9 Bad Habits You Should Break In The Name Of Skincare

Even if you don’t obsess over skincare, you probably take steps to keep your skin looking nice! Whether that includes washing your face each morning and/or night, removing your makeup, or applying a serum, most of us make some type of effort to take good care of our skin.

Unfortunately, it’s surprisingly easy to undo all of that good work, and you might not even be aware that you’re doing it! Since nobody wants their skincare efforts to go to waste, today I’ll be sharing 9 common habits that are bad for your skin, and may be undermining your positive skincare habits!

9 Surprising Habits That Are Bad For Your Skin

1. Sleeping With Makeup On

If you hop into bed at night without removing your makeup first, you’re asking for a world of skin-related trouble! The makeup and bacteria you leave behind on your pillowcase can easily clog your pores and lead to breakouts.

If you have a hard time remembering to wash your face at night (or struggle to motivate yourself to do so), try bundling it with another bedtime routine, like brushing your teeth. Creating a nightly routine around it makes removing your makeup much harder to forget!

2. Using Dryer Sheets

Dryer sheets can be a convenient option for preventing static and keeping your clothes soft, but they can wreak havoc on sensitive skin. The chemical ingredients in dryer sheets can cause allergic dermatitis in certain individuals, and even aggravate allergies and asthma.

If you’re looking for an alternative to dryer sheets, there are several good options to choose from! Check out this post to learn about 5 of my favorite homemade versions of fabric softeners and dryer sheets.

3. Washing Your Face With Hard Water

Tap water, even in areas with hard water, is usually fine to drink, but washing your face with it can be hard on your skin. Tap water with a high mineral content can leave behind residues that may lead to dry, dull, or blemished skin.

If you normally wash your face in the shower, consider investing in a shower filter like this one. Simply install it between the water source and your shower head, and it will filter out all the minerals and chemicals that can aggravate your skin!

Another option is to skip the tap water, and cleanse your face with micellar water instead. Micellar water effectively removes makeup, dirt, and impurities, yet is gentle enough for sensitive skin too. Check out this post to learn more.

4. Not Cleaning Your Phone

We touch our phones constantly, and have no qualms about setting them down on any surface. They’re constantly exposed to bacteria, and yet most don’t clean them nearly as often as we should!

When you make calls on an unclean phone, that bacteria and grime can transfer to your face, leading to acne breakouts or worse! Make sure to keep your phone clean by wiping it down with a cleaning wipe once a day.

5. Getting Hair Products On Your Face

If you start your morning routine by pampering your skin and applying skin-friendly makeup, it doesn’t make senes to follow that by spraying hair products around with abandon! Those products can easily clog your pores and lead to breakouts, so it’s important to apply them carefully to reduce the amount that gets onto your skin.

Use a clean towel as a barrier to guard your skin while applying hair products. And when you’re in the shower, wash your face after you’ve washed your hair so you can wash away any lingering hair product residue.

6. Squinting Your Eyes

Squinting too much, whether from being out in the sun without sunglasses or not wearing glasses when you ought to, can lead to premature lines around your eyes. To avoid them, make sure to wear UV-blocking sunglasses when you’re outside, and visit your eye doctor for an exam annually.

7. Trying Too Many Products

As someone who has spent a lot of time researching beauty and skincare topics online, I know how real FOMO (or “fear of missing out”) can be when it comes to skincare products!

But the problem with trying out every new skincare product is that you aren’t giving your skin enough time to acclimate to them. You won’t see the true effects or benefits of a product if you don’t use it consistently for at least a couple of weeks!

8. Sleeping On A Dirty Pillowcase

Cleaning your bedding (especially your pillowcases) regularly isn’t just good hygiene, it’s also good for your skin! Your bedding absorbs body oil and dirt over time, and pressing your face against those all night can contribute to breakouts, wrinkles, and more!

Wash your bedding at least once a week, and consider keeping additional clean pillowcases on hand so you can change yours out more often. (Using a silk pillowcase can be even more beneficial, and you can read all about that in this post!)

9. Taking Hot Showers

While taking a long, hot shower can feel relaxing, it may be doing your skin more harm than good. Hot water can strip your skin of its natural oils, leaving it dry, flaky, or even irritated.

To keep your skin more moisturized, shower in lukewarm-to-warm water rather than hot.

What’s your best tip for taking good care of your skin?