Let’s be real, no one intentionally wants to mess up their skin, hair or nails. We all have good and bad habits alike and we’re not here to judge, it’s what makes us human. However, when it comes to your beauty routine it’s worth taking the time to check-in and see where you might be going wrong. Some, you might be painfully aware of but you might be unintentionally making a few crucial mistakes in your busy day to day life. Figuring out which bad habits you’ve picked up might just answer your toughest beauty problems, like why you’re skin’s breaking up or even why your hair is falling out. So in an attempt to save your skin, ahead, we’ve listed a few common bad beauty habits, you may have adopted over the years and what you can do to go about fixing them.

Keep reading to discover bad beauty habits you need to stop today:

1. Touching your face

Did you know that every time you touch your face you are constantly transferring dirt and bacteria onto your skin? Now think about the number of times you’ve really rubbed or touch your face today—gross right? All the grime and bacteria can clog your pores and leads to potential breakouts. Not to mention if you pick on zits, please stop! You’re damaging the skin and might cause scarring and pigmentation. If you’re struggling, instead opt for pimple stickers that cover up and let the pimple gently heal by itself.

2. Using makeup wipes

You needed to stop using makeup wipes like yesterday. No matter how tired or lazy you are it’s not worth it. Horrible for your skin, they are not a substitute for washing your face. They can cause irritation and even inflammation in some cases as it’s chock-full of not so great ingredients and sometimes alcohol that can dry up your skin. They don’t even remove your makeup properly, it mostly smears everything around. Plus, they’re extremely harmful to the environment.

Invest in a good cleanser, balm or even micellar water and better yet do a double cleanser if you’ve had your makeup on all day long. This will deep clean and remove trace of any or all makeup so it doesn’t interfere with your skincare products.

3. Sleeping on a dirty pillowcase

If you’re having a lot of unexpected breakouts one major culprit could be your pillowcase. When you sleep your body temperature changes and you might sweat and our bodies let out any excess dirt, oil or leftover makeup. All this buildup ends up sinking into your pillowcase. Then you just end up rolling around on it another couple of nights. Um.. ew! It’s recommended to switch your pillowcases every few days to keep things clean and hygienic. If that seems like too much work make sure you are changing them at least once a week!

4. Towel drying your hair

Twisting a towel over your hair after a wash can seriously hurt your locks when in their most vulnerable state. Regular towels have a coarse texture that can cause friction and frizz but can also result in weakening the strands and eventual breakage. Instead, use a plush microfiber towel or an old cotton t-shirt to squeeze your hair dry. These fabrics will be more soft and gentle on the strands plus help dry your hair faster.

5. Forgetting to wear sunscreen

I’ll be honest I’ve been guilty and skipped on sunscreen many a time before and it’s a really bad habit to have. With UVA and UVB exposure at an all-time high, sunscreen should be as much a part of your morning routine as brushing your teeth. Prancing around outside sans SPF, hat or sunglasses over time can put you at risk for wrinkles, age spots, patches and extreme cases, skin cancer. No thanks!

Keep your delicate skin protected with a bottle of sunscreen by your front door so you remember to smear some on before leaving the house. You can even incorporate it into your makeup routine. Don’t forget your neck and hands either, they’re the first to show any signs of ageing.

6. Layering your skincare in the wrong order

It’s important to layer your skincare in the right order otherwise it doesn’t reach the deepest layers of the skin where it needs to be absorbed. This can be such a waste of product and prevent your expensive serums and moisturisers from serving their purpose. In general, it’s recommended to apply products by texture and/or pH level: apply lighter, thinner products before heavier creams or oils and lower pH products before higher pH ones.

7. Picking off nail polish

While biting your nails is the grossest habit there is, another common habit you should kick is picking your polish. You can admit it, we’ve all done it from time to time but it’s even worse if you’ve got gel polish on. Keratin granulations occur when the polish is picked off and the superficial layers of nail cells are also removed. This leaves your nails with uneven, white, rough patches. Next time, just reach for an effective and hydrating nail polish remover instead! If you want to go the extra mile, during your next DIY manicure make sure to use some cuticle oil to keep the nail beds moisturised.

8. Expired makeup

We get it, you probably really love that red lipstick that’s been in your drawer since college or that limited edition eyeshadow palette that they just don’t make anymore. You might feel like you just can’t throw it out because it’s so precious. But think about the years worth of germs collecting inside the casing. Let’s not forget that makeup breaks down over time, collects bacteria, fungus and not to mention smells bad. Yuck! Do you really want to smear that on your face and risk infection or acne? We don’t think so!

The best way to sift through your collection is by doing spring cleaning every 6 months. Keep in mind when you last bought it and toss it after the expiry date. Look for the small open cream jar icon. Known as the period after opening symbol, which will tell you the number of months a product is safe to use after it has been opened.

9. Forgetting to wash your makeup brushes

Let’s just be honest; no one is doing this as often as they should and it’s really, really bad for your skin. Routine use of brushes without proper cleansing leads to clogged pores and potential acne breakouts. dirty brushes can transfer bacteria and yeast to your skin, which can give you nasty infections like pink eye and cold sores. Yikes! You should be washing your brushes at least twice a week to make sure they are skin safe.

10. Over-exfoliating

While exfoliating the skin is necessary to get rid of dead cells for smoother skin we have to be careful not to overdo it. Done too often it can damage your skin barrier leaving it exposed to bacteria, irritation and get enflamed along the way. First and foremost depending on your skin type you shouldn’t be exfoliating more than once a week. Pay attention to the kind of products you are using whether they’re chemical or physical exfoliators and opt for more gentle formulas to suit your skin type.

Which one of these bad beauty habits are you guilty of? Let us know in the comments below.

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