Beauty Taboos You Should Avoid

Hair:

1. You’re holding the brush wrong when you blow-dry.

If you hold the hairdryer with your dominant hand and work the brush with the weaker, you’re not alone but possibly to your dismay, you've been doing it wrong this whole time. While it feels more natural to hold the larger, heavier item with your stronger hand, you need the better dexterity of your dominant hand to better control the brush and get the job done in less time and with less exertion. So switch it up! Retrain yourself to do it the right way, and you’ll see better, smoother results with less dry time overall.

2. You’re only conditioning the ends of your hair.

It’s been a widely-held belief that we should only be conditioning the lower half of our hair from the mid-lengths down, especially if it’s fine and tends to fall limp, to avoid hair becoming weighed down by conditioner and make our hair oily. The reality is that fine hair is very fragile and needs the extra support of a daily conditioner. The solution is to use a light conditioner from roots to tips that moisturizes and strengthens hair without weighing it down.

3. You’re rubbing hair with a towel to dry.

NEVER RUB (that goes for skin too)! Using a bath towel is considered the standard way to dry off the hair after washing, but if done incorrectly, it’s basically the fastest route to breakage and frizz. Instead of hopping out of the shower and twisting hair to release excess moisture, then rubbing dry with a towel—both things you should not do—use your hands to gently squeeze out extra water in large sections, then do the same with a towel, blotting and squeezing the hair rather than rubbing or wringing.

4. You’re blow-drying hair with the wrong temperature.

A blow-dryer that’s not nearly hot enough has its own set of issues, sure, the most concerning damage that you can do to your hair with a dryer is when its too hot. In an effort to dry your hair faster, you could be frying your strands without even knowing it. This can also trigger frizz and split ends. You should start off with blow-drying your hair on the lowest heat setting possible. Odds are you won’t end up needing anything hotter than that.

5. You’re using too much dry shampoo.

The biggest danger of overdosing on dry shampoo? Clogged pores. It’s not just something you need to worry about on your face. The pasty dry shampoo and oil mix will prevent the hair follicle from breathing, and once clogged, the pores on your scalp will go into overdrive to try and flush out the product with more oil.

Important tip to remember: dry shampoo can only absorb so much oil, so you cannot count on it to do the work of a proper shampoo. You'll eventually get to a point where you’re just layering more and more product on top of your grease. Yea... no thanks.

6. You brush your hair when it’s wet.

Your hair is at its most fragile when wet. This is enough of a reason as why brushing or even combing just after the shower is a major no-no—it can compromise even healthy hair to the point that it snaps from tension. To avoid breakage but still get the knots out before styling, use your fingers (and a leave-in spray, if necessary) to detangle and part your hair after towel-drying.

7. You’re blow-drying your hair when it’s too wet.

Believe it or not, hair should be about 60% dry before you start going in with the blow-dryer. The longer your hair is exposed to the heat, the more damage is likely to occur, and sopping wet hair is more likely to develop frizz as you attempt to dry it. Try to absorb as much moisture as possible with a towel or cloth before you pick up your blow-dryer and wait a good 15-20 minutes post-shower to give hair a chance to dry.

8. You’re shampooing too frequently.

To avoid stripping the hair of natural oils you are going to want to only wash your hair a maximum of three times a week. Stripping these natural oils can lead to dryness, damage