Skincare is one of the most popular beauty topics today. There are many ways you can achieve beautiful, healthy-looking skin and feel more comfortable in your own skin.
However, skincare isn’t always as straightforward as it may seem. With so many products out there, it’s sometimes difficult to know whether you’re doing it right.
Even the best product out there may become obsolete if we’re not using it correctly. Thus, we may spend a fortune on expensive skincare and eliminate the benefits by repeating common skincare mistakes that are easy to avoid.
Luckily, setting up an easy skincare routine doesn’t have to be difficult. We at Easy Skincare believe in simple but smart solutions that allow you to celebrate the skin you live in.
To help you see the best results possible, we put together this guide on the most common skincare mistakes you want to avoid.
By the end of this post, you will know exactly what to look for when setting up your skincare regime, what products to use, and how to use them.
Table of Contents
1. Not using SPF on a daily basis
SPF is the most important part of any skincare routine. If you’re only doing one thing for your skin, it should be sun protection.
Therefore, make sure you choose a product that feels good on your skin and is easy to use. If you don’t like how your SPF feels, you’re not going to apply it every day.
For oily skin, we recommend a lightweight, oil-free formula. Some SPF products leave a matte finish, while other give your skin a healthy glow.
If you have dry skin, opt for a richer product that hydrates your skin throughout the day.
For combination skin, it’s a good idea to have two separate products: a lightweight SPF for oily areas, and a richer SPF for dry zones.
Wearing SPF is important for all skin types, and it’s super easy if you follow a few key guidelines. Here are our quick tips for applying SPF:
- Choose the right product for your skin type
- Apply SPF 30 or higher in the morning
- Use enough product (at least 1 teaspoon for the face)
- Apply SPF to all exposed areas of skin (including neck, ears, and neckline)
- Re-apply SPF regularly (especially when sweating or swimming)
2. Using the wrong products for your skin type
When it comes to skincare, the truth is:
We are all different. Your skin needs the right type of care to look and feel the best it can. What works for someone else might not work for you – and vice versa.
To make sure you’re not wasting your time and money on products that don’t work for you, be mindful of what your skin needs. Otherwise, you could be doing more harm than good.
Here are our quick tips for finding the right products:
- Oily skin: Use oil-free moisturizers, don’t go overboard with aggressive cleansing and exfoliation.
- Combination skin: Use products specifically developed for combination skin – hydrating products work great for dry zones, while cleansing and balancing products are better for oily zones.
- Dry skin: Use products that prevent transepidermal water loss, layer hydrating products to lock in the moisture. Avoid cleansing gels and foams – opt for a cleansing milk, cream, or oil instead.
- Sensitive skin: Use hypoallergenic, gentle products and avoid irritating ingredients such as essential oils and perfumes. Choose gentle, enzyme-based exfoliation instead of harsh, physical exfoliants.
3. Not cleaning your face every night
You have heard this a thousand times, but it’s true:
Remember to cleanse your face thoroughly every night before going to bed.
If you go to bed with your makeup on, it will prevent your skin from recovering and repairing all the cellular damage caused during the day.
Instead of clogging your skin with dirt, pollutants, and makeup through the night, you want to help your skin look its best the next day.
Therefore, make sure you take a few moments to remove any dirt, makeup, and excess oils from your face before going to bed. You’ll be happy you did.
4. Exfoliating too often
Exfoliation is a vital part of any skincare routine. It sloughs off dead skin cells, allowing your new skin to shine through.
When you get rid of dead skin cells on the surface of your face, your other skincare products can absorb more efficiently, too.
However, exfoliating too often can be counterproductive. It may irritate your skin and make it more prone to breakouts, redness, and even sun damage.
So, how should you exfoliate your skin, then?
Start by picking the right type of exfoliant. There are two types of exfoliation:
Physical exfoliants include small particles like tiny beads that physically remove dead skin cells. When you apply them to your face in small, circular motions, you are essentially scrubbing away everything from the surface of your skin.
Chemical exfoliants work by dissolving intercellular lipids (the glue holding cells together) so that dead skin cells can simply be washed away. The active ingredients may be gentle acids or enzymes.
If you are not sure which exfoliant is right for you, start with a gentle one first. When it comes to exfoliating your face, less is more.
There’s no need to exfoliate and scrub your skin every day. Instead, exfoliate your face gently once a week, for example, and see how your skin reacts. Remember to follow the instructions carefully and if any irritation occurs, switch to a gentler product.
5. Ignoring signs of dehydration
You know that feeling of tightness and pulling on your skin sometimes?
Especially if you live in a climate with cold winters, you surely know what I’m talking about.
Dehydration can be a sneaky problem, and it’s not always easy to spot.
Here are a few signs of dehydration:
- Dry skin and lips: If your face feels tight or dry, or if you’re breaking out more than usual (especially in areas where you usually don’t), dehydration may be to blame.
- Lack of energy: A lack of hydration is one of the most common causes of fatigue. It can also cause headaches and muscle cramps.
- Dark circles under the eyes: When we’re dehydrated, our blood vessels constrict which leads to dark circles under our eyes because less blood flows through them.
If any of these symtoms feel familiar, drinking more water is the easiest way to battle them.
But hey, when you’re thirsty, so is your skin. How should you tackle dehydration through your skincare regime then?
As with skincare in general, prevention is the best way to go. Include proven, hydrating ingredients into your skincare routine to keep your complexion looking healthy and moisturized 24/7.
