Published: March 15, 2024
While many people may be strict with their skincare, it’s all too easy to make mistakes. A bad habit that you’ve indulged in for years now, which may not seem to directly negatively affect your skin, could very well be what’s preventing you from achieving the flawless complexion of your dreams.
This is why, every once in a while, it’s important to reassess your skincare efforts. This not only applies to the actual products that you’re using, but also to how you’re using them. Your lifestyle habits should be taken into consideration too since these can also heavily influence your appearance.
Where should you start? Right here! Keep reading as Avinichi talks you through eight skin-damaging bad habits, along with how to change your ways to improve your complexion.
1. Over-Cleansing
From dermatologists to beauty blogs, just about everyone preaches about the importance of cleansing. This is why so many people have been making an effort to change their cleansing habits, striving to do what’s best for their skin.
However, this can sometimes send people to the other extreme. They don’t want to risk not cleansing enough, yet over-cleansing can be just as, if not more, detrimental. It occurs when people either cleanse too often or use a cleanser that’s too harsh for their skin. In both cases, the skin’s natural protective barrier ends up damaged. This can cause a number of skin issues in the long run.
To put things right, start by finding a gentle cleanser – one that moisturizes and conditions your skin while it cleanses, just like the Avinichi Noni Mousse Cleanser. Then, make sure that you’re not cleansing too often. Twice a day is usually sufficient for most skin types, although those with severely sensitive skin may want to cut this back to once a day.
2. Over-Exfoliating
Just like over-cleansing, over-exfoliating is another bad habit that’s surprisingly easy to fall into. With the skin feeling so fresh and smooth after being exfoliated, it’s understandable why many people choose to ramp up their exfoliation efforts so that they can always sport such a glowing complexion.
However, like with over-cleansing, exfoliating too often or too harshly will only damage your skin’s protective barrier.
Fortunately, fixing this bad habit is easy. Start by finding yourself a gentle exfoliator that isn’t going to tear or burn your skin. The Avinichi Noni Polishing Peel would be a great choice. It exfoliates with a blend of bamboo powder and mandelic acid. This means that it provides both physical and chemical exfoliation, yet in a gentle, skin-friendly way.
The next question is how often to exfoliate. This all depends on your skin type. If your skin is dry, once a week should be sufficient. On the other hand, oily skin should be exfoliated two or three times a week while combination skin should sit somewhere in the middle. Sensitive skin shouldn’t be exfoliated quite so often – once every ten days should be sufficient.
3. Using Products That Aren’t Suitable For Your Skin Type
When choosing skincare products, the most important factor to keep in mind is your skin type. Unfortunately, it’s so easy to be swayed by flashy packaging or persuasive marketing claims, meaning that many people end up purchasing products that may not be suitable for their skin type.
Why is this such a big deal? Because using products designed for a different skin type could make your skin concerns so much worse. Say, for example, you have dry skin, meaning that your skin doesn’t produce enough sebum. If you start using products created for oily skin, which have been formulated to remove excess sebum, your skin will be drier than ever. Instead, you need products geared toward quenching and moisturizing dry skin, like the Noni Night Repair Cream.
The same applies the other way around. If someone with oily skin were to use a thick and greasy moisturizer made for dry skin, they’d only end up with clogged pores and breakouts. Instead, lightweight products should be sought, such as the Mulberr-E Moisture Infusion Cream from the Avinichi Phyto Thermal Collection.
Make sure that all of the products in your skincare routine are suitable for your skin type and you’ll immediately notice better results.
4. Forgetting About Your Neck and Chest
When it comes to skincare, the face usually receives the most attention. Sure, people care for the skin on their bodies too but, more often than not, their facial skincare routines are much more complex. This makes sense because the skin on the face is much thinner and more prone to damage than the skin on the body.
However, there’s always an exception and, in this case, it’s your neck and your chest. Although they may technically be a part of your body rather than your face, the skin on these areas has much more in common with your face than your body. Just like facial skin, it’s delicate and easily susceptible to damage and aging.
