Has perfect, radiant skin always seemed like an unattainable dream? Do you spend countless hours and loads of money on your skincare products, but it still doesn’t look as great as it should? Even if you’re doing everything right, but your complexion still looks dull and tired every time you look in the mirror, there could be a few reasons behind it. Read on to know what could be coming between you and perfect skin. You could be missing these things even if you have an amazing beauty routine!
1. You’re Using A Face Scrub To Fight Blackheads
Think about this the next time you’re scrubbing at your face in your bid to fight acne and clogged pores. A scrub can only remove the upper part of a blackhead and can’t really eliminate it from the root. Which means, it’ll appear back in no time. Get rid of those harsh scrubs, they only cause more swelling, redness and acne problems.
The Fix: What you should be using to fight breakouts, enlarged pores and blackheads is a leave-on BHA exfoliant, which basically has salicylic acid (which keeps acne in check) as an active ingredient.
POPxo Recommends: Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Toner (Rs 340)
2. Your Hormones Are Going Wild
We all turn to carbs and sugar during PMS, but this only increases the level of the hormone insulin in our bodies. This can cause inflammation, breakdown elasticity making your skin look older and throw your estrogen and testosterone levels totally off-balance. That basically means breakout central!
The Fix: Keep away from refined sugar and starch of course, to keep your hormones in check. If you feel a major sugar craving, eat some fruits. We know, we know, that doesn’t sound exciting at all. The best thing to do is distract yourself, preferably with a physical activity. Go for a jog and just dance around your room for a few minutes and you won’t feel that craving anymore.
Also read: Is Bio Oil Worth Using? 10 Beauty Benefits You Should Know!
3. Not Such A Sleeping Beauty
When you don’t sleep enough or have disturbed sleep, it disrupts the cellular rejuvenation process, which is necessary for healthy skin. Plus, when you sleep for less than six and a half hours, the hunger hormone, ghrelin, increases. And when you wake up hungry, you’re more likely to crave carbs, which can throw your hormones out of whack.
The Fix: Well, get more sleep – obviously! But we know that’s easier said than done. If you feel like you just can’t sleep early, exercise! A good workout during the day will help you feel sleepier at night. It takes 2 weeks to change your routine, so make yourself go to bed earlier every day to get into a healthier routine.
4. You’re Misusing The Products For Your Skin Type
So you’ve figured out your skin type and you make sure you’re using the right products for it, but are you using them well? Yes, you have dry skin and you’ve invested in rich moisturizers – that’s great! But it you don’t use an exfoliator once a week to get rid of a buildup of dead, dry skin cells, those rich creams will stop being effective.
If you have combination skin and you’re using products with harsh ingredients like alcohol, you could be aggravating the oily parts.
The Fix: Each skin type needs products with a texture that suits it. Dry skin needs thick, rich products and for oily skin, use gels and liquids rather than creams. For combination skin, use a mix of products for each area, you don’t want the products on the drier areas to exuberate oiliness in the other parts. The most important thing is to make sure your products don’t contain harsh and irritating ingredients, no matter what your skin type is!
5. You Don’t Apply Sunscreen On A Cloudy Day
Even if it’s not sunny or you’re just stepping out for 10 minutes, all those unprotected exposures to the sun add up. It can damage your skin’s immunity and make it age much faster than it should.
The Fix: Applying sunscreen daily is the most effective thing you can do for your skin. All the effort you take to keep your skin healthy is negated if you don’t do this. Keeping it protected from the sun, no matter where or for how long, can help you get younger-looking and near-perfect skin.
Also read: 7 Things That’ll Give You Glowing Skin… Overnight!
6. You Avoid Oils and Fat
If you’re a major fat avoider when it comes to your diet, it could affect your skin, particularly dry or flaky skin. Our skin cells are made from saturated fat, so if you’re on a mission to avoid such foods, it could be why your complexion doesn’t look its best.
The Fix: Omega-6 and omega-3 are essential in your diet and coconut oil is awesome for giving you a good form of saturated fat. Add a spoon of it to whatever you eat every morning.
7. Your Products Are Fragranced
We all love yummy smelling products but they could be agonizing your skin. From sensitive skin issues to dry patches, products with an added fragrance could be causing many of your skin issues.
The Fix: Switch to products with a neutral or natural scent. You should also avoid products that include fragrant essential oils like eucalyptus and mint. Check the ingredients list, words like “fragrance” and “parfum” are a big no-no.
Images: Shutterstock
