As everyone knows, the skin is the biggest organ you have, and so you want to do your best to take care of it. There’s no shortage of skin care advice out there, but that means you’re getting info from conflicting reports—making it so easy to make mistakes without even realizing you’re doing it.

Here are some of the most common mistakes you’re making, and how to fix them.  

1. Washing Your Face With Bar Soap 

There are people out there who shun pricier face wash options, as they feel they don’t need them. As such, they wash their face with a basic bar soap. You may feel like this option is fine, but you’re actually doing more harm than you’d think. When you use bar soap, you’re stripping all the water out of your skin cells. When you apply a moisturizer afterwards, all you’re doing is repairing the damage you just did with the soap.  

Instead, go for a hydrating face wash, one that’s designed for your facial skin. That way, you’ll be able to keep the moisture in your skin and keep it healthy.  

2. Removing Eye Makeup With The Rest Of Your Makeup 

This is something that almost everyone does, but it’s doing more harm than you may realize. When you get home, you normally just scrub the eye makeup with your regular cosmetics remover. However, that’s actually less than ideal. 

“The skin around your eyes is very fragile, and so you need to take care with it” says writer Mihai Kumar from Boom Essays and Coursework Help. “Instead, invest in a specific makeup remover for eyes, and use a mitt that’s softer too to prevent rubbing.”

3. Over Exfoliating 

Exfoliating is a satisfying step in your skin care regimen. You get to scrub all those dead skin cells away, leaving you with super soft skin. However, if you’re exfoliating every day, you may be overdoing it and causing disruption to the natural skin barrier.  

For most people, we recommend that you exfoliate your skin no more than three times a week. You can take this one step further, and opt for a chemical exfoliation or monthly dermaplane, two aesthetic services that can be more gentle on your skin.  

4. Using Too Much Product 

As skin care has become a booming industry, there’s more products out there than ever before. With so many options available, you may feel as though you need to have a shelf full of items that you use every day.  

This can lead to you using too much product, though. “It’s so easy to use too much of one product, or too many products overall” says health blogger Jazmin Skinner from Paper Fellows and Essayroo. “The best thing to do is talk to a dermatologist, who will be able to show you what you need.”

5. Not Changing Your Pillowcase Often Enough 

You may think you’re changing out your pillowcase often enough if you change it with the rest of your bedding. Remember though, you’re essentially rubbing your face on your pillow for hours each and every night. This daily use transfers oils to the pillowcase, which can lead to acne and rapid skin aging.

You should change that pillowcase out every few days, to ensure it’s clean enough to keep your skin protected from a build up of oils, dirt, and sweat every night.

6. Not Double Cleansing 

You may have heard of double cleansing and thought of it as a fad, but in fact method is a very effective way to remove all the grime that builds up on your skin, every day. To double cleanse, you can use a micellar water to remove your makeup, and then a water based cleanser to remove dirt and any other grime that’s blocking your pores. This additional step may feel very time intensive, but in fact it doesn’t take very long at all. You’ll see the difference once you give this routine a try.  

7. Rubbing Product In 

You may have been taught that to really get the best results from your skin products, that you need to rub them into your skin until they’re gone. This is another mistake that will negate the effects your products have on your skin. Rubbing the product in will irritate your skin, so instead, try using light upwards strokes to apply product and get the best results.  

8. Not Moisturizing Right Away 

Ever get that tight feeling in your skin after you cleanse? That’s a sign that you’re not moisturizing your face quickly enough. Right after you cleanse, your skin can start to dehydrate. You need to mitigate that with a good moisturizer. Apply the moisturizer right away, and you’ll see the difference hydration makes. 

These are very common mistakes to make when it comes to skin care, but you can avoid them. Just make some tweaks to your current skin care regimen, and you’ll really see how much healthier your skin can be. Follow the steps here, and you’ll look better than ever.


Meet Guest Contributor: Emily Henry

Emily Henry is a writer that is passionate about helping others lead a healthier lifestyle. She writes for Literature Review Help and Custom Essay, as well as edits for Essay Writer.