written by NOA DIAMOND. August 1st, 2020
These days, the internet is filled with skincare tips and rules to follow. But, many can contradict one another. To set the record straight, here is a list of ten mistakes you might be making.
- Rubbing your face with a towel to dry.
This is one of the most commonly made skincare mistakes. The skin on your face is so delicate. Don’t accidentally give yourself premature wrinkles just by drying your face. Instead of rubbing with a towel, try gently patting the towel against your face until dry.
- Touching your face with unwashed hands. Or worse, popping your pimples with unwashed hands.
Take a second to think about everything you touch throughout the day and subsequently, how much bacteria your hands pick up. Your face is filled with tiny pores and pimples form when bacteria gets into those pores. It is so important to never touch your face with your hands unless you have just washed them. This goes for applying sunscreen, scratching an itch, and yes, popping a pimple.
- Not adding steps for wrinkle prevention into your routine.
Don’t be fooled, 20 is not too young to start worrying about aging skin. Anti-aging is all about preventative skincare. If you wait to start worrying about wrinkles until you already have them, that is too late. This is not to say you need to start using $100+ dollar anti-aging oils in your 20s. Start by adding some extra moisture into your routine and take a look at the Ordinary for an array of affordable products from Hyaluronic Acid, to Vitamin C.
- Letting the droppers from your serums touch your face.
This is a much less intuitive skincare mistake which is why it’s extra important to remember. For products that come with a dropper as the applicator, it is very important that if you are applying it directly to your face (which we recommend over dropping into the hand to not waste any product), then make sure you’re not letting the dropper touch your skin! Even though you just washed your face, there is a good chance there is still some form of bacteria living on your skin. If you let the dropper touch your skin before you put it back into the bottle, bacteria will start to grow inside the product. Gross.
- Not changing your pillowcase enough.
This one is pretty simple. Bacteria lives on your pillow, your face spends many hours each night pressed against your pillow. To help avoid breakouts, change your pillowcase often!
- Drying your face completely before applying products.
It has been scientifically proven that wet skin is more permeable than dry skin. If you apply your products while your face is still damp, the product has a better chance at penetrating your skin at a deeper level. Not drying after cleansing will also help you avoid rubbing your face!
- Washing excess product off of your hands before using it on your neck.
Stop right there! Before you wash all the expensive serum left on your hands down the drain, rub it all over your neck. Your neck has very similar skin to the skin on your face. This means it should also be treated with some love. If there is no extra product on your hands, take the time to add products like moisturizers and vitamin c to the neck.
- Using products with alcohol.
Some people might have skin that doesn’t react poorly to alcohol. But for most, alcohol is drying, irritating, and causes breakouts. We believe there is no such thing as good alcohol (only in skincare of course). Always read the ingredients on the back of your products to scan for words like ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, alcohol denat, and methanol. If you see one of these words, put the product back on the shelf where it belongs.
- Applying skincare in the wrong order.
It can get confusing when your routine has upwards of just four steps to know the order you should be applying things in. To make things easier there is a simple rule to follow in this case: Always start with the things you wash off like cleansers and masks, and then apply products in order from thinnest to thickest. For example, cleanser, toner, serums, moisturizer, sunscreen (in the am). We will go into greater detail on this complicated process in a post coming soon!
- Not taking your makeup off all the way before bed.
Sleeping with makeup on is a big no. This may be why you’re waking up with bad breakouts and irritated skin. If you are someone who wears makeup daily, consider double cleansing at night to ensure all the makeup is off of your face. Start by using an oil-based cleanser (check out this list for some of the best) that targets getting off your makeup — please do yourself a favor and skip the harmful makeup wipes. Next, go in with whatever water-based cleanser you normally use to get deeper into your pores and get rid of anything the oil-based cleanser might have missed.
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