If, up until now, you’ve been treating your neck and chest as part of your body, this is a habit that needs to change. Fortunately, doing so is easy. Simply include these areas when carrying out your facial skincare routine. This means that everything from your cleanser and toner to your serums and moisturizer should be applied to your neck and chest as well as to your face.
If you would like to make up for years of neglect, you could also consider purchasing some products designed specifically for the neck and the chest. The Lift + Tighten Superberry Neck Cream is one, with this formula capable of firming and tightening the look of wrinkled and sagging neck skin. The Glo-Up Beautifying Neck & Chest Mask would also be a good move. It’s a hydrogel mask that will immediately have your skin looking fuller and brighter.
5. Rubbing Your Eyes
People rub their eyes for a variety of reasons. Whether due to tiredness in the mornings, allergies in the springtime, or as a way to relieve stress, there’s no denying that rubbing your eyes can sometimes feel so good!
Sadly, your skin doesn’t agree. Due to how thin the skin around the eyes is (it’s even more delicate than the skin on the rest of the face), frequent rubbing can cause serious damage. Broken blood vessels, dark circles, wrinkles, redness…the list goes on!
If you want your complexion to look its best, the eye rubbing has to stop. It would also be a good idea to give your eye area some extra TLC for a while. An eye serum, such as the Avinichi Eye Rescue Phyto-Serum, would be a great way to do this. This formula will hydrate, soothe, and smooth your complexion, giving the skin around your eyes a bright and well-rested finish.
6. Neglecting to Clean Your Makeup Brushes
If you regularly wear makeup, then you likely have a few favorite makeup brushes that you often turn to. However, if you aren’t washing those brushes at least once a week, this bad habit could be causing your skin some harm.
How? It all comes down to the bacteria and product residue that lingers on those bristles. Sure, your brushes may look clean, but if they haven’t actually been cleaned in a while, then you can be guaranteed the fact that each time you use those brushes, you’ll only be brushing a variety of unwanted germs onto your skin. Not only can this trigger clogged pores and bacterial infections, but your makeup application will also look muddy.
To prevent this, give your makeup brushes a good clean every 7-10 days, or more often if you use them heavily. Some lukewarm water and a gentle shampoo will do the job, after which you should then make sure that your brushes have fully dried before their next use.
7. Long, Hot Showers
We’ve already talked about how over-cleansing and over-exfoliating can damage the skin’s natural protective barrier. However, something else that has the same effect is hot water.
The sebum produced by the skin melts at 30°C/86°F. With sebum forming a significant part of your skin’s protective barrier, allowing it to melt away leaves your barrier compromised. If you have oily skin, you may think that this is a good thing. However, stripping your skin of all of its sebum will only encourage it to increase sebum production in the long run, leaving you even oilier.
Ideally, you want your complexion to feel as balanced as possible. This is why hot water should be avoided at all costs. Although a lukewarm shower may not feel quite as satisfying, it will preserve your skin barrier in a way that will soon have your complexion glowing!
8. Allowing Stress to Overwhelm You
In this day and age, stress is pretty much unavoidable. However, how you deal with that stress is something that’s completely under your control.
Wondering how this relates to your skin? Each time you feel stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. There’s nothing wrong with this if it only happens occasionally but chronic stress keeps cortisol levels at a steady high, and this is where the skin problems begin. Not only does cortisol increase sebum production, leaving you with greasy skin that’s prone to breakouts, but it also accelerates the skin aging process, triggers inflammation, and causes the skin to look dull and sallow.
If you often find yourself getting overwhelmed by stressful situations, this could be playing havoc with your skin. To put things right, work on developing some stress management techniques. Whether this may be listening to a feel-good playlist, relaxing in a warm bath with a face mask, or going for a jog, figuring out how to lower your stress levels whenever they start to soar will have you sporting a much healthier complexion as a result.
Achieve a Glowing Complexion With Avinichi
It’s so easy to fall into bad skincare habits. This is why it’s so important to step back every once in a while and reassess your habits, ensuring that everything you’re doing is beneficial for your skin. If your complexion hasn’t been looking its best lately, putting a stop to the bad habits that we’ve discussed above is a great place to start. Make those changes and your skin will start to look better in no time!
Click here to browse more bestselling skincare products from Avinichi.