Do you peel your nail polish? Rarely clean your makeup brushes or replace bath puffs? These bad beauty habits are common among otherwise informed and well-groomed people. Some behaviors are just icky, others are potentially dangerous, but all sabotage your looks, which is reason enough to kick them to the curb. Here are five bad beauty habits you should drop right aways and what to do instead.
Do you …
… exfoliate your skin too aggressively?
Sometimes too much of a good thing turns it into a bad thing. Take skin exfoliation for example.
If your face is looking red and irritated or is experiencing a burning or stinging sensation, that’s an alert to drop your chunky scrub or chemical peel and make a change. Many exfoliators are too abrasive or potent and designed for thicker, oilier, acne-prone youthful complexions — not skin that’s thinner, drier and more sensitive.
Instead, look for gentle water-activated microfine exfoliating powders and scrubs (also known as physical exfoliators) that rely on your fingers and light circular movements to polish away surface debris. This way, you can control the amount of pressure that is applied.
For another option, try a mild chemical scrub such as those with alpha hydroxy acid buffered by skin plumping hyaluronic acid for the same effect. No need to put muscle into it, after all this is your face, not the kitchen floor! Note: If you have sensitive skin, check with your dermatologist or try on a very small area of your arm first.Once a week (twice max) is enough to get smoother skin and more glow.
Tip: On a cautionary note, those with very reactive and or sensitive skin, should avoid exfoliation completely before talking to your doctor.
2. … fry your hair with hot tools?
Is your hair super-dry, dull or otherwise unmanageable? Does it suffer from breakage and split ends? That’s most likely heat damage and a signal to change your drying and styling habits. Though air-drying hair sounds like a good idea in theory, it isn’t practical or desirable for most women these days — especially those with medium-to-long hair.
Instead, step away from the flat and curling irons and go back to a basic blow dryer. There are many different options to choose from.
After showering, you can blot freshly washed hair in a microfiber towel to absorb excess water. After that, apply a leave-in conditioner and/or heat protectant to avoid further damage and give hair a silkier texture. It’s a good practice whether your hair is straight, wavy or curly.
Lastly, you can “rough dry” hair until it is partially dry (60 to 70 percent). Simply bend at the waist and use your opposite hand to tousle and separate as you use your blow dryer. This will give your hair plenty of body, just be sure to keep the dryer moving and not concentrated on one section for too long.
Tip: You can also reduce the washing and heat styling to once or twice a week.
3. … neglect daily nail and hand care?
Regular manicures are fun and can help you feel put together. They don’t however, make up for picking at your nail polish or biting your cuticles. Nor do they make up for using your nails as tools for example, to open your Amazon packages. (You know, we’ve all done it)
First, there’s the visual turnoff of scaly, ragged cuticles and nails. That’s often followed by resulting issues such as thin, weak nails that break and split along with dry, rough, reddened hands.
As the holidays approach you’ll want your hands and nails to look their very best when you apply that stunning manicure. First apply a lightweight & fragrance free hand lotion like this one from Color Street. It contains Niacinamide, Multi-Hyaluronic Acid, and Sunflower Oil for smoother, youthful-looking skin. You should use it to seal in moisture every time you wash your hands or apply sanitizer.
Tip: Stash extra tubes in your bag and at every sink so you always have it available.
If your nails and cuticles are screaming for attention, Color Street has a nail therapy system for you! It includes Strengthening Nail Serum (contains ceramides to help support nail growth and reduce brittleness) . This system also includes Restorative Nail and Cuticle Cream which helps hydrate cuticles and strengthens your nails. Use morning and evening daily for best results.
Note: I am a Color Street Independent Stylist and the above link goes to my
Color Street website.
… avoid beauty “laundry”?
How many of you almost never clean your hairbrush or makeup brushes and use the same bath puff for months on end? Not washing your beauty tools creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. These germs can lead to breakouts, rashes and infections, not to mention scalp irritation and greasy lifeless hair.
All it takes is a sudsy swish in warm water and some mild shampoo for the cleansing action, followed by a clean rinse. Don’t forget to blot on a paper towel and air-dry. For an extra boost, use an old toothbrush to scrub between rows of bristles and teeth before washing. For makeup tools, deposit a small amount of mild baby shampoo on the business end. Then use your fingers to work up a lather before rinsing, reshaping and lying flat to air-dry.
Tip: So you don’t forget, set aside a regular weekly time slot to clean your hairbrushes and combs in one group and makeup tools in the second.
5. … hoard and use expired beauty products forever?
Coming from a medical laboratory background, we had to date everything as soon as we opened it. So it was natural for me to similarly date every new beauty item I opened with a Sharpie.
However only about 50 percent of us are diligent about doing this, and we never extend the effort beyond makeup. You should do this for all beauty products. Can you remember when you bought or opened that body lotion, hair mask, mascara or face cream?
My motto is: “When in doubt, throw it out,” I’ve always used it for food and it applies to beauty products too. It will save you from rashes, irritation and formula breakdowns that make whatever you are using ineffective or just plain yucky. If you change your habits today and start dating all new purchases and tossing questionable oldies you’ll feel better and even have a good excuse to get rid of some clutter..
Even better, make cleaning out your bathroom shelves, cupboards and makeup cases a monthly ritual. Say bye to anything that separates, smells funny or looks curdled — especially undated open-mouthed jars of those face creams we love that get double-dipped touches by human fingers!
Tip: Keep a sharpie in your makeup bag to remind yourself to date your products.
