. Both steps are just as important when it comes to keeping the skin barrier healthy.

If you have actual oily skin, there are plenty of light-weight formulas and gel-like moisturizers that will not cause your face to get oilier or feel greasy — but skipping moisturizer should never be an option.

Skincare mistakes

3. Cue the ‘Fresh prince of Bel-Air’ intro song

When Los Angeles-based esthetician, Nia shared the tea on her “60 second rule” on Twitter, her followers picked up on it really quickly and started implementing it into their own routine. The rule is pretty straightforward: we should be washing our face for at least 60 seconds in order to get the benefits from our cleanser. 60 seconds doesn’t sound like a long time, but you’d be surprised to know how quickly we tend to rinse off our cleanser, not getting even the slightest benefits of its ingredients. People who implemented this simple rule into their routines started saying how much softer and even their skin got when they actually started cleansing properly.

Nia’s tip: If you can’t keep track of the seconds, just sing the Fresh prince of Bel-Air intro song, it’ll do the trick.

4. Before we move past the cleansing part…

If by now you still haven’t jumped on the “double cleansing” bandwagon yet, you might want to think about finally making the move. Whether you go for full-glam on a daily basis or barely wear any makeup at all, cleansing your face at night is a very crucial step to your routine. Think about oil build-up, SPF residue and all the dirt that has been building up on your face after a long day. Running a makeup wipe over your face won’t do the trick! And that’s where double cleansing comes in — with an oil cleanser you melt off all the make-up and build-up before going in with your regular gel- or cream-based cleanser. You’ll be surprised by how much dirt and makeup remain on your face after just using your regular cleanser.

The best part is, there’s an oil cleanser for every skin type. So, there’s no need to worry about the oil clogging your pores or making your skin even more oily as long as you stray away from comedogenic oils such as coconut oil.

Photo Credits: Tom Newton, Benjamin Lennox

 

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