Hyaluronic acid is one of the best ingredients to look for, and it’s very afforable, too. Try applying a HA-based serum in the morning and evening before your moisturizer and SPF.
6. Applying products in the wrong order
Applying skincare products in the right order is a must-do if you want to see real results.
Of course, you should start by cleansing your skin in the morning and evening.
But what comes after the cleanser?
What’s the correct way to layer skincare products?
You may have heard of skincare routines that include 10 or 20 steps. Especially Korean skincare is heavily focussed on combining and layering different products for great results.
And hey, if you have the resources and time for that, more power to you.
But there’s an easier way to give your skin what it needs so that it can look its best.
Here are a few quick tips for applying your skincare products in the right order:
- Cleanser(s)
- Toner
- Serums (water-based first)
- Moisturizer
- SPF (in the morning)
Hence, start with light, water-based products. Then, move on to more hydrating and richer products. Finally, remember to apply sunscreen on all exposed areas, including your neck, ears, and neckline.
The order in which you apply skincare products can be just as important as what kind of products you use. By following the correct steps, you’ll get better results from your skincare routine and save time, too.
7. Pulling and rubbing your skin
If you’re feeling stressed out in the evening after a long day at work, you’re more likely to pull and rub your skin while cleansing it. Sounds familiar?
Pulling and rubbing may irritate your skin and cause it to lose elasticity over time. Your skin could become red, flaky, and even more prone to sun damage.
Especially if you have sensitive skin or experience breakouts, be mindful of cleansing your skin as gently as you can. You don’t have to rub your skin excessively – your cleansing product will do the work for you.
To give your skin some extra love, use a gentle cleanser that doesn’t contain harsh ingredients like alcohol or sulfates.
8. Not cleaning your brushes and accessories
The next time you’re feeling like your makeup application is just not quite as flawless as usual, it might be because of the tools that you’re using.
The oils from your skin and makeup can build up on brushes and sponges over time. This makes them less effective at blending in foundation or blush.
But more importantly:
Those tools offer the perfect living conditions for certain bacteria that can cause acne, for example.
To keep your brushes clean and help them last longer:
- Use a mild shampoo to cleanse them once a week (or more frequently if you wear heavy makeup).
- Cleanse accessories with a brush cleaner after each use (or even daily). This includes sponges that you use for liquid or cream products like foundation or concealer. Squeeze out any excess liquid before cleaning your tools.
- Dry your brushes and sponges as quickly as you can. Don’t leave them lying on your bathroom countertop – pick an airy, well-ventilated spot in your home.
9. Picking and squeezing blemishes
Picking, squeezing or popping pimples is a bad idea. It can be tempting to try to get rid of them yourself, but you’ll end up with an angry red mark that may take weeks to go away (and could leave a scar).
Plus, if you’re not careful when treating your blemishes this way, you could spread bacteria around your face and cause more breakouts.
Although it’s easier said than done, avoid touching blemishes altogether. They will disappear at their own pace. You can speed things up with an anti-blemish gel containing salicylic acid.
Also, don’t use a pore strip to remove blackheads. It may feel satisfying to see all the blackheads attached to the strip, but using them can damage your skin. Plus, your pores will simply fill up again and those blackheads will be back in no time.
Instead of pulling out blackheads with force, try including salicylic acid into your skincare routine. It’s a fantastic ingredient for keeping those blackheads at bay.
10. Combining the wrong products
When it comes to skincare, it feels like new products and ingredients enter the market every day. For many of us, it’s difficult to stay focussed on the products that truly work for your skin.
And more importantly: it’s sometimes hard to know which products to use separately, and which ones you can combine.
Because the thing is:
If you combine the wrong products, you will either see irritation and redness, or no results at all.
Here’s why:
Certain skincare ingredients have their counterparts – when combined, they cancel each other out.
Furthermore, certain ingredients intensify the effects of other ingredients – this results in redness, irritation, and hyperpigmentation.
To avoid any adverse effects from wrong product combinations, we’ve put together a few helpful guidelines for you.
Here are three skincare product combinations you should avoid:
- Acne skincare + Chemical exfoliants:
Skincare products for acne-prone skin often include salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. Avoid combining them with chemical exfoliants like alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) or beta hydroxy acids (BHA). - Vitamin C + Any acids:
Vitamin C is hugely popular in skincare, but it’s essentially an acid. Avoid combining it with AHA, BHA, or salicylic acid. - Retinols + Irritating ingredients:
Products containing retinols often cause irritation and redness. Avoid combining retinols with any other ingredients that cause skin sensitivity.
Hence, you can include as many active ingredients into your skincare regime, but you should be mindful of when to use which products.
The most important thing is to actively monitor and observe your skin every day. For example, if you use retinol tonight, see how your skin feels tomorrow. If you see any irritation or redness, stay away from any excessively harsh ingredients until the redness goes away.
Summing it up
The world of skincare is complex and there’s a ton of things to remember when taking care of your skin. Therefore, it’s sometimes easy to repeat some of the common skincare mistakes listed above – we’ve all been there!
We hope you found a few helpful tips in this guide – because we know you want to achieve the best possible results with the products you use. After all, your skin deserves the right kind of care it needs to look beautiful and for you to feel comfortable in it.
Which mistakes sounded familiar? What are your best skincare tips right now? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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