Your Skin Barrier Needs a Break
Your skincare routine might look impressively thorough, but more products and more steps don't automatically mean healthier skin. The skin barrier helps keep moisture in while providing protection from everyday environmental irritants, so repeatedly stripping or irritating it can leave skin feeling dry, tight, sensitive, or uncomfortable. Fortunately, many barrier-unfriendly habits are easy to recognize once you know what to look for.
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1. Washing Your Face With Very Hot Water
A shower that feels like you’re melting away all of your problems can seem pretty great. However, that sizzling hot water isn’t always the best friend of your face. Hot water can strip your skin of its natural oils and lead to dryness/irritation.
2. Cleansing Your Skin Too Often
Cleansing helps remove sweat, oil, sunscreen, makeup, and more from your skin. However, cleansing too much can become irritating. Continuously washing your face throughout the day can strip your skin of helpful lipids and leave you feeling tight/dry.
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3. Scrubbing Your Face Too Aggressively
Physical exfoliation can help remove dead skin cells from your skin. However, you don’t need to go back-to-back with a scrub brush to achieve that. Using rough scrubs, scrub brushes, or applying too much pressure can irritate your skin and exacerbate any sensitivity.
4. Using Exfoliating Acids Every Day
Alpha hydroxy acids, beta hydroxy acids, and more can be extremely beneficial. However, using them too frequently can irritate your skin. Over-exfoliating with products that contain high concentrations of these acids can lead to dryness, redness, irritation, and more.
5. Layering Too Many Active Ingredients
Retinoids, AHA’s, benzoyl peroxide, and more can be amazing ingredients. However, layering too many different “actives” in your routine can become overwhelming for your skin. Not only will your skin try to figure out how to react to each product, but it can make it difficult to know what’s irritating you.
6. Changing Products Constantly
Trying out a new product every other day will make it difficult to know if your skin likes that product or not. Your skin may need time to adjust to a new product. Also, if you’re constantly switching things up, your skin will have a higher chance of getting irritated.
7. Picking at Dry or Flaky Skin
When a patch of skin starts peeling, pulling at it can be incredibly tempting. Unfortunately, picking or peeling can physically irritate the skin and interfere with the healing process. It can also create small areas of damage that make the skin more vulnerable to additional irritation.
8. Using Products That Sting and Assuming They're Working
Just because a product stings/burns doesn’t mean it’s working. Lots of products will make your skin feel like they’re working, but the reality is your skin is telling you it’s irritated. If you feel a burning/stinging sensation that comes and goes after applying your products, that’s okay.
9. Forgetting to Moisturize After Cleansing
Moisturizing helps lock in moisture and keeps your skin feeling hydrated. If you often find your skin feeling dry after cleansing, try using a moisturizer after you wash your face. Again, you don’t need fancy moisturizers.
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10. Using a Harsh Cleanser Because Your Skin Feels Oily
Just because your skin feels oily doesn’t mean you need to use a cleanser that will strip your skin raw. Your skin will still feel clean without needing to use an aggressive cleanser. Find a gentle cleanser that leaves your skin feeling soft and clean.
11. Applying Multiple Masks in the Same Routine
Face masks can be a lot of fun. However, using multiple masks in one routine can overload your skin with too much. Clay masks, exfoliating masks, and treatment masks often have different purposes.
12. Using Fragranced Products When Your Skin Is Sensitive
Most people can use fragranced products without a problem. However, fragrances can irritate some people’s skin. If you find that your skin is constantly irritated, try eliminating as many potential irritants as possible.
13. Ignoring Your Skin When It Feels Tight
That dreaded tight skin feeling after washing your face or throughout the day isn’t normal. If you’re feeling tight, there’s a chance that your skin is either too dry or irritated. Take a look at what you’re doing in your skincare routine before you go out and buy another cream to prevent dryness.
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14. Using Strong Products on Already Irritated Skin
If your skin is currently irritated, applying more harsh products will not make it better. Redness, flakiness, burns, and sensitivity are signs that your skin is irritated. Take a step back and simplify your routine until your skin clears up.
15. Overusing Acne Treatments
Just because your acne products say to use X amount per session doesn’t mean you can’t use more to clear up faster. More is not always better. Using acne products such as benzoyl peroxide and retinoids too frequently can dry out and irritate your skin.
16. Skipping Sunscreen During the Day
Sunscreen should be a routine thing for everyone. Sun damage isn’t something you want, so lathering on some SPF daily can go a long way. For people with sensitive skin, sunlight can irritate your skin.
17. Rubbing Your Face Dry With a Towel
When drying off after washing your face, you should never rub your face. Rubbing your face can cause unnecessary friction and irritate your skin. Pat your face dry with a clean towel, and you’ll be good to go.
18. Sleeping in Makeup
Leaving makeup on overnight can contribute to clogged pores and irritation, while removing it gives your skin a chance to start the night clean. The bigger problem for the barrier is often what happens when makeup removal becomes an aggressive process involving repeated scrubbing and harsh cleansers. Use a gentle removal method and avoid rubbing the skin unnecessarily.
19. Using Products That Don't Agree With Your Skin
Just because a product has amazing reviews doesn’t mean it will agree with your skin. Pay attention to your skin and if you see recurring dryness, redness, burning, or irritation after using a product. If that’s the case, quit using that product and find something that makes your skin happy.
20. Treating Every Skin Problem With Another Product
Sometimes less is more. If you start to experience an issue with your skin, you may feel inclined to add more products to fix the problem. Adding more products can overcomplicate your routine and potentially irritate your skin even more.
