I have a habit. It’s telling people what their habits are.
Ironic much?
Most habits are harmless but some, like the list bellow, can be harmful to your health as well as your appearance. The saying ‘old habits die hard’ could not be more accurate, so here’s some tips on how you can break your habits and be on your best beauty behaviour.
Biting your lips
If your lips are always chapped and cracked it could be that you’re unconsciously biting or licking them. Constantly licking your lips can actually make them drier than leaving them alone.
Stop: Try switching your lip balm for a lotion, like a skin firming cream. The taste will put you off biting.
Excessive exfoliation
By constantly scrubbing off skin cells, you’re also removing your skins natural oils. Without these your skin will become dry and irritated. Then you’ll start to exfoliate more to get rid of the dryness. And so the vicious cycle begins…
Stop: Only exfoliate your face and body once or twice a week. And be gentle, you don’t have to exfoliate until you’re red and raw.
Sleeping with makeup on
I know it’s a bit of a broken record but sleeping with your makeup on is bad! It will clog your pores and lead to breakouts. Not to mention making your sheets dirty.
Stop: If you really can’t be bothered cleansing your face before bed, at least use a face wipe. Keep a packet stashed beside your bed or under your pillow as a reminder.
Pumping your mascara wand
You may think that pumping your mascara wand is giving it more coverage, but really you’re just pushing more air into the tube, causing it to dry out faster.
Stop: Instead of pumping your wand a few times, try pulling it out of the tube slowly scraping the sides as you go. This way you should still get plenty of coverage without having to go back in.
Washing your face in the morning
Using a cleanser or scrub in the morning is a bad idea, because it strips your skin from all it’s essential oils before you’ve even left the house. It’s better to cleanse at night because your skin has the chance to regenerate and re-establish its PH while you’re sleeping.
Stop: Remove all your makeup and cleanse before you go to bed. If you still feel the need to do something with your skin in the morning, simply splash it with water and apply moisturiser.
Biting nails
The most obvious bad beauty habit and probably the most common, biting your nails can do more than just make them shorter. By constantly putting your finger near your lips and mouth you’re encouraging the spread of germs and increasing your risk of colds and infection.
Stop: Paint a nibble inhibitor on your nails. It tastes horrible and should stop you from putting them anywhere near your mouth. Reward yourself by getting your nails professionally done after a week of not biting. Seeing them perfectly painted and pretty will give you reason to restrain from chewing.
Neglecting your neck
I am quite guilty of this one myself. Whenever a product would tell me to apply to my face and neck, I used to think it was a ploy to get me to use more of the product. But really, your neck needs just as much love and attention as your face.
Stop: Imagine having a wrinkle free face, but a creased and saggy neck, yuck. Whenever you moisturise or put sunscreen on your face, apply it to your neck at the same time, using an upward motion from your chest to your chin. The upward motion stimulates the skin and prevents sagging.
Do you have any bad beauty habits? What are your tips for breaking them?
