12 Common Habits That Affect the Skin and Hair
So
many hair and skin issues, such as backne, split ends, hair loss,
puffiness and others are common nowadays, affecting our confidence and
discouraging us from using skin and hair care. But don't be discouraged,
as all it takes is a bit more attention and knowledge and you'll be
able to get rid of these problems.
Unfortunately,
we are often to blame for these issues, as we unknowingly irritate and
harm the skin and hair, stretching them to the limit. Are you guilty of
these 10 bad habits? Even if you are, you can learn how to avoid them
and treat your body the right way with this informative guide.
1. Old Makeup and Beauty Tools May Be the Hiding Place for Bacteria
Makeup
brushes, hairbrushes, and sponges are all essential grooming tools, but
if we don't take care of them and don't replace them regularly enough,
they will start harboring bacteria, which then can cause dermatitis,
acne and scalp issues. Even old makeup can become the breeding grounds
for bacteria.
Some
items need to be replaced regularly, such as your mascara, foundation
and makeup sponges, whereas others, e.g. makeup brushes, simply require
thorough and regular cleaning. Make sure to wash your makeup brushes and
sponges with warm water and soap (or a dedicated brush cleanser) once a
week and set out to dry on a clean towel.
2. Drinking Through a Straw All the Time Will Give You Wrinkles Around the Mouth
Yes, it's true, a simple thing like drinking from a straw can speed up skin aging.
Let
us point out that we think that there's nothing wrong with wrinkles and
fine lines, as beauty is ageless, but if you do want to prevent and
decrease those vertical fine lines around your mouth, ditching the straw
is a good start, plus it's good for the environment.
3. Your Shampoo Can Cause Breakouts
I
myself have struggled with this problem, as I couldn't understand
what's causing breakouts around my hairline and on my shoulders until I
realized that it must be the hair care items I was using that irritated
my skin. Little did I know that this problem is so widespread and so
many people have the same problem. Luckily, there's a quick solution to
it, too.
Certainly,
you can't and shouldn't stop shampooing your hair, but what you can do
is to change up your hair care products to more hypoallergenic ones.
Apart from that, shampoo and condition your hair before washing your
face and body to make sure you get all the remnants of the hair care
products off your skin, especially the hairline.
4. You Wait for Hours After You Get Out of the Shower to Apply Your Skincare
If
you find that your skin is dry and parched, this might be why. Many
people fail to moisturize their skin right after they hop out of the
shower, which makes their skin lose a lot of hydration. This, in turn,
can accentuate your fine lines and wrinkles, even if you apply
moisturizer later on. The best time to apply moisturizer and any other
skin treatments is right after the shower, which will make sure you lock
in all the moisture in your skin, both face and body included.
5. You Apply Your Skincare Products in the Wrong Order
If
you're someone who has several steps in your skincare routine, you
might be puzzled as to why they don't work as well as they should,
despite you meticulously putting them on every evening. One very common
reason why this may be the case is that you got their order wrong, as
the ingredients with the products that are oil-soluble and those that
are water-soluble don't mix well.
Even experienced skincare enthusiasts make this mistake sometimes, so don't worry and simply follow this general rule: apply your skincare products from thinnest to thickest.
For
example, if you have a facial spray, a serum, an eye cream and a
moisturizer in your routine, you start with the facial spray, then apply
your serum, followed by your eye cream, and finally, the moisturizer.
This application order ensures all the water-based products meant to
penetrate deeply into your skin do so instead of idly sitting on top of
your moisturizer.
6. You Overindulge With Salt
Despite
popular belief, a diet that contains too much salt doesn't necessarily
dry out your skin if you make sure you drink enough. However, what it
can do is make the skin under your eyes and your face puffy, even if you
drink enough, as high sodium intake makes your body worse at draining
all the excess liquids from your body, i.e. causes water retention.
So,
if you find that your eyes get puffy in the morning, your high salt
diet may be why. T
7. You Apply Eye Cream the Wrong Way
Some
people apply eye cream right under their eyes all the way up to their
lashes, as well as the upper eyelid. That's not the best way to apply
eye cream, as it may actually make your eye area puffier and irritate
the gentle skin around your eyes, causing premature lines.
Instead,
apply the eye cream on your orbital bone, roughly in the area we
highlighted in the image above. The product will be absorbed into the
skin and then travel up to your under eyes without causing excess
puffiness.
8. You Put Your Hair Up in a Ponytail or Bun While It's Wet
When
you're having a bad hair day, it's just too tempting to just put the
hair up in a ponytail or bun and forget the problem ever existed. But if
you're doing that while your hair is still wet, you might be doing
double damage. This is because your hair is a lot more fragile and
elastic while it's wet, and by wearing it up you're actually encouraging
hair breakage and split ends in the area of the hair tie, as well as
increasing the likelihood of getting traction alopecia.
Traction
alopecia is a type of sometimes permanent hair loss associated with
constant hair pulling.
9. You're Not Looking After Your Diet
It
turns out that a healthy diet shows, with both your hair and skin
health suffering greatly from crash dieting, overeating and not drinking
enough water. But even foods that are otherwise fine can cause your
skin to act out, be it in the form of breakouts, increased skin dryness
or oiliness and pore size. For one, dairy and foods that contain a lot
of white flour, such as white bread and pastries, have been found to affect the skin.
Luckily,
the opposite is also true, and you can boost your skin's health by
consuming a lot of antioxidant-rich foods, such as fruit and vegetables.
One great example of skin-boosting foods are tomatoes, which have been proven to help prevent skin aging and inflammation, among other things.
10. Your Pillowcase Is Affecting Your Skin and Hair
You
read that right, your pillowcase may be the culprit behind some of your
skin and hair issues, too. In fact, dermatologists suggest you replace
your pillowcase with a clean one as often as possible, up to two times a
week, if you're suffering from acne or any other skin conditions.
Estheticians
and consumers, on the other hand, point out that the material of the
pillowcase also matters, giving preference to satin and silk
pillowcases that reportedly cause less hair breakage and don't leave
crease marks on your face that can speed up the formation of wrinkles.
Finally,
consider the detergent you're using, as that, too, may contain
irritating ingredients that you might just be allergic to. If you feel
like this is the case for you, opt for non-scented or hypoallergenic
detergents, such as those meant for babies, which are generally less
irritating.
11. You're Using a Moisturizer That's Too Heavy for Your Skin
If
you're using a moisturizer that's too thick and emollient (softening
the skin) for your particular skin, you can develop milia, small white
bumps on your skin. These typically appear around the eyes, like in the
photo above, but they can also occur on any part of your face where
you've been using a moisturizer that's too rich for you.
These
spots are not acne and picking them will only make them worse, so don't
do that. What you should do is switch to a more lightweight, possibly
gel-based moisturizer and gently exfoliate the milia with a chemical
exfoliator.
12. You're Heat Styling Hair That's Dripping Wet
Heat-styling
is our final bad habit, as it promotes hair breakage and hair loss if
done regularly, but it's especially harmful when you're applying heat to
hair that's dripping wet because you'll have to use a lot more heat to
dry it completely. It's fine to do in an emergency or during a trip to
the hair salon, but doing so several times a week will really damage
your hair.
Instead,
towel-dry your hair or let it air-dry until it's at least 30% dry, and
then proceed with the hairdryer. This way, you will be able to blow-dry
your hair much quicker and inflict significantly less damage to your
hair.