Cleansing is supposed to be the key to good skin. We are all told to do it religiously if we want to keep skin younger looking and healthy. But the way you cleanse and what you cleanse with could actually be giving you bad skin as well as prematurely ageing you. Find out our top 3 worst skincare mistakes to avoid if you are suffering from problem skin. 

Here are our top 3 worst skin care mistakes and how to avoid them

 

1. Cleansing Wipes

 

The number one worst skincare mistake is using cleansing wipes to remove makeup. They may be cheap and quick to use but they are the worst at cleaning your face. Very little makeup wipes actually contain the correct ingredients to properly remove makeup and cleanse dirt and bacteria off of your face. Infact, while they fail at removing makeup, they increase the possibility of clogging pores and creating product and bacteria build up.

 

Can makeup wipes be harmful to your skin?

 

Most makeup wipes contain alcohol and the possibility of developing skin conditions like eczema and rosacea are extremely high, cleansing wipes will dry your skin out further due to the alcohol. Cleansing wipes often contain high levels of preservatives to help keep them wet, but these ingredients can be a common trigger for allergic skin reactions. If you are prone to sensitive skin, we recommend to stay away from cleansing wipes as they will increase your risk of an allergic reaction.

 

Using cleansing wipes to remove eye makeup often means having to scrub at the delicate skin around the eye area. The abrasive and synthetic material of makeup wipes makes this motion damaging and may lead to sagging around the eye area. The fluid that is used to keep makeup wipes wet contains harsh chemicals that can leave the eye area red and sore after use. 

 

Quick Tip: If you must use a cleansing wipe for eye make removal, leave the wipes sitting over the eye for 10 seconds, then blot or dab the make up off rather than dragging the wipes across the skin.

 

2. Removing good skin bacteria

 

It’s not well known that skin, like the gut, contains both good and bad skin bacteria. The skin needs good skin bacteria to stay healthy and balanced, while keeping the skin’s barrier protection layer intact. Many cleansing products contain harsh detergents and anti-bacterial agents (basically bleach) that, while effectively killing bad skin bacteria that can lead to spots and inflammation, they also strip the skin of all good skin bacteria. Regularly reducing or removing good skin bacteria from the surface of your skin via a daily cleansing and/or exfoliating routine is another major skincare mistake to avoid. This leaves skin drier, weaker and causes premature ageing. 

 

A lack of good skin bacteria allows the bad skin bacteria to take hold and multiply on the skin’s surface. The bad bacteria can easily get into weakened areas of skin from blocked pores, causing puss and inflammation. By over-cleansing and exfoliating too much, the skin’s barrier can become compromised which often makes acne worse. 



Quick Tip: Exfoliating and cleansing are still very important to your skincare routine, that's why we recommend to cleanse your face at least once a day (especially after exercising or sweating) and exfoliating once a week. This will help to keep your skin clean daily, and to get rid of any excess dead skin cells that linger on your skin every 7 days.

 

Effective Cleansing for your skin

 

The key to effective cleansing is to preserve and nourish good skin bacteria as part of your cleansing routine. 

That’s why Skin Shop’s Silver Serum is a product that provides that ‘food’ for skin. It contains a special colloidal silver ingredient that promotes good skin bacteria by feeding it what it needs to grow. Silver Serum is very clever as the same ingredient that feeds the good skin bacteria is repellent for bad skin bacteria. The overall result is a growth of good skin bacteria and a reduction in bad skin bacteria, leaving the skin balanced and stronger, as well as reducing spots and blackheads.

 

3. Cleansing with water

 

It may sound strange, but if you have very sensitive skin, cleaning your skin too often with water can be another skin care mistake you may be making. Many people with skin conditions such as rosacea or eczema often admit to washing their faces several times a day in order to try and help their skin stay clean and fresh. However, if you are suffering from these skin conditions, washing your face twice daily with warm water can actually make your skin worse.

 

 

Why is water troublesome for sensitive skin?

 

 

Water evaporates on the skin, making it dry out quickly, meaning that skin prone to eczema or excessive dryness will suffer. In addition, any sudden temperature changes, especially cold to warm as when using warm water during winter time (when the air outside is very cold), can cause skin to flare or react. Water is also, believe it or not, quite a caustic substance, making it fairly abrasive to sensitive skin. If you are splashing water on your face, your fingers come into direct contact with your skin, which may spread dirt or bacteria onto the face from hands or nails. 

 

We recommend trying water-free cleansing to help protect and preserve your skin as much as possible if you suffer with extremely dry skin. Cleansing without water and with moisturising agents is the key to keeping skin clean but balanced. 

 

Skin Shop’s KALME Water-Free Cream Cleanser is a gentle cleanser that has been dermatologically tested for use on very sensitive skin. It contains a 24-hour moisturising ingredient to keep skin hydrated and supple, as well as an anti-inflammatory ingredient to address any underlying skin inflammation (including spots). The KALME Water-Free cleanser also contains an anti-redness ingredient to reduce redness and flushing. 

 

 

Quick Tip: It’s important to keep the surface of sensitive skin as clean as possible, so the cleanser should be applied gently with a clean cotton wool pad and dirt wiped away in small circular motions, concentrating on the higher cheeks, nose and T-zone (between the eyes most of all).  

 

Final thoughts from Skin Shop…

 

If there’s anything to take away from this article, it is  to definitely ditch those makeup wipes, slow down the excessive cleansing and invest in some new products that are beneficial for your skin. Scrap those skincare mistakes and improve your skincare routine with our tips. Shop the Skin Shop’s Clarol and Kalme range online here.