Daily Skin Care Habits – Dos and Don’ts

by Rakhi P.

Hello, oh pretty ones.

Ever wondered why your skin lacks that healthy glow many a days despite following every skin care regime you have ever known of. Wonder why despite getting that mega expensive facial at the spa, you end up losing that glow just a couple of days later? The answer to these questions are our daily habits. Yes, small insignificant habits which we often overlook or do unconsciously add up to our skin woes. Awareness is a good thing and I am sure some of the things you will see here will come as a shock/surprise to you.

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

I consider myself lucky to have an uber cool mom who updates me every now and then, the Dos and Don’ts I should follow on a daily basis. I am going to share a few things you need to avoid, for the sake of your skin 🙂 .

To begin with, I have just listed a few overlooked facts in this post, as the list is endless. So please do not be ignorant of the widely known ones which are a strict no-no, like:

  • Going to bed with your make up on.
  • Popping your pimples.
  • Washing your face with harsh, drying up face wash.
  • Skipping meals or going on crash diets.
  • Forgetting your sunscreen and so on.

Alright then…. Let’s get started. 🙂

1) Stress, poor sleep habit

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

I am summing up these universally known yet overlooked habits that add to your skin woes.

With the hectic life we have, stress is inevitable. This is one thing which can neither be avoided nor rectified. Yet I insist on the fact to avoid as much stress as you can. I know it’s easier said than done. But we can try at least. Just give 15 minutes from your busy schedule to yourself and practice breathing exercises. It helps you to a great extent and preps you up for your next challenge. I didn’t believe in its importance until recently. Always remember the mantra “this too shall pass”. 🙂

Following stress is poor sleeping habits which can wreak havoc on your skin. We all have our excuses for not giving our body the much required 8 hours sleep. Did you know our body and skin repairing abilities are at their peak when we are asleep and the stress causing hormones at their lowest? Isn’t that an incentive enough to try and give yourself an 8 hours sleep each day? Just sleep in 30 minutes earlier than the last day till your reach your 8 hours and you will notice the difference.

2) Overdose of chlorine

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

With the onset of summers, we all become amphibians. Wishing we could stay in the pool the whole day long. That gives chlorine a chance to work up on our skin and cause damage. Make sure your post-pool regime is never ignored. The notorious chlorine can stay with you even after a good shower and then reacting with creams and lotions. To avoid this, use a good soap which is foamy and lathers up removing that last trace of chlorine from your body. Last but not the least use a good waterproof sunscreen.

3) Using too many products without testing

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

With a variety of products launched every day in the market we are so keen to try most of them. We forget that using too many products is subtly causing damage to our skin. To avoid this, always test new products, be it anything, on your hand or arm to check for any allergic reactions and avoid destroying your face.

4) Not applying products in order

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

Following a skin care regime is a must for every girl. To get maximum benefit from your regime apply your products in the order from thin to thick consistency once you’re done cleansing. The correct order will be cleansing, scrubbing (not every day) toning followed by face serum and finally a good face cream. Application of heavy products first may prevent the lighter ones from penetrating your skin and hence preventing them from giving desired results.

5) Using products in a jar

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

Most of the products we use, be it anti-aging, skin lightening or our favourite night cream come in a tub or jar package. While most of us are okay with that, very few of us know that it’s unhygienic. What we fail to know and associate is that all these creams contain antioxidants. These antioxidants have a tendency to break down on repeated exposure to light and air. With tub/jar packaging that cannot be avoided. Over a period of time due to repeated exposure these creams lose their effectiveness and there you are left with nothing effective. Now can you remember why all your creams seem to have no effect on you after sometime? Sadly such kind of packaging is predominant everywhere.

6) Ignoring your lips

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

Lips can express as much as our eyes. We can do so much with our lips 😉 . Yet so many of us forget to care for them. Most of us think a lip balm is all that is needed to keep them going. What we are unaware of is that we all have at least 5 cellular layers on our lips which need attention. Having dry, chapped, dark lips makes them unhealthy and age faster. Always look for products containing glycerine, petroleum jelly, multi hydrocarbon and dimethicone to keep your lips healthy and hydrated. Also exfoliate regularly and use a lip balm containing SPF before applying any lipstick or gloss.

