Top 10 Skincare Mistakes

Top 10 Skincare Mistakes You're Probably Making

Not Wearing Sunscreen

You have probably heard it a million times, “wear sunscreen” especially in the year 2020 which was dubbed the 'year of skincare'. But influencers and dermatologists are not just shoving this down your throat for fun. The importance of sunscreen is not downplayed at all by the skincare community and it is not a suggestion. Wearing sunscreen is the most important step of your entire routine, it even outranks vitamin c and retinoids. The truth is that sunscreen is more important than anything else you apply on your skin. The suns UVA rays completely decimate the potency of any ingredient if it is not protected by an application of sunscreen. Retinoids are the royalty of skincare products and offer a plethora of benefits for any skin type at any age. But the effects of retinol can take a bitter turn when incorporated into a skincare routine that has zero sun protection. It all ends and starts with sunscreen and even if you are not a sunscreen type of gal or guy, sunscreen is not that product you should shrug off as being ‘extra’ it could save your life and slower the tracks of ageing. Great sunscreens include the Demelen spf 50 DailySunscreen (Clicks, R119) or the Nivea Shine Control spf 50 sunscreen (Clicks R119) for oily skin

Using Makeup Wipes

We have all been there, using a damp plastic cloth to remove makeup is not a cleansing step, throw away the makeup wipes, they are doing more harm than good. Makeup wipes do not remove makeup, they just move the makeup around your face and lodge it deeper into your pores leading to clogged pores. Additionally, they cause micro-tears on the epidermis of the skin (the same ones that harsh physical exfoliants cause). opt for a cleansing oil or balm which is gentler on the skin, way more effective at removing makeup and sunscreen, then follow up with a gel or foam cleanser. I recommend Sorbet’s Skin Salon 3-in-1 Cleansing Oil (Clicks, R155) or Pond's Cleansing Balm (Clicks, R200) instead of the makeup wipes.

Not Moisturizing Oily Skin

This one is more common than you may think but if you are guilty of this skincare sin, please stop immediately your skin is begging for moisture and hydration, so much so that its even making its own DIY moisturizer. Sebum the enemy of all acne-prone skin types. The oil your face is secreting (especially during these warmer summer months) is called sebum, this oil is not your skin sabotaging you but rather a desperate cry for help. Your skin is oily because its dry and its secreting an oil from your pores which is highly comedogenic and ineffective in treating your skin. I suffer from oily skin myself and I am very prone to acne. Over the years I realized that my skin acts very differently to when it is moisturized and hydrated compared to dry and 'matte'. So much so that I believe that most of us who think we have oily skin could just have normal skin types or at worst combination. But there is truly a ridiculously small percentage of us whom posses oily skin types. Treat your skin as though it is dry is the best advice, I have ever listened to from the skinperts. Skincare has come an exceptionally long way from the classic blue nivea tin of thick cream. There are formulations made for those who need a more hydrating moisturizer compared to a thick creamy occlusive one. I recommend the the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream (R156, Clicks) or the Himalaya Light Hydrating Gel Cream (R82, Clicks). For evenings I recommend thick moisturizers for everybody since the evenings are for skin regeneration. Apply those actives and seal them in with something thick like the Clicks Aloe Vera Skin Gel (R75, Clicks) or the Bioderma Pigmentbio Night Renewer Clicks, R449)

Popping Your Pimples

Tempting I know, especially once that yellow head starts to show, but don’t do it. Not only are you spreading the bacteria across the rest of your face (yes it spreads regardless of how ‘sterile’ you think you are being), but you may be creating a breeding ground for bacteria and infection, the way pimples work is that they form deep inside your pores, think of your pores like a bucket and think of that yellow head as sludge that’s filing the bucket to the brim. When you forcefully want to pop the top of that white head you are emptying the bucket right, and leaving your pore essentially empty, enflamed and welcoming to more bacteria instead of leaving your skin to rid itself of the pimple with the help of spot treatments like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. I recommend Benzac AC 5 gel with 5% benzoyl peroxide (R77, Clicks) or The Body Shop Tea Tree Anti-Imperfection Daily Solution (R245, Clicks/The Body Shop)

Ignoring Your Neck

“Treat your neck like an extension of your face” wise words from Dr Sherene Idriss who also wanted the ladies to know that their skincare routine should end at their “tatas”. She’s right; age shows on the face, neck, and hands. Which is why going down to the neck is the best thing to do especially with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and anti-ageing ones like retinol. If I Can give you an extra tip on wrinkles is that it shows on your hands, and if there is anything which is more visible then our faces its our hands. Therefore, the best hand cream you can use during the day and at night is sunscreen, preferably spf 30 and above.

