9 Bad Beauty Habits You Need To Stop Immediately
We spend a huge amount of our time and effort in keeping ourselves all glammed up to maintain our image as professional cheerleaders. Unfortunately, a lot of us knowingly indulge in the worst habits that sabotage our looks over time. Figuring out which beauty practices are good and which ones aren't is the first step to being your best beautiful all year round. If you think you’re guilty of some bad beauty habits, check them out below so you can stop them today.
1. Using expired makeup
This is one common beauty mistake that most women make. Though we know that using makeup that’s past its expiration date is wrong, we do it anyway. There’s no serious danger, right? Wrong. By the time your makeup expires, it becomes a viable environment for bacterial growth. Whether it’s your eyeshadow, blush, or foundation, throw it away before it gives you pink eye and acne.
2. Touching your face
Touching our face is something we mindlessly do every day – resting our chin or cheeks on our palms, popping our pimple, assessing our skin in the bathroom, and rubbing our eyes. While not all women are prone to acne, it’s a good practice to keep your hands down. Bacteria and viruses easily transfer from your fingertips to your skin, causing clogged pores. This leads to skin irritation. Better yet, sanitize your hands always.
3. Double dipping in your face cream
Each time you dip your finger in your face cream, you introduce germs into the cream – especially if you haven’t washed your hands. Avoid making your pot of cream a Petri dish of bacteria and yeast. As a hygienic practice, make sure that your hands are clean and your nails are trimmed before dipping into your face cream. Dip only once. If your product comes with a spatula, use it.
4. Not using a sulfate-free shampoo
You may be loving that rich lather in your current shampoo but little do you know that this indicates the presence of sulfates. Sulfates are responsible for your super bubbly shampoo and can be found in most household cleaning products. Check the label of your shampoo for Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Sulfates reduce hair shine, ruin your hair color, and cause frizziness.
5. Brushing your hair right after you shower
Do you brush your hair while it’s wet? When your hair is soaked in water, it becomes very fragile and flexible. This increases the risk for your strands to get damaged with the pulling motion of your hair brush. You might as well brush your hair before you take a shower or use your fingers to detangle your hair strands. Pat dry your hair with a soft towel. Don’t rub it.
6. Not cleaning your makeup brushes
Not all women would go the extra mile of cleaning their makeup brushes because they think it’s not really that important. If you’re faithful in washing your face, your brushes deserve the same treatment. Over time, your brushes harbor dust, oil, and dirt which transfer to your face and cause irritation. Also, you can’t expect a precise color application with an unwashed brush.
7. Exfoliating your skin often
While it’s important to exfoliate to remove dead skin cells and increase blood circulation in your skin, you shouldn’t overdo it. The American Board of Dermatology recommends that you exfoliate your face and body only once or twice a week. Over exfoliating can get rid of healthy skin cells and cause your sebaceous glands to produce more oil. Watch out for signs of over-exfoliation such as redness and breakouts.
8. Not using a heat protectant hair product
Pro cheerleaders often style their hair – whether they’re at work, participating at events, and performing on game days. An important part of hair care is heat protection. Hair straighteners and other heated hair tools weaken the proteins in your hair. This leads to dryness, frizziness, and hair breakage. Get a heat protectant hair product which you can use on damp or dry hair for convenience.
9. Not applying sunscreen
Applying sunscreen should be an essential part of your daily routine. This helps protect your skin from cancer and prevents skin aging, facial red veins, discolorations, and brown spots. When it’s cloudy outside, it doesn’t mean there’s no UV light. Choose a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30.
Give your body all the care it deserves by avoiding these beauty mistakes. Take note of these bad beauty habits and spare yourself from bigger problems later on!
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