10 Bad Skincare Habits To Kick by Paulas Choice

10 Bad Skin-Care Habits to Kick (Today)

If you're caught in an endless loop of treating a dull, rough, or irritated complexion, your skin is waving the white flag of surrender— and chances are you're falling into one of these sabotaging beauty behaviors.  Good news: Avoiding these skin sins is easier than you think, find out how with this list of the ten most common beauty pitfalls.

Beauty Shouldn't Hurt
Regardless of what beauty magazines and well-meaning skin care professionals have said, skin should never get worse before it gets better.  Peeling, reddened or raw skin is always a sign of damage—if your exfoliant, retinol or other treatment is causing this reaction it’s time to reevaluate your routine.  While it may be as simple as changing to a milder-strength AHA/BHA, retinol, etc., check the ingredient list to be sure irritants aren't to blame (like alcohol-based products).

Play it Cool While Cleansing
Avoid using hot (or ice-cold) water while cleansing.  Both are damaging to skin, can lead to broken capillaries, and exacerbate inflammation (especially from breakouts).  Lukewarm water will get the job done, without leaving collateral damage behind.

Skip the Long Bath
We know, long baths can be relaxing, but your skin pays the price.  When your skin shows visible "pruning", it's a sign of a compromised barrier—surprise, too much water is damaging to skin.  Lengthy soaks break down the skin's lipid content and prevents it from "holding on" to healthy substances (which means you're getting less benefit from your moisturizer).

Kick the Addiction to Scrubs
Scrubbing away at skin like it's bad wallpaper is one of most common complexion saboteurs—and it's an antiquated way to exfoliate (think of scrubs as the "Walkman" of beauty products). While AHA/BHA exfoliants are best for skin, you don't have to give up your scrub altogether, just avoid those that are overly harsh (or poorly formulated). Practice safe scrub with our list of Best Scrubs on Beautypedia—or get better results with our list of Best AHA orBHA exfoliants.

Pass (on) the Bar Soap
Bar soaps are always bad ideas for skin due to the residue they leave behind. Blame the ingredients used to keep them in a solid form—while this film can initially feel good on skin, over time it exacerbates dry skin (and can keep acne-prone skin in a constant cycle of breakouts). Toss them in favor of a skin-type appropriate (and irritant free) liquid, gel, lotion or cream-based cleanser. See our favorites in the Best Cleansers category of Beautypedia.

Dump Your Abusive Skin-Care Products
Moisturizers, serums, sunscreens or other treatments that contain irritants (like alcohol or fragrances) are easy to fall for.  But in the long-term, their drawbacks outweigh any benefits—and your routine becomes a cycle of treating one concern (i.e., acne) while developing another (i.e., dry skin).  Kick these abusive beauty products to the curb.

Perfume Has Nothing to Do with Skin Care
We have all said it at least once in our lives—"I love this moisturizer, it just smells so good!"  Unfortunately, your skin feels otherwise—highly fragranced products (from "essential oils" or other sources) may smell lovely, but they stink for their ability to damage skin's healthy barrier.  Find out why fragrance is such a problem for skin.

More is Not Always a Good Thing
Mae West wasn't talking about your beauty routine.  Even a well-formulated product has the potential to do harm when it is over used, so heed the directions for your AHA, BHA, retinol or anti-acne medication and experiment to find the right balance for your skin.  Sign that your skin has had enough include a tight, lined or pulled appearance (especially upon waking in the morning), redness, peeling or sensitivity.

Peel Now, Pay Later
Facial peels can be a helpful part of a routine, especially when stubborn discolorations are a concern.  However, if you're getting AHA, BHA or TCA peels performed too frequently (or opting for those that are too strong,) their potential benefits can backfire. Mild peels shouldn't be performed more than once or twice a month.  Deep peels should be limited to once a year.

Sunscreen is the Best Anti-Wrinkle Cream
True, sunscreen isn't as flashy as the most hyped beauty products on the market, but it has anti-wrinkle benefits no other treatment can touch.  Unprotected sun exposure is the #1 cause of premature wrinkling, and even the most advanced serums or anti-aging products can’t compensate for degree the skin's barrier undone is by the sun. Sunscreen is a daily necessity, 365 days a year.

Now that you know what not to do, you can take immediate steps to stop and correct the damage, allowing your skin to heal.

The 6-Step Beauty Routine Rehab
Here’s our step-by-step guide for weeding out the bad products and making sure your routine works to benefit, not deplete, your skin’s health.

1. Get thee to Beautypedia. Use Beautypedia to find the best products for your skin type and concerns, which are those that contain beneficial ingredients (while leaving out the trouble makers).
2. Know the ingredients.  Scan the ingredient label of every skin-care product you’re using. You can check our reviews on Beautypedia or consult our Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary to learn which ingredients are the most beneficial for healing and repairing the skin’s surface (and which are pure hype).
3. Think gentle. Everything you do to skin should respect its outer layers.
4. Consider going fragrance-free. Look for products without any added perfumes or fragrant oils, such as those from Paula’s Choice, (you’ll find other recommendations on Beautypedia). Research is clear that almost all fragrances, natural or otherwise, are a problem for everyone’s skin.
5. Protect your skin every day. Rain or shine, use an antioxidant-rich sunscreen rated SPF 15 or greater (and greater is better). Reducing sun damage will make the most significant, lasting difference in the skin’s barrier function.
6. If your actives are fighting each other, separate them. If you find you’re experiencing bothersome dryness or peeling from using certain products together, apply one in the AM and the other in the PM instead. For example, you could apply your BHA or AHA exfoliant in the morning, and apply your prescription retinoid, retinol product or benzoyl peroxide in the evening.

By following the steps above—ongoing use of gentle products and daily sun protection—your reward will be reduced signs of aging, brown/red marks and a radiant glow!