Are you making these skincare mistakes?

When it comes to perfecting your skincare routine, there is a lot of trial and error. The main idea is not only to pamper, but to protect. There are plenty of skincare faux pas floating around on the internet, and sometimes it's hard to know what is actually good for your skin. 

I don't mean to sound superior when it comes to skin care. I've definitely made some mistakes in my day. One of my darkest skincare moments was a time in which I washed my face in a public bathroom with that foaming soap from the dispenser on the wall just because I thought my face felt oily and dirty. What's even more shameless is that I've done that more than once. How embarrassing is that? (To be fair-I was a freshman. That explains it, right?)

Since then, I've made more of an effort to learn how to care for my skin better as well as the science behind skincare itself. So, for this blog post, I decided to tackle three skincare mistakes you're probably guilty of making as well as how to fix them.


You apply lotion onto dry skin. 
Wait! What? Isn't that what it's for?

Technically, yes. However, the ingredients found within many hand and body lotions are occlusive. This means that when the product applied to the skin, it creates a topical barrier that keeps moisture in. Because of this, if you apply lotion to dry skin, you're really just adding something to smooth the skin's surface--not fixing the problem!

How to fix it: 
Apply your usual lotions and moisturizing potions to damp skin. Slather on that body lotion right after a shower, spritz your face with a moisturizing toner or water right before applying your moisturizer, or keep a bottle of lotion next to the sink so you can use it right after washing your hands. The added moisture boost will make your moisturizing weapons of choice exceedingly more effective.

You use St. Ives' Apricot Scrub. 
The crushed walnut shells within this and similar scrubs might appeal to the eco-friendly gremlin within each of us, but here's the shocker: the jagged, uneven edges of the walnut shells (as well as other jagged exfoliants in other products) can actually do more harm than good by causing actual microtears, which can compromise the texture of your skin and can dull the appearance of your skin over time.

How to Fix it: 
Opt for a more gentle exfoliator. One option is toook for products with AHAs or Alpha Hydroxy Acids that gently exfoliate your skin without grating it away like cheese (ew?). If you really like the "scrub" feeling, switch to one with a sugar or salt base. The deeper you work the sugar or salt scrub into your wet skin, the more the grains dissolve. The jagged edges of the walnuts will only tear your skin the harder you scrub it in, making it easy to overdo it.

Pro tip: Have a bottle you want to finish up? Use it on your feet! Your feet don't care if they get microtears  Because your feet are kept in shoes all day, cell turnover slows down and the skin on your feet become thicker. This thicker skin can tolerate harsh exfoliants; the delicate skin on your face isn't so lucky.

You like to get your skin "squeaky" clean. 
Whether you're guilty of washing your face several times a day or of using a harsh cleanser, you're unknowingly compromising the health of your skin! If your skin ever feels dry or tight after washing, you'll need to start looking elsewhere for a new cleanser: dry, tight skin is a sign of a damaged skin barrier. Once compromised, your skin will try to remedy the situation by producing extra oil... which will get completely stripped away the next time you wash your face. This might be the reason your skin is excessively oily.

How to fix it:  
Don't wash your face a handful of times a day. At night, completely remove your makeup (if any) and then follow with a gentle, soap free cleanser (such as Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, Aveeno's Positively Radiant Brightening Cleanser, or even Purity by Philosophy). In the morning, you can probably get away with splashing your face with water before adding your moisturizer and sunscreen. If you don't think you can, use another gentle cleanser. The same one is perfectly fine.

Have any of you been caught making these mistakes? Know someone guilty of these? Share it with a friend and save some face!