Oh No, Baby... What is You Doing?
We all have bad habits. I have a terrible one of not finishing my bottled water once it reaches room temperature and then abandoning the nearly-empty bottle. I know it's horrible BUT I tend to use what's left in the discarded bottle to water my plants Sefronia, Fiona, & Hortense. Some habits don't just make you a questionable adult (I DO recycle, for the record), they can also be bad for your skin. Some of our every day habits that seem harmless can negatively impact our skin and keep it from being truly great. Below I've listed a few of the seemingly little things we all do that prevent the glow-up we so richly deserve.
Quit Pickin'
I play a game on the train I call "If These Brows Could Talk" where I mentally restyle the eyebrows of my fellow commuters. It's an exercise that helps keep my brow grooming skills sharp. (So many folks are out here are not living up to their full brow potential… I honestly want everyone's brows to be great). While playing the game a few weeks ago I spied a woman inspecting her face very carefully in a hand mirror. As I was redefining her arch in my head, she took out a pair of tweezers. Is she gonna tweeze them right here? Would I be rude if I asked her to let me do it for her? Then, to my abject horror, she starts picking her face with the tweezers. Just going to town. On the Queens-bound A train. With needle-point tweezers. IN HER FACE. Does she know there are millions & millions of germs living in this underground metal tube?! She had no idea the danger her entire face was in.
It's in our nature to touch our faces, we're human, but touching your face excessively is one of the easiest ways to cause breakouts. Think of all of the bacteria, dirt, & grime our hands come in contact with in the world every day. Excessive touching and picking can increase bacteria at the skin's surface leading to bigger, nastier, more painful breakouts and deep-set blackheads. Picking at the skin causes trauma and injury that worsens scarring & pigmentation issues as well. Keep your dirty hands off your beautiful face and for the love of God DO NOT PICK YOUR FACE WITH NEEDLE-POINT TWEEZERS ON THE TRAIN.
Keep it Clean
While we're on the subject of dirt & germs... you have to wash your face twice a day. With a cleanser & not just water. No exceptions. I'm so serious. Swiping a makeup wipe over your weary mug while you're in bed watching The Queen on Netflix is not washing your face. If you're a busy guy or gal on the go and you know when you get home you tend to crash and not move until it's time for bed (like me), wash your face the moment you get home. Shoes off, bra off, clothes off, FACE OFF (and not necessarily in that order). If you really want to step up your game, don't forget to clean your phone AND your headphones. Our hands are gross and our phones can be even more grosser. Swipe it down daily with some alcohol to keep germs at bay. Your pores will thank you for it.
Exfoliate
One of the keys to fresh, glowing skin is regular exfoliation. Excess dead & dry skin can keep the active ingredients from your serums & moisturizers from penetrating into the skin and doing their job. Regular exfoliation improves skin texture, evens out tone, and reduces the appearance of large pores. Don't block your blessings or your pores. Buff yo'self.
Hydrate Inside & Out
Drink water. Use moisturizer. Drink more water. Use more moisturizer. Use it all over. Head to toe then drink some more water. Your skin needs it.
Sleep Clean
When is the last time you changed your pillow case? You don't remember? GO DO IT NOW.
Our pillowcases trap the oils from our skin & hair as we sleep. Changing your pillowcases weekly prevents the buildup of those oils from affecting your skin and causing excessive breakouts and clogged pores. We spend 6-8 hours a night on our pillows, that's nearly two days a week. Do you wanna spend two days a week laying on a dirty pillow? I didn't think so.
The idea of overhauling your skin can feel scary & overwhelming. However, making just a few small changes and improving on a few tiny bad habits can make all the difference in the world. I know many of you are guilty of some of these less-than-ideal behaviors but making a commitment to change just one of them will put you on the road to better skin in no time flat.
Now... if you promise to stop picking your face I will promise to invest in a Swell bottle. Deal?
Deal.