You Are Not Exfoliating

Do you know that rough texture like feeling when cleansing your face? Yea that’s not good. It’s a sign of poor exfoliation habits. Great news! You can totally fix it within a week. When it comes to exfoliation I’ve spoken about the two types that exist, chemical and physical and I also want to touch on a myth that physical exfoliants are harsh. Any form of exfoliation when done wrong can be harsh on the skin therefore which ever you choose; do make sure you are being careful and gentle. If you decide to go for a chemical exfoliant (which is my fav) then ingredients like glycolic acid for more resilient skin and lactic acid for more sensitive dry skin types. Although it does not matter what brand you choose, the ingredients however do matter because “ingredients don’t lie bitch” in the famous word of youtube skin expert Hyram. The simple breakdown of chemical exfoliation is that AHA’s (Alpha hydroxy acids) like glycolic, kojic, citric, lactic and linoleic are the ones to look out for, most exfoliating products will contain more than one. I can only recommend crème Classique’s Beta Hydroxy Acid Gel (R315, Dischem) which contains a combination of BHA and AHA’s as well as their Glycolic Acid Peel (R395, Dischem) wash off treatment which contains 10% glycolic acid. Great tip I recently found out; when applying chemical exfoliants to the skin, make sure the skin is dry and not damp because water neutralizes the ingredients making them less effective, essentially also waiting till the product dries on your face between continuing to the next step of your regimen is beneficial. When it comes to physical exfoliants these are scrubs and microbredasim like the Afriderm Peeling Gel (Clicks, R199) or the Neutrogena Stress Spot Scrub (R120, Clicks). They are just as good and more affordable, but with physical exfoliants comes great responsibility, the pressure of how much you are scrubbing those jojoba esters or exfoliating beads into your face is important, too much pressure could cause micro tears into the skin doing more harm than good. Making sure you find environmentally sustainable scrubs which don’t have plastic beads is also very important; as these cannot be filtered out and end up in our oceans. Which ever you choose, don’t be doing it everyday as this will make your skin extremely sensitive and you may even form a type of dermatitis (if you don’t know what that is you don’t want to know so be careful!)

You're exfoliating Too Much

Ever heard that saying “too much of a good thing is bad”? its true and too much of a good thing like exfoliation is going to make your skin highly sensitive and ruin your skin barrier. Remember the dermatitis, well its scaly bumpy skin developing over your skin often associated with eczema (which there is no cure unfortunately) and you can give it to yourself if you are not careful with the exfoliation. Its often associated with itching and burning. Therefore over-exfoliation can lead to some serious skin conditions. Keep it to a minimal like 2-3 times a week

Touching Your Face

This isn’t just bad because of the global pandemic. But touching your face has always been a no no when it comes to overall skin health and safety. Not only are your hands so filthy but they are carriers of bacteria and germs which can and will lead to breakouts of blackheads and whiteheads. Touching your face is only acceptable if you’re going to be cleansing it or applying some form of skincare products, Even when your hands have been washed with soap and water. Touching your skin with dirty hands is not the only culprit. In light of the new pandemic so is not washing your cloth masks with soap and water regularly like every single day regularly. Make sure that mask is both corno-free and acne-proof!

The Wrong Order

Now you’ve heard the “not wearing sunscreen makes all your skincare products ineffective”. But have you heard the “applying certain products at the wrong time makes them just as ineffective” chat? No? let me indulge you. Some products are magic so much so that they slow the effects of ageing or they fight cancer. But applying these products at the wrong time can have some adverse results that your skin may cry out for mercy. Retinol; an amazing ingredient for basically everything, I haven’t heard of a skincare problem retinol can’t fix, but make the common mistake of applying your differin gel or Epiduo in the morning and you will learn exactly how and why vampires burn in the sun. Retinol when applied during the day to skin; will make it extremely photosensitive and will have the opposite effects as to when applied in the evening. Vitamin C when applied without sunscreen is completely deactivated and ineffective and any actives applied with benzyol peroxide become deactivated. Therefore the application and the time of certain skincare ingredients is very important to overall skin health and the condition of your wallet.

Applying Your Skincare Right Before Going to Bed

The last skincare mistake you’re probably making is one I made numerous times before finding the light and that’s washing your face and doing your skincare right before going to bed, this is a big NO, because you’re giving all those expensive products to your pillow case, and he honestly doesn’t need it. Give your skincare an hour before hitting the hay. This is because your skin needs time to absorb all the ingredients. A great tip from dermatologist Dr Shereene Idriss is applying your night-time skincare routine just as you get home, because if put off you will be procrastinating right up until midnight. Pro tip: apply your retinol once the sun goes down, as this will have photosensitive effects on your skin if applied while the sun is still out but everything else is safe to apply while its still daylight out.