When we were young, we kept hearing our mothers instructing us to stand up straight, stop squinting, limit our sugar intake and so on. Many of us didn’t pay attention to these advices thinking our parents belong to the old school.

Many women think they know what they are doing in terms of beauty tips and tricks. But they would be surprised to find out that some of the things they are doing might be causing more harm than good to their skin, hair and body.

We did an online survey involving 250 Saudi women and found out that many of them made almost the same beauty mistakes, which are listed below:

1) Skipping the sunscreen: Many women neglect the sunscreen. The SPF in your moisturizer and foundation does not add up so make sure you get the proper coverage.

2) Not washing makeup brushes: Makeup left on the brush is technically filled with micro bacteria and will promote skin breakout. You will need to deep cleanse your brushes once a week using special organic shampoos. Make sure they dry properly because moist brushes will provide the perfect environment for bacteria to grow. Think of it as applying bacteria on your face over and over again. A simpler way is to spot clean it every time you use the brush until you deep cleanse it at the end of the week. Your brushes are not only picking up bacteria but they are also picking up natural oils and dead skin.

3) Touching the face: Your hands are filled bacteria and germs. Whatever happens, don’t pop your zits at all, it will scar your skin and leave a dark spot.

4) Rubbing the eyes: This could cause pre-mature wrinkles and sagging of the skin area around the eyes. It might not affect you right now but it will in the long run. Pulling your eyes while applying eyeliner also comes under this category; find a suitable technique to follow when applying the eyeliner and always apply a thick layer of moisturizer and sunscreen.

5) Sleeping with makeup on: Nighttime is the time when your skin needs to breathe. Sleeping with toxic makeup on will cause clogged pores and you will wakeup with blemishes.

6) Working out with makeup on: You do not need to look beautiful at the gym. It’s a place where you will sweat and your skin will heat up and pores will open up to produce sweats. When this happens, your skin will immediately absorb the melted makeup and will breakout. You need to understand that makeup is toxic and when absorbed by the skin causes pimples.

7) Washing the hair everyday: You need to wash it twice a week or maximum every other day because your scalp needs to produce oils to feed the hair and washing it means depriving the hair of its food. Moreover, water actually causes hydration and will cause the hair to split at the end; this means the hair is getting thinner by each wash. You can use a dry shampoo instead of washing your hair.

8) Exposing hair to heat: Heat protection products for hair will help build a shield for your hair to protect it from hot tools such as flat irons, blow dry or curling irons.

9) Peeling off nail polish: Not only is it easier to remove nail polish using a nail polish remover, it is also better for the health of your nails. Peeling off your nail polish means peeling off the first layer of your nail and this will make it weak and it will break easily.

10) Using makeup post its expiry date: Makeup formulation is not designed to be antique. The chemicals in your makeup will work against your skin and will cause infections.

11) Scratching eyes, skin and scalp: Using your nails to scratch your skin is like peeling off the first layer of your skin. If you scratch your scalp it will harm the skin and bruise it, this will lead to difficulties in growing healthy hair.

12) Biting nails or cuticles: You are not a child, you need to have good-looking nails. Go for regular manicure and pedicure appointments to get your nails in shape.

13) Not getting regular haircuts: You need to chop off at least the ends because it will help to grow your hair faster and healthier. It also makes the hair look heavier and fuller because you are cutting off the tired and dead ends.

14) Inadequate water intake: Water is the solution for everything, from perfect skin to a perfect body. It is the best-kept secret for those who want a glowing skin and a healthy body. Always remember to drink those eight glasses of water religiously.

15) Using other people’s makeup: It is not hygienic to share your makeup and brushes with anyone. It is not safe because germs can live on your makeup and brushes and can move from one person to another. Another reason is that your natural oils might transfer to other people and cause a rash.

16) Not blending the makeup: When applying foundation using a brush, you will need to blend it well using either a foundation sponge or a buffing brush to avoid cakey layers and strikes of foundation.

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