Our skincare obsession and innovation have stepped up a notch in the last decade. For many, our beauty baskets are full of magical skincare ointments, marquee serums, expensive sheet masks, and many more. If you are among the many people, then you want to be forever young. After all, who can say no to looking like a 21-year-old forever?
With some discipline, you can easily cut out the skincare mistakes and some bad skin habits and have every reason to be excited. Of course, there is no magic wand for that, but with the right skincare routine, products, and information, so much can be achieved.
No matter how meticulous your skincare routine might be, chances are, you could be making some avoidable skincare mistakes. Some of these mistakes can come between you and your dream skin, as such, you will be wise to avoid them.
So how do you achieve your dream skin? For starters, your skin is your first line of defense against the earliest signs of aging. While it’s impossible to control how your bones age, or your veins, there is much you can do to preserve your skin integrity.
Let us dive right straight in and look at some of the skincare mistakes you need to stop doing in 2020.
#1. Overusing Same Purpose Products
With a confusing range of products in the market promising magical results, it can be quite a task to determine what works for you. To eliminate all that guesswork, some people end up using every product they can get their hands on. This is a huge skincare mistake. Even with the best intentions, you can overuse products hoping to get the ‘right mix’. When that happens, you are overloading your skin with active ingredients. For example, overloading your skin with Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) can have a damaging effect. AHAs are common ingredients in many exfoliation products thanks to their scrubbing abilities. Unfortunately, overusing products with potent ingredients can end up interfering with the skin’s natural barrier. To be on the safe side, only use such products sparingly.
#2. Neglecting the Neck
The neck is one of the most notorious tellers of age. It comes as a surprise then that the neck is one of the most neglected body parts in skincare. Neglecting your neck is one of the most common skincare mistakes to avoid. As one of the most sensitive parts of the skin after the under-eye area, the neck is highly vulnerable to the earliest signs of aging. As such, your skincare routine should go all the way from the face to the neck. Your neck’s skincare routine should extend to under the jaw, collarbone, and décolleté area. To keep the neck looking youthful, make sure to cleanse gently, exfoliate, tone, and, more importantly, moisturize. For skincare products, use specialized neck creams and serums as they are better designed to get the best of the neck skin area.
#3. Wrong Layering
You have every product you need in your cart, so what could possibly go wrong? Well, knowing how to layer your products correctly is essential to the overall success of your skincare regimen. Layering products incorrectly is one of the skincare mistakes that can stagnate your overall goals. If you fail at layering, it will mean your products will not be fully effective. As a rule of thumb, the light formulas should always go first. That ensures they are not being blocked off by the more substantial products. After applying the light formulas, wait a few minutes before moving to the more substantial products. By doing this, you are preventing the products from piling unnecessarily.
#4. Wrong Application
After mastering the art of layering your products, it would be a shame if you can’t apply them correctly.
In most cases, this is one of the biggest skincare mistakes you can make. And to be honest, we have all made this mistake at one time or the other. When it comes to application, you should be extra gentle on your skin. Massage your products in gentle, circular motions to get the absorption right.
If you are too rash or too rough, you might counteract the job your product is trying to do for you.
#5. You Are Not Drinking Enough Water
As if this was not already a basic rule of life itself, we still cannot insist enough. Skincare products aside, drinking water is one thing dermatologists, and any health expert will tell you to do. And we are talking about lots of water. Why? Because drinking water is essential to skin health among its numerous benefits. The sooner you realize the importance of water to your body, the better for your skin. When your body is dehydrated because of a lack of water, it becomes dull with pores becoming more visible and more exposed. Consequently, your wrinkles and fine lines become more defined. Dermatologists and skin care experts will be keen to let you know that this is one of the skincare mistakes that can be solved with an extra glass of water.
#6. Skipping Sunscreen
You may not realize this, but the most apparent signs of aging are directly linked to sun exposure. Skipping sunscreen is one of the skincare mistakes that can make your skin age faster than it should. Luckily for us all, this is usually within our control. For starters, you can choose to wear a hat on a hot day to keep the sun away from your face. However, what you MUST do is apply sunscreen. Wearing sunscreen ensures your skin is protected from harmful UV rays from the sun.
Bottom Line
While some of the tips may sound obvious, we continuously take them for granted despite their huge impact on skin health. Some of the skincare mistakes we make every day are sometimes unintentional or quite merely down to ignorance. Without following the right routine and avoiding these mistakes, then it will not matter how good your creams and serums are. To get rid of the earliest signs of aging, make a point to avoid these skincare mistakes to enjoy a brighter, more youthful-looking skin for the longest time.