7) Using lip balms or gloss containing phenol

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

We all love lip balms and gloss. Don’t we? They moisturize our lips and some having SPF even protect us from sun. Lip care done? No. Most of our lip care products come with a dark secret. They contain PHENOL. Phenol is responsible for drying out our lips. Sure they give us a good feeling when applied but we feel the need to constantly reapply these products, owing to their phenol inclusion. Just be careful while you purchase lip balms. Make it a point to read the ingredient list and refrain from using any lip product which contains Phenol.

8) Selecting your pillowcases

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

Most of the pillowcases we use come as a set along with our bedspreads. Hence we use them conveniently without thinking about their adverse effects on our face. How we sleep is not in our control. We tend to dig our face into a pillow and causing so much creasing to our face as continuous friction breaks down the collagen underneath our skin. To avoid this friction replace your cotton pillowcases with silk or satin as they reduce the friction to more than half, if not completely. Keep your pillow covers clean as they act as a build up platform for all the dirt and oil secreted from our skin and scalp.

9) Not removing plastic covers from dry clean clothes

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

We think we can retain the freshness and keep our dry cleaned clothes clean for a long time by not removing them from the plastic covers they come in. Don’t do that. I repeat. Remove your dry cleaned clothes from plastic covers as soon as possible, giving them time to breathe. Keeping the covers on your clothes can lead to absorption of skin harming chemicals causing rashes.

10) Wearing dirty sunglasses

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

Sunglasses and hats are a must haves for summers. They protect us from the harsh rays of the sun. We always have our sunglasses conveniently in our bags, often without a case. Once we are out, all we do is pull them out and put them on and we are set. Why do we not realize that dirt, pollution and germs get the better of everything and like everything else we need to keep our sunglasses clean as well because it goes straight on to our face. Dirty sunglasses contain almost everything which is bad for your skin. The bacteria, dirt and germs can get into the pores of your face and cause breakouts and irritation. So do take time out to clean them and place them properly in their case.

11) Talking too much on the phone

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

Your phone again experiences all kinds of environments and you will be scared to know it might actually contain more germs than your much hyped toilet seat. Long hours spent on your bacteria and germs containing phone asserts pressure on your face that may lead to zits and rashes. Use earphone alternating with putting your phone on speaker mode when alone. Can give it a try. 🙂

12) Waxing too often

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

Some of us run to the parlours the moment we sight a teenie weenie hair strand in some corner of our arm or leg. We are so self-conscious that we keep at bay the slightest form of imperfection. Which is a good thing, but please spare your body for once. For what might be a disaster for your skin, might actually be inconspicuous to several others. Give your skin some time to recover from the previous waxing torture. A good 3-4 weeks is all you need. Avoid frequent waxing as it can lead to raw, sensitive skin and an increase in bumps.

13) Skipping your daily exercise

Daily Skin Care Habits Dos and Don’ts

Last but not the least, your daily exercise routine. I cannot emphasize enough on the importance and benefits of exercising. It can be anything ranging from walking, jogging, running (all forms of cardio), cycling, a 30 minutes intense workout or the evergreen yoga. Start slow and steady and in no time will you notice that skin of yours glowing like a light emitting diode 🙂 . Exercising cleanses the body and rids it of toxins in the form of perspiration. In addition to that it also helps in skin rejuvenation.

These are my top 13 list of things to avoid and I am sure in no time you will notice the difference and welcome a new, radiant you.

Please feel free to contribute more such pointers which can make a difference.

Until then. Keep on scintillating. 🙂

Image Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.

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16 thoughts on “Daily Skin Care Habits – Dos and Don’ts

  1. You caught me out Rakhi 😛 . Especially my pillowcase, I’m looking online right now for a new one 🙂

    1. Jasmine!!!
      Thanking you a gazillion times for uploading my post and taking the pain of editing the outlook of it.. *Hugs*

      Hope you got the desired pillow covers :*

    1. Awee Bhavna, don’t feel bad. We all are guilty of these things.. I learnt the hard way..You can learn from my mistakes sweetie 😀

  2. Hi Rakhi,

    Amazing post. Adding to the above points, boil water and add vetiver (its a popular Root available in kerala and tamil nadu) it is known as Khus in English. This water can be used for washing face, washing hair and even drinking. Its a must have in this scorching summer since it has many anti- inflamattory properties. Stay healthy, stay beautiful 🙂

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