Every person has a skincare routine; from washing your face ritually during your morning shower, to applying sunscreen before exercise, every person has some sort of skincare routine, no matter how elaborate. However, while we try to look after our skin, and we invest in products we think are helping us, we don’t always do the best by what our skin’s needs.
Many people make the mistake of choosing the wrong products for their face, or they ignore organic, natural skincare that is irritant-free, or they simply neglect the vital steps to the perfect skin. In this article, we discuss the biggest mistakes you are making with your skincare routine, explaining why you are causing more damage than improvement, and how to easily fix these mistakes today!
Forgetting your daily cleanse
In the rush of daily life, it’s completely understandable to forget a step in your skincare routine. Between running around after the kids, work, social commitments, and everyday responsibilities, time is a precious commodity, and tasks like daily deep cleansing of the face get put on the back burner.
The Fix: Most skincare professionals will recommend you cleanse your skin twice daily, usually once in the morning and once at night. An easy way to ensure you remember is to incorporate cleansing into your shower routine, placing the natural cleanser next to your body soap or shower puff. The visual prompt will remind you, and you can complete this during your normal shower activities, with no need to set aside a dedicated time.
Performing a slow skincare routine
The time between cleansing your skin, particularly the skin on your face, to when you apply your moisturising products is crucial. It can take just sixty seconds after you have finished cleansing your face for your skin to dehydrate, and most people are culprits of leaving this even longer. Hydration is essential if you want to avoid dull, lifeless looking skin, so this time is crucial.
The Fix: Keep a natural, organic-based toner in your bathroom, preferably on your bathroom vanity, so you can apply this to your skin as soon as you have towel-dried your face. With convenient access, remembering to apply should be easy. Always opt for an alcohol-free toner, which most natural skincare offers, to prevent excessive drying of the skin.
Leaving your make-up on
How many times have you been to bed and left your make-up on? Or finished your cleansing and shower routine only to discover that your make up hasn’t come off? The build-up of make-up is one of the biggest culprits for blocked pores, blemishes and outbreaks, as well as more severe issues like eye irritations from trapped eye cosmetics, cysts on your eyelids, and premature ageing. While leaving your make up on every blue moon won’t cause you long-lasting damage, regularly leaving it on, especially overnight, will have negative ongoing effects. Don’t be fooled by make-up that is lightweight or slightly tinted; all make-up falls into this category and should be removed daily.
The Fix: Invest in natural, organic make-up removing wipes, that you can leave in your bag, on your bedside table, and within easy reach in your bathroom. While liquid make-up remover works the same, wipes are extremely convenient and just as cost-effective, and don't require additional applicators, like cotton pads, to use them.
Opting for non-organic skincare
The best skincare you can use for entire face and body is the natural and organic type, free of all of the toxic chemicals that accentuate ageing and lead to extremely serious conditions. While some people think organic is just a gimmick, what natural skincare eliminates is your exposure to Parabens, perfume, Phthalates, Sodium lauryl sulfate, and Petroleum. These chemicals are used as preservatives to prolong the life of the product or to make the product smell artificially alluring, however, the repeated use can cause hormone deficiencies, extreme irritations of the skin, and have been to linked to specific cancers.
The Fix: Luckily, swapping to organic and natural skincare has never been easier. Making conscious choices to swap your skincare for natural alternatives is simple, with almost every beauty outlet offering these alternatives. We are incredibly proud to offer only natural and organic products, that uses only locally grown ingredients, so you can trust you aren’t exposing yourself to harmful chemicals.
Avoiding sunscreen
In Australia, SPF should be your best friend, however, many people only wear sunscreen on days they plan to be in the sun, only in the warmer months, or they rely solely on products, like foundation, that have small SPF levels. The reality is that everyone should be wearing sunscreen nearly all year round, on the face, body, and hands. Sun damage is far more common than you think; freckles and moles can be far more sinister than they look, not to mention the aged appearance excessive sun exposure causes.
The Fix: Carry sunscreen in your bag, keeping it on you at all times, and add the application to your daily skincare routine. With sunscreen available in gels, creams, and sprays, it is even easier to apply without ruining your make-up or staining your clothes. Invest in after-sun skincare lotions, just in case you are caught in the sun and you want to decrease the damage immediately.
Using the wrong products for your skin type
Do you know what skin type you are? From combination skin, dry, normal, and oily, everyone needs different skincare to address their concerns. What these specific products comprise of are ingredients to balance your skin’s deficiencies, adding hydration to your dry areas, and oil control for your oily areas. By using the wrong product for your skin type, you could easily be worsening your trouble areas, causing you more breakouts and irritations.
The Fix: Invest in in-depth skin analysis and find out exactly what type of skin you have. While you may know intuitively, a full analysis will help you understand the specifics of your skin and how it changes over time. Your skin changes by season, so consider any analysis in both warmer and cooler months.
