We all fall for harmful beauty practices and mistakes from time to time, which eventually become habitual. As unimportant as they may seem, constantly falling for some poor beauty habits can expose you to long-term effects even though they may be convenient and give you temporary satisfaction. The end results on your health may be awful.
Here are five common beauty mistakes you need to stop doing right now to protect your health while you improve your physical appearance.
1. Going to bed with make-up on
You may have heard this countless number of times but I am about to give you a reason to stop doing it immediately, and a way out.
Honestly, wiping your make-up can be a chore when you get back home late at night and tired. Mostly, you are tempted to kick off your shoes and jump lazily in bed. I know, we all feel that way occasionally but NO. This can have long-term effects on your skin in future, especially when it becomes habitual.
Imagine make-up soaked with sweat from the previous day resting on your skin until the next morning. Your make-up will trap bacteria and expose your skin to infection. After long hours of make-up stuck on your skin, your pores could get clogged and not give your skin room to breathe and feel clean.
Once I woke up to a dry and wrinkled skin, after I went to bed without wiping my make-up. You do not want to imagine how horrible my skin felt.
Most make up products are made of different combinations of chemicals and it is important to wipe it off after a long day.
Wipe the make-up, wash your face, moisturize and allow the skin to freshen up and feel healthy. Wiping your make-up also helps to avoid irritations on the skin and in the eyes.
Tip- Keep your make-up wipes close to your bed so that whenever you are tempted to fall asleep without cleaning your make-up, you can reach out, pull out your wipes and get rid of the make-up on your face.
2. Sleeping on dirty bed sheets
When your bed sheets get dirty, replace them. Do not sleep on dirty sheets because that is what your body rests on, for so many hours at night. Own at least two bed sheets and replace them each time the other one becomes dirty.
Quite apart from the fact that you must have a good-looking skin, your skin is the largest organ of your body and serves as a protective ‘barrier’ for your body. So, ensure that it is clean and healthy at all times.
Take a moment to imagine this: You get home after a long day and spend close to 30 minutes cleaning up and going through your night-time skincare regimen. Right after that, you jump in bed onto dirty sheets and a nasty pillow cover. Does this not defeat the purpose for which you have cleaned your body?
It would only take a few minutes to wash your bed sheets. Just as you cannot afford to use a dirty towel to wipe your skin after taking a bath, you must not sleep on dirty sheets.
3. Skin Bleaching
If you’re bleaching your skin already, it may be hard to convince you, but you need to stop immediately. If you want a beautiful and healthy skin, do not bleach.
There are tons of products out there promising you fairer skin than that of snow white, but that is just people promoting their businesses. You may see ‘good’ results, but think about the long-term effects. If you want a beautiful skin, there are so many ways you can get a glow and keep your skin healthy.
Our skin shades are different and highlight our uniqueness.
Some effects of chemical skin bleaching include; skin cancer, thinning of the skin, redness and intense irritation, dark grey spots, and uneven skin coloration. The effects of chemical skin bleaching increases with heightened use. Stick to a simple skin care routine and use mild products which are good for your skin type.
Invest in good quality products. You do not need to be rich to purchase good skin products. You can find some inexpensive ways of achieving a great skin without spending lots of money on bleaching products. If you practice chemical bleaching already, stop using the bleaching product (it is a harmful beauty practice) and see a dermatologist. Otherwise, do not start at all because ‘skin bleaching gone bad’ can have a terrible effect on your image and confidence.
If you are looking for other natural ways to give your skin a glow, you will find lots of remedies including this three-day detox to help you have a clear skin.
4. Sharing Personal products at the salon
Personal hygiene is important, but be careful not to defeat your genuine efforts to be healthy, with the trips you make to the salon or the spa. These places are more personal than you imagine. Towels, combs, hair covers among other beauty products are shared in some beauty salons and in the spa. Though most of them are washed, dried and treated, it is important to take your own stuff along if you are focused on maintaining good hygiene.
Let me share an unpleasant experience. I have been uncomfortable with being the next person to use the towel in the salon whenever I wash my hair. Once I went to the salon to get my hair washed and first, I saw strands of hair on the comb. All the beautician did was to pour a little cold water on the comb without properly cleaning it. After washing my hair and combing it with the comb I talked about, it was time to towel dry. OMG, the towel was damp, really damb. It was obvious it had been used for the last person before me. What exactly was the point in washing my hair? It felt like a transfer of germs.
Point is, do not share ‘personal’ products at the salon. When heading for the salon, take your towel and combs along, even if it’s all you can take with you.
5. Sharing Eye and Lip Make-up Products
Most ladies fall short with this potentially harmful beauty habit. We share make-up with our best friends and family all the time.
Make up products are also personal, but if you must share with someone, be careful about sharing your eye and lip products. Apart from the fact that it is insanitary, bacteria can be transferred and lead to infections and that is harmful. Some people have eye conditions and it is inappropriate to share eye products with them.
Mascara, eye and lip liners, and eye creams must not be shared. The eyes are sensitive and you can make your eyes prone to infections because shared make-up has potential of transferring bacteria. If you know somebody who likes to use an eye or lip product you personally own and use, let them know you are not comfortable with that, or buy a spare one if you can afford it, so you are not compelled to share.
Sharing personal make-up products consistently, is a harmful beauty habit you need to quit.
What Next?
Your appearance is important, and so is your health. These are mistakes we commonly fall for, which develop into harmful beauty habits with time. Go through the five habits, identify which one(s) you fall short and work towards quitting them.
Do not go to bed without wiping your make-up, stop sleeping on dirty sheets, do not bleach, take your own personal products to the salon and avoid sharing eye and lip products.
Have you fallen for any of these beauty habits in the past? Let me know your experiences and share any common beauty mistakes you think women need to quit with me.
