If the image that you see in the mirror is less than appealing, the culprit may not be bad lighting or even your added years. You may be sabotaging your looks with bad beauty habits. Breaking these ten bad beauty habits won’t transform you from a “5” to a “10,” but you will almost assuredly see a significant improvement in your looks.
1. Sleeping in Your Makeup
Although nearly every woman has been guilty of this beauty faux pas at some time, retiring without washing off your makeup is a really bad beauty habit. Think clogged pores and breakouts.
Even if you are dead tired, take a few moments and wash off your makeup. Your complexion will thank you.
2. Using Dirty Makeup Brushes
Makeup brushes that are not properly maintained cannot do as good as job of application as brushes that are kept clean and in good repair. You also run the risk of spreading bacteria and possible infection, especially with lipstick brushes and eye makeup applicators. Once your brushes have reached the point where cleansing fails to restore them to proper form, it is time to toss them and purchase new brushes.
More: 9 Surprising Things That Make You Break Out
3. Biting Your Nails
No matter how well put together the rest of your ensemble may be, if your nails are ragged and chewed, you will look less than polished. Professional manicures can obscure the sin of nail biting somewhat, but only if you refrain from chewing your nails again afterward.
If you’re chewing your nails because of anxiety, try meditation or yoga. If anxiety is a serious issue for you, professional help may be called for.
More: 7 Tried and Tested Ways to Stop Biting Your Nails
4. Licking Your Lips
Licking your lips can set off a vicious circle. You lick or chew your lips, and as a result your lips are dry and chapped. So you lick your lips to relieve the dryness and chapping.
But the act of licking your lips is actually the reason your lips are dry and chapped in the first place, and more licking only makes the matter worse. Resist the urge to lick your lips by having lip balm or Vaseline handy to apply to your lips whenever they feel dry.
More: 10 Must-Have Beauty Products
5. Skipping the Sunscreen
Have you ever seen dried, cracked shoe leather? Do you want your skin to look like that? If not, then you should develop and maintain the sunscreen habit.
Applying sunscreen whenever you plan to be exposed to the sun is one of the major ways that you can keep your skin soft and wrinkle-free. Don’t believe the myth that only Caucasians need sun screen. Regardless of your skin tone, sunscreen should be part of your regular routine.
More: 10 Reasons to Go Makeup Free
6. Picking at Pimples
Sure, you hate pimples; everyone does. But nothing good can result from picking at pimples. You run the risk of spreading bacteria if you are successful at popping your pimples and possibly producing long-lasting scars even if you fail at the task.
If you have a particularly large pimple that you must get rid of right away, try applying a warm, wet washcloth to either side of the pimple. This process may draw the pimple to a point which may allow the pimple to erupt on its own. If so, gently wash the area with soap and water to clear the area of debris that may spread to other areas.
More: 7 Best Ways to Get Perfectly Clear Skin Naturally
7. Brushing Wet Hair
Wet hair is far more fragile than dry hair and therefore prone to breakage and other visible damage from mistreatment. You should never brush wet hair with a conventional hair brush. Gently working a blow dryer with a brush attachment through slightly damp hair can be OK if done sparingly and if the bristles of the brush are very widely placed.
More: 7 Best Home Remedies for Oily Hair
8. Wearing Tight Ponytails and Braids
Two words: traction alopecia. Traction alopecia is hair loss due to the roots and follicles of your hair being pulled out of your scalp.
Traction alopecia is common among black women who have worn braids or braids, but women of all ethnicities can suffer from the condition. In some cases, hair that is lost due to traction alopecia grows back if the affected area of the scalp is given a rest from improper styling, but sometimes the hair loss that occurs with traction alopecia is permanent.
More: 7 Delicious and Nutritious Foods that Prevent Hair Loss
9. Attempting to Tweeze Ingrown Hairs
Ingrown hairs can be itchy and uncomfortable, not to mention ugly. However, you must resist the temptation to attempt to liberate the stuck hair with tweezers.
Unless the end of the hair has emerged from the skin, you risk bruising your skin and creating scars. Instead, wash the area with an exfoliating product until the hair emerges on its own, then you may pluck it if you like.
More: 7 Ways to Treat and Avoid Ingrown Hairs
10. Crash Dieting
The weight piles on; the weight rolls off. The first few times through a yo-yo dieting scale you may be able to take the weight off fairly quickly.
However, each round of crash dieting takes a toll on your muscle and your metabolism. If you are concerned about your weight, try alternating aerobics routines with workouts using resistance bands or weights.
You will build muscle which weighs more than fat, but which requires less space than fat. The result: smaller body dimensions.
In fact, there are many bad beauty habits every woman needs to break, but these ten are perhaps the worst habits you should break now. Do you have any bad beauty habits?1