Are you treating your skin blindly and just doing what you have been told to do so you can claim you have a ‘skincare regime’ in the hopes of one day having clear, glowing skin? Don’t feel bad, most of us are guilty of this – because let’s face it, life gets busy and our skincare can take second place.
Tumi Lehutso from Fundamentals Skincare says that caring for your skin can come first and it can be easy. All you need to know is what you should not be doing – in essence break up with those bad habits. We make skincare so fun and exciting, you can do it while filming your favourite Tik Tok dance challenge.
We all know that you should remove your makeup before sleeping, drink enough water, and choose the right products. So, not to bore you with the repetition, let’s get a bit beyond the basics:
Common Bad Habit 1: Using too many products
Too much of a good thing, like having a different moisturiser for every day. With so many skin care choices available you can often overuse or combine products – which can worsen your skin. Stick to the basics, stick to products your skin needs and keep going.
Common Bad Habit 2: Not layering correctly
This is something most of us are guilty of as it’s common to mix skincare formulas to boost their potency, but some combinations just don’t complement each other. These include AHAs and retinoids, vitamin C and retinoids and salicylic acid and retinoids. Mixing formulas creating a cocktail of actives nonchalantly can be dangerous as these ingredients can over stimulate your skin and possibly lead to damaged skin.
Common Bad Habit 3: Not applying sunscreen
Sunscreen application is a must every day if you’re going to be in the sun at all. Whether it’s going to the beach for the afternoon or just walking from your workplace to your car or public transport, sunscreen is necessary to protect your skin from sun damage. Some people still believe they only need to apply sunscreen if they’re going to be sitting in the sun for long periods of time. However, dermatologists and aestheticians everywhere will tell you that this is incorrect. It’s crucial that you keep your skin safe from sun damage every day, even when you won’t be spending a lot of time in the sun.
Common Bad Habit 4: Exfoliating too much
Exfoliation is crucial and so satisfying when done, but only to a certain extent. Too much or too little can land you in a pickle of bad and sensitive skin. This being irritation, skin flaking, and general pain. You may even be unable to get certain facials or use certain types of makeup because your skin is just too sensitive. You only need to exfoliate a few times a week. Additionally, you should only exfoliate with chemical exfoliators as physical exfoliators very often lead to over exfoliating in different areas as penetration is not even and very off these types off exfoliators are too harsh and can damage your skin barrier.
Common Bad Habit 5: Picking at breakouts
Ladies and gents, it’s no secret that no matter your age, at some point you will experience a breakout in your lifetime. When this happens do not be tempted to pick at pimples as soon as you get them. This can be incredibly unhealthy for your skin. Not only can this bad habit scar your face, but it can also lead to the pimple rupturing underneath the skin surface. If a pimple bursts underneath the skin, it exacerbates inflammation on the surface of the skin, which can cause even more breakouts over time. If you feel like you need to extract a pimple, talk to a professional about removal methods, rather than trying to pick at it yourself.
“Perhaps a few of these bad habits may ring true for you? It’s not too late to correct the course, and to improve your skin. We all dream of having flawless skin, but it takes a lot more than buying good products to reach that goal. If you religiously follow a skincare routine but do not notice any progress, maybe you are unconsciously doing one of the above mistakes,” concluded Lehutso.
18/08/2022
Since the release of this article, we have been invited to chat further about skincare and how you can build healthy skincare habits by Good Hope Radio and Cape Talk Radio. Listen to the full interviews here:
CapeTalk Interview
Good Hope FM Interview
