common skin mistakes you're making

It's pretty safe to say that right now, showing yourself a bit of self-love through some self-care is a major thing considering the state of this world. It's become more important than ever to slow down, focus on you and your health amidst a world that has thrown literally everything, including the kitchen sink, at us (bushfires, covid-19, race issues just to name a few). 

Skincare routines and a good pamper sesh are extremely therapeutic and have become the new norm however with that comes some issues. Now there's no way we're gonna assume that you ain't taking care of your skin BUT are you doin' it the right way? 

Sure sometimes there seems like there's a little bit of wiggle room when it comes to skincare. Like I'm positive my skin's not gonna mind if I put on a little bit more moisturiser than is absolutely necessary, and surely, it won't have a fit if I need to borrow my best friend's lip balm because mine are hella chapped and it seems my own trusty lip balm has grown legs and gone walkabout again. Right? 

Well, you might actually be wrong. 

Below are the most common skincare mistakes you can make on a scale of 'that's kinda gross' to 'downright horrifying'. 

definitely don't wing it 

It can be kinda easy to feel as though 'making it up as you go along' is a perfectly, acceptable skincare routine to have, because after all, your skin isn't necessarily gonna punish you if you accidentally use your cleanser and toner in the wrong order. 

However, doin' your research (like reading this blog, go you) is important when it comes to trying a new product or figuring out what will work for your skin because like, you don't wanna be using a facial oil in the hopes that it hydrates your face when in actual fact your face might not even be dehydrated in the first place. 

Also, we don't blame you if you're easily swept up in tiktok beauty hacks and various other skincare trends but cutting corners with your routine isn't always the best way to go. Be wary of what will actually work and what will end up damaging your skin in the long run. Again, this is where research is definitely a must. 

don't forget to cleanse 

Girl if you're not cleansing regularly enough then we have some serious issues. 

We should all know by now that the human body is a breeding ground for loads of junk and grime, including but not limited to, dead skin cells, oil, sweat, and dirt that you've picked up while out and about for your allotted 2 hours of freedom a day (if you know you know). 

By not washing and cleaning your face often enough, these little skin aggressors sit on your skin for longer than they should, blocking your pores and leading you down the road to inflammation central. This means that you have a higher chance for ingrown hairs, acne breakouts, dark spots, signs of premature ageing and wrinkles. 

If you wanna avoid this (which should be everyone),  aim to cleanse your face at least one to two times a day and voila you've avoided common skin mistake no. 2. 

remove your makeup before going to sleep 

C'mon, it's 2020. If you don't know by now that you should never ever go to bed without properly taking off your makeup, then you have to have been living under  a rock. 

The main reason being that makeup will clog up your pores while you're getting some much needed zzzz's, especially if your skin is super oily or already acne prone. 

If you love wearing matte products like primers, foundations and lipsticks, this can also cause your skin to dry out at an alarming rate, leaving it all flakey, peeling and severely dehydrated, which is like obviously not ideal. 

The easiest way to avoid this is to use a makeup remover and to have makeup up wipes on standby as a backup to make sure you're leaving your face as makeup free as it can be. If you SOMEHOW slip up (maybe it's 2am and you've just come home but instead of taking off your makeup, you thought you'd make something to eat and now that you've finished your food you're too tired to do anything else so you just crawl into bed and pray that the makeup removal fairy comes in the middle of the night to do it for you), try double cleansing in the morning or add a toner into your routine for the day. 

stop over-exfoliating 

Now this is probably THE most common mistake you're making when it comes to your skin, namely because it's really easy to do. 

Some exfoliants can actually strip the skin of its natural moisture which can result in micro inflammation and compromise your skin's structure and function which is obviously not good. Longterm inflammation can also lead to other skin issues such as eczema, acne and dermatitis. Love that for you. 

To combat this problem, stick to gentle cleansers or body scrubs and clay masks. Perhaps you could try out our rose pink clay face mask?

Basically you want to avoid anything with large, abrasive particles that could potentially cause micro-tears or fissures to the dermis (below the epidermis) if you're using it too often or you're scrubbing too hard. 

don't take pimples into your own hands 

Literally. Put your hands down and step away from the mirror. 

We don't blame you if you get a thrill when you wake up in the morning and notice a nice, fat, juicy pimple on your chin (that was definitely not there when you went to bed last night), and feel the urge to squeeze the living bejeezus out of it but you must refrain. 

When it comes to picking at your skin, thinking you know exactly what you're doing can be super dangerous and just downright gross. If you approach a pimple or acne the wrong way, you could be at a high risk of developing post-inflammatory hyper pigmentation and uncontrolled breakouts. 

This could also spread bacteria below the surface of your skin and that's something you definitely don't want. 

If you have cystic acne or a really painful, large pimple that doesn't look like it's going anywhere anytime soon, your best bet is to consult your dermatologist for their advice and book yourself in for a facial so you can get it sorted the professional way.