Skincare means different things to different people. Whereas some people are able to maintain picturesque skin without lifting a finger, others devote a significant portion of their time to scrubbing, exfoliating and moisturizing. Although skincare regimens widely vary from person to person, many of us inadvertently damage our skin despite having the best of intentions. As such, anyone looking to avoid accidentally damaging their skin would do well to avoid the following missteps.
Washing Too Often
If you’ve ever experienced excessive acne or skin irritation, you’ve likely been instructed to wash your face more often. On the surface, this isn’t exactly the worst advice. After all, cleansing is conducive to the exfoliation of dead skin cells and the removal of assorted pollutants. The way many of us figure it, there’s no such thing as skin that’s too clean. Unfortunately, this isn’t really the case.
Washing your face too often – or too fervently – can deplete it of natural oils and all the moisture those oils provide. Although moisturizing replenishes essential oils to an extent, over-cleansing stands to make your skin overly dependent on moisturizer and poorly equipped to retain moisture unassisted. With this in mind, avoid washing your face more often than twice a day.
Of course, this isn’t to say that you must wash your face two times a day. Unless you wear makeup or have unmanageably oily skin, a single daily washing may be all you need. This helps ensure that your skin is able to retain a fair amount of its natural moisture and prevents it from suffering from over-exfoliation.
Selecting the Wrong Cleanser
One way to avoid the undesirable effects of over-cleansing is selecting a cleanser that’s formulated for your skin type. For example, washing dry skin with a cleanser formulated for oily skin is practically guaranteed to leave your skin extra dry and irritated. With this in mind, make a point of sticking with facial cleansers that are perfectly suited to your respective skin type. In the interest of minimizing irritation, limit your options to cleansers that are hypoallergenic and bereft of fragrances, harsh chemicals and alcohol.
Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, not everyone needs to use a facial cleanser on a daily basis. People who don’t wear makeup and individuals with very dry skin may be able to get by with a good water rinse most days. After all, if your skin doesn’t require a deep cleansing, there’s no sense in giving it one out of sheer force of habit. In fact, going the water-only route stands to eliminate a fair amount of irritation for people with frustratingly sensitive skin.
Failing to Moisturize
Moisturizing is an important part of any skincare regimen. As previously stated, cleansing removes natural oils, which stands to leave skin dry and irritated. Applying a good moisturizer helps restore some of those oils and provides skin with sufficient moisture. Now, if your skin is able to stay moist and radiant in the absence of moisturizer, it’s understandable that you wouldn’t want to mess with what works. However, for most of us, this simply isn’t the case, and moisturizer is needed to keep our skin relaxed and free of irritation. So, if you don’t moisturize and have perpetually dry and/or irritated skin, you have absolutely nothing to lose by adding a moisturizer to your skincare lineup. A good CBD lotion, for example, has the potential to do wonders for your skin.
Keep in mind that it’s possible to overdo it with regard to moisturizing. Applying excessive amounts of moisturizer can cause irritation and breakouts and make it difficult for your skin to retain moisture on its own. That being the case, take care to apply conservative amounts of moisture instead of coating your skin in it.
Clear, healthy skin is important to countless individuals. In order to get the flawless skin we’ve always longed for, many of us won’t hesitate to spend sizable sums on a wide variety of toners, moisturizers and other skincare essentials. Still, even if we have the best of intentions, not all of the steps we take towards clearer skin are going to pan out as planned. In fact, certain aspects of your skincare regimen may be doing more harm than good. Fortunately, by correcting these behaviors, you can effectively put yourself back on the path to better skin.
