10 Skin-Care Sins That We Have All Been Committing

Are you guilty of committing these ten skin-care sins? Read on to know why following a proper skin-care regimen is important.

Agree with it or not, when it comes to skincare we have all sinned. They may not be as severe as the seven deadly sins but they are skincare sins, alright? How many of them are you guilty of committing?

Not Having A Skincare Routine

We barely wake up in time to get ready and eat, forget having a full-fledged skin routine.

Step 1: Cleanse

Step 2: Tone

Step 3: Exfoliate

Step 4: Moisturize

Never miss real stories from India's women.

Register Now

Step 5: Sunscreen

Make sure you are not just doing all the steps but doing so smartly. A little effort every day goes a long way and make sure you don’t overdo the products. When you subscribe to the beauty boxes, you get a lot of sample products or even when we go impulsive shopping we end up stocking a good number of products. We aren’t in chemistry labs that we would possibly get to try all of them.

Sleeping With Makeup On

We have all done this at some point in our lives, being too tired(read ‘lazy’) to take out the makeup or merely because we passed out after a night of partying. This has to be one of the deadliest skin sins we have been committing and it is time to repent. Our skin undergoes the process of self-renewal at night and the makeup acts as a barrier to it. Sleeping with makeup on further clogs your pores and the eye makeup just irritates your eye. But at no point rub your eye makeup off. Always do it gently. The skin around the eyes is even more sensitive and is more prone to wrinkles.

Overdoing Caffeine

 A good cup of coffee really gives us the kick to jumpstart our day. Though that one cup of coffee that wakes you up to function might not do all the harm in the world but all the subsequent cups of coffee you take definitely will. Caffeine also messes with your blood sugar levels which interrupts your skin renewal process and also too much caffeine causes dehydration. Neither of them screams good skin care, right?

Not Using Sunscreen

A lot of people believe that sunscreen is only essential for the peak summer months and the rest of the year is going to be a walk in the park for your skin. But, no, that’s not the case, it is important all year round. Not just the scorching sun months, your skin requires sunscreen in those winter months just as much. You have to choose your sunscreen wisely. There are a few things your sunscreen should definitely do:

1. Protect you from the harmful UV rays.

2 .Prevent blotchiness.

3. Prevent premature ageing of the skin.

4. Decrease the risk of skin cancer.

There are so many different sunscreens(lotions, serums, sprays) choose one according to your skin type, a brand that suits you, the SPF count and so on. Just make sure you apply your sunscreen 20-30 minutes before stepping out. Also while choosing your sunscreen, make sure you pick a broad spectrum one as it will cover all the factors. If you are still wondering which sunscreen to go for, then there is a list of 15 best sunscreens to opt for in India and oh, they are all chemical-free.

Getting Stressed

There are so many things we stress over- Whether you are getting late for work and are stuck in traffic, the meeting being in 10 minutes and you can’t find your presentation or wondering if you have left the straightener on.  Any of them sound familiar? Sometimes these reasons are trivial, sometimes they are major, either way, it’s going to have an effect on our skin. Stress triggers adrenal glands( they produce various hormones) to release the steroid hormone, Cortisol that stimulates sweat and oil production further worsening your skin condition.

Meditation is a good way of doing away with stress.

Using Products That Are Not Made For Your Skin Type Or Are Expired

We all have a certain skin type- some have normal skin, some dry, some oily, while some have a combination of both. It is crucial that all the products that you use go with your skin type or you’ll end up having breakouts and probably nasty skin infections that could seriously damage your skin. So carefully research what goes well with your skin type and please do keep a close eye on those expiry dates. I once woke up to rashes all over my face and wondered what wrong had I done to deserve that as my birthday was a couple of days away. After thinking about every life decision I made in the past week, I couldn’t even narrow the reasons down. Then, out of boredom, I stumbled upon my face wash’s expiry date. Want to take a wild guess what caused the rashes? Not just skin care products, even makeup products.

It might be a little hard to keep a track of the expiry dates as for some of them the dates are on the boxes. In times like those, if they smell funny to you, it is time to get rid of them. If they look weird, it’s time to get rid of them. If you don’t remember when you bought them, it’s time to get rid of them. Never use expired makeup products ever again, get new ones and stock them up in your makeup drawer, maybe use some deals or coupons from website like GrabOn, as the products are quite expensive.

Not Cleaning The Makeup Brushes Or Your Phone Screen

Yes, we have heard and read plenty of times that we absolutely need to clean our makeup brushes on a regular basis because if they aren’t then you’ll be exposed to pore-clogging bacteria every time you use them and worse you’ll end up with pimples. Our phones are usually exposed to a lot of bacteria. Coming to phones, they are always in our hands. Our hands are everywhere being exposed to all kinds of bacteria and the same gets transferred on to our phones and subsequently to our skin as we keep using them without cleaning them. So it is advised that we clean our phones regularly either with phone wipes or its substitute.

Not Sleeping Enough Or Doing It Wrong

Pretty much everyone I know is a night owl, me included. I even have a poster on my wall saying ‘I am a night owl’ as if my dark circles don’t scream that enough. But do you realize the effects it has on your skin? It has been established earlier that sleep is when our skin repairs itself. So, if we are not having enough of sleeping or doing it wrong(sleep facing down) it just doesn’t get the chance to work on repairing itself. It is always better to sleep on your back for so many reasons. So, the next time you are getting your beauty sleep, get enough of it and do it right.

Popping Pimples

I get it, it is absolutely embarrassing to have a pimple right before a big event or any other time for that matter. There is no right time to have a pimple, right? But you know what is even more disastrous than having a pimple? It is to pop one. It is very tempting to just get rid of it. But don’t do it. Besides leaving a mark, you are spreading the bacteria that’s causing the pimple in the first place to spread to your entire face. Now, that’s just too high a price to pay to get rid off one pimple. Don’t you agree?

Ignoring The Neck And Chest Area

A lot of us don’t even bother having a proper skin routine but those who do end up only focusing on the face and sometimes the hands and the legs. But a lot of people just don’t pay enough attention to the neck and the chest. Even our neck and chest get exposed to the harmful rays of the sun and to the dust and the dirt that is prevalent everywhere. So, why not a skin care routine for that? Make sure it is a part of the routine as well. After all, you don’t want an amazing looking face and a really sad and old looking neck with that, right?

I am guilty of committing some if not all the skin sins at some point in my life. We don’t understand the gravity of the situation and what is at stake here. Our looks play a major role in establishing our self-esteem. Let’s keep looking old and wrinkly to when you are actually supposed to and until then make skin care as important as breathing or checking the phone for what’s happening on Instagram or Snapchat.

Image Source: Pixabay

Comments