With the world around us changing so quickly and our routines evolving due to the pandemic, it’s safe to say that a lot of us have really started to pay more attention to our self-care and skincare routines.

It can be quite tricky when you’re starting from scratch, trying to understand all of the latest ingredients and cosmetic jargon.

There’s no need to be intimidated, we promise.

Skincare can be really simple and quite frankly, it’s all about what works for you. There may be a trendy product on the market that everyone is raving about, but if your skin reacts to it or it makes you break out in spots, there’s no point using it. Once you’re able to grasp the basics, you can work your way up to incorporating more products or a more in-depth routine.

The main thing we want to stress is not following misinformation, be it from family, friends or dare we say it...the internet!

Following the advice of unqualified individuals can really set you up for disaster, so we’re here to break down some of the common mistakes that people make when it comes to their skin.

Top 5 Skincare Mistakes

DIY Skincare

We understand that this is a very popular trend right now, especially as people are staying indoors more and do not have the luxury of getting professional treatments, but please beware of DIY skincare.

What you need to understand is that cosmetics are designed by qualified chemists and formulators and tested and regulated in labs. They bear in mind factors such as ingredient compatibility and very importantly, the pH of the product. When you’re at home squeezing fresh lemon juice into a bowl to set your skin on fire, you have no idea what the pH of that concoction is. This can compromise your skin barrier or unsettle your skin.

Products are also formulated with preservatives. Preservatives are not bad. These are fantastic because they keep our skin safe from mould, bacteria and fungi that can make us severely sick. If you’re mixing something up and using it there and then, that’s much better than storing the mixture. Without the correct preservation, your at home projects will become a breeding ground for bacteria.

Using certain ingredients at unsafe levels can also make your skin a lot worse by causing sensitivity to the sun and UV rays, or worsening pigmentation.

Not Practicing a Skincare Routine

You can probably get away with using a bit of soap and a cheap moisturiser on your face as a standard routine while you’re in your early teens. However, once you begin to step into adulthood, minimal effort simply isn’t going to cut it (excluding those of you with very rare and perfect genetics of course).

As you reach your mid-twenties and beyond, everything starts to slow down. Your skin cell turnover, your collagen production and so on. All the good things that keep your skin looking healthy, plump and vibrant start to decrease and could do with a bit of help.

Do yourself a favour and carve out a sensible skincare routine for the mornings and the evenings. The key aspects are; effective and gentle cleansing, hydration and moisture.

Take advantage of using serums! Serums are skin treatments that have been developed to tackle specific skin concerns using effective ingredients in potent formulations. There are so many to choose from that can help with dry, aging, or dull skin. Our Superior Complexion Antioxidant Serum helps to add vibrancy to the skin, protecting it from free-radicals using a high content of antioxidant ingredients that help with skin cell renewal and adding plumpness to the skin.

Poor Cleansing Technique, or Not Cleansing at All.

This is arguably one of the most important steps to looking after your skin.

Sadly, a lot of us aren’t putting in the time, effort and love that our skins needs when it comes to cleansing.

Using a face wipe and then calling it a night isn’t the best thing for you to do. Face wipes do not clean deep into the pores of your skin. They don’t remove all of the makeup, oil and sunscreen from your skin in a gentle way. If you absolutely must hold onto your wipes, we won’t stop you, but we would recommend tossing them in the bin.

It sounds really obvious but you should be cleansing in the morning and then cleansing in the evening. For the PM you should go in with a double cleanse. Use an oil cleanser or a cleansing balm. They’re a very gentle and effective way to lift off all the heavy residue from your skin but gently. After rinsing that off you would then go in with your second cleanse, using another cleanser that is preferably gel, or cream based. If it doesn’t strip your skin, foam cleansers are also lovely. Use what works for your skin.

There’s no point using fancy products on dirty and clogged skin, so get to cleansing!

Thinking That You Don’t Need Sunscreen

Every skin type, every skin colour, everyone, everywhere NEEDS to be wearing a sunscreen DAILY.

UV rays, blue light and all the rest of the environmental stressors play a part in the premature aging and declined health of your skin.

For our darker toned audience who say “black don’t crack”, well, black does scar, black does get severe hyperpigmentation and actually, black can get skin cancer! Not wearing SPF will only worsen your pigmentation concerns and serve you with sun spots.

Many people think that they’re fine, but the issue with UV damage is that you only see the effects way down the road, long after it has affected your skin. Don’t wait to find out. Protect your skin now!

Assuming Certain Ingredients are ‘Bad’

The truth is, unless you’re a cosmetic genius who has studied chemistry or formulation, there’s a lot that you wouldn’t know or might assume about particular ingredients.

When looking at the ingredient list of a product, some names may look very scary or intimidating, but what you may not know is that those ingredients are actually gentle, or organic, or safe for babies, and the list goes on. Don’t let those long scientific names scare you.

We’re also not here to say that anything not organic or ‘natural’ is bad for you either. The sad thing is that marketing will play on your fears in order to get you to buy certain products.

Over here we love natural and organic ingredients because of their therapeutic properties, how they make you feel and for their high level of nutrients, but again, it all comes back to more complex issues like how the ingredients have been sourced and if they have been used at safe levels.

We source all of our ingredients from high-quality, trusted suppliers to make sure that we offer you only the best!

We hope that you learned something new today. Share this article with your friends.