I think it’s safe to say that everyone wants beautiful skin. Because really, who doesn’t? What’s better than having clear, soft, and radiant skin?
But sometimes the things we do may be causing more harm than good. Let’s call them skincare mistakes, and here are 9 that you absolutely need to avoid.
Skincare Mistakes You Need To Avoid
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Skipping out on a moisturizer
Every one with dry skin knows how important moisturizing is, but when you have combination or oily skin, moisturizing is still very important! Moisturizing is important not only because it hydrates, but also because it helps to balance the natural oils your skin produces.
When you have oily skin, (or skin that’s combo), skipping out on a moisturizer is one of the biggest skincare mistakes you can’t afford to make.
Remember those oils your skin naturally produces? Well, not hydrating your skin pretty much forces it to overcompensate and overproduce oil which can cause, you guessed it, excessively oily skin, (which can lead to breakouts!)
Looking for a good moisturizer and don’t know where to start? Two of my favorites include the Peter Thomas Roth Green Releaf Therapeutic Sleep Cream and the Mario Badescu Oil Free Moisturizer, both perfect for sensitive and oily skin!
Not cleaning your tools often enough
This one sits pretty high on the skincare mistakes list because it’s something many people seem to overlook. But seriously, not cleaning your makeup brushes and tools often enough can cause loads of skin problems.
Dirty brushes harbor bacteria, (plus oil, dead skin cells, dust, and other gross things). This can cause acne and breakouts. Dirty brushes are also dryer and instead of soft bristles, you’re left with harder ones, which may cause skin to become irritated as well.
Make sure you’re cleaning your brushes often, as in not every 6 months or so.
Exfoliating
Exfoliating your skin is totally fine, and sometimes necessary, but it can quickly become a skincare mistake if it’s not being done correctly.
When you exfoliate too often, or if the products you use are too harsh, your skin can become irritated; causing excessive redness and inflammation.
Try exfoliating no more than 2-3 times a week. Unless you’re using a Clarisonic cleansing brush, which by the way, I highly recommend. Then feel free to exfoliate every day.
You should also consider using a light exfoliator over a harsher one. Skip the St. Ives Apricot Scrub and use the Dr. Brandt PoreDermabrasion Pore Perfecting Exfoliator or the Cetaphil Extra Gentle Daily Scrub.
Not removing your makeup
Out of all the skincare mistakes you could possibly make, this is one of the biggest. It’s also probably the easiest to avoid and fix.
First things first, in case you didn’t know, not removing your makeup before bed does some serious damage to your skin. It clogs your pores, ages your skin, and can be a major cause of breakouts.
The easiest fix? Keep a pack of makeup removing wipes next to your bed. If you forget to take off your makeup before getting all cozy, you don’t have to get out of bed to do it. Just grab a wipe and you’re good. Although not the ideal way to ensure all of your makeup has been removed, it’s the bare minimum, and that’s certainly better than nothing.
My favorite makeup removing wipes for sensitive skin: Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes
Not having a morning skincare routine
I’m using the word “routine” lightly here, btw.
Your morning skincare routine really doesn’t need to be as lengthy as your nighttime one, let’s face it no one wants to do a 12 step process first thing in the morning. At the very least though, you want to make sure you’re cleansing your skin and moisturizing before applying your makeup or running out the door.
Use a mild cleanser, (I love the Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser), to remove all that dirt and oil build up from the night before. Then just apply your favorite day-time moisturizer to hydrate your skin and keep your makeup lasting all day long.
Not giving products enough time to work
Different products and their special ingredients each take a different length of time to work. Some products will show their results immediately, while others may take a little while longer.
That being said, don’t give up on a retinoid after 2 days when it takes 12 weeks to start working and seeing results.
Consider your skincare routine a marathon, you have to keep going to see results. You can’t expect products to work when you use them once every six weeks or if you’re just not giving them enough time to perform.
Stay consistent
Although it can be fun, and certainly tempting with all of the constant new releases, try not to test out every single new skincare product out there.
With so many different ingredients included in skincare products, your skin might panic when you switch things up too much, causing all sorts of problems, breakouts and irritation included.
Don’t overdue it by switching up your products too often. Find a routine and stick to it.
Not paying attention to other factors
You can have the absolute best skincare routine, that you consistently follow, and still lack great skin.
Take a close look at your diet, how much sleep you get, and any possible underlying health conditions. They could all be playing a huge role in how your skin looks.
Not using SPF
Would a skincare mistakes list be complete without including the biggest skincare mistake of them all?
Guess what! The sun causes more damage to your skin than any other external factor! Too much sun exposure can cause premature aging, sun spots, and skin cancer.
But don’t worry, you don’t need to avoid the sun for the rest of your life. (Being in the sun has too many of it’s own health benefits anyways).
Just make sure you’re applying SPF, always. Apply it in the morning, apply it on cloudy days, apply it in the winter. You should be wearing an SPF all 365 days of the year.
Great post, very good!! I gotta see more, so here’s my subsribe.
Thank you so much! (:
xo a
I totally agree with you, there are lots of things that need to be done if you want to have a clean, soft face. I’ve been struggling with my skin because I have atopic dermatitis. It’s been a wild journey between my skin and I. Anyways, this is a great post!
Ah, sorry to hear that! I hope it gets better.
xo a
This was helpful I think my biggest problem is staying consistent with my routines and also not giving them enough time to work as well. But you’re right I should give it more time and try to do it everyday. I think it requires me giving myself a bit more time in the morning. Thanks for the motivation lol
It takes a little while to get a routine going, but once you’re in it and used to it, it becomes easier! (:
xo a
These are some great tips. I am so guilty of not putting on SPF in the mornings. I think because I am rushing. I need to set it on my counter – thanks for the reminder!
You can also look for products that contain SPF in them, that might make it easier for you! (:
xo a
Great post! There are so many things that I need to work on – especially cleaning my makeup brushes and having a morning skincare routine!
Cleaning makeup brushes is seriously such a chore! I usually wait until I have no more clean brushes to use, which is horrible!
xo a
I fully admit that I’m bad for not cleaning my makeup brushes as often as I should… I’m trying to get better at it, but in order to do that I literally added it to my calendar to remind me hahaha
I’m the same way, it’s such an annoying task! But after learning how disgusting brushes can get, the idea of using dirty makeup brushes grosses me out too much!
xo a
Love these tips! Thank you so much. I was actually debating on trying the clarisonic and a little scared to try moisturizer as my skin has never been problematic.
The Clarisonic is honestly a must have. I couldn’t imagine my skincare routine without it. And everyone should be using a moisturizer, no matter what their skin is like. If your skin is unproblematic, a super light natural moisturizer is probably best 🙂
xo a
I’m super guilty of giving up on a product after a week! It’s hard to stay motivated when your skin gets so much worse, the few times I have stuck with something it usually works out in the end so I should probably try a few of my others! Great tips thanks for sharing!
It’s hard, but sometimes products need a little extra time to work. Just pay close attention to your skin and how it’s reacting to the products (like don’t continue using a product that’s causing your skin to burn or peel, that’s probably a sign it’s not right for you!) 🙂
xo a
I burnt my skin really badly on a recent holiday and have been looking at skin care posts for weeks and this is honestly the best one I’ve found! I love your writing style and overall aesthetic 🙂 And I can’t stress enough the importance of your last point… use SPF! xx
Thank you so much! Yes SPF everywhere, all the time! 🙂
xo a
Great post and fantastic tips. I am awful at staying on top of washing my makeup brushes!! And i totally agree that you must stay consistent!
Laura / https://www.laustworld.com
Consistency is important when it comes to pretty much everything in life, including your skincare! Thank you so much for reading! 🙂
xo a
Removing makeup is important!!
It’s so important! 🙂
xo a
Yicks! I’ve made many skin care mistakes that you’ve listed. I sometimes fall asleep without removing my makeup because I was being lazy and I should probably make a routine. And if you want me to confess, I sometimes forget to moisturize. Thanks for sharing this.
I think we’ve all made some of these skincare mistakes before! (Myself, a few more times then I’d like to admit, incuded)
xo a
I absolutely adore skincare so this was a really interesting read! The one I hadn’t thought of before was not giving products enough time to make a difference, I’m definitely going to work on this one! Great post
That’s a real game-changer. Some skincare products can take months before they start showing results! Unless your skin is having a reaction to a product, or your skin straight up hates a product, keep using it and be patient! 🙂
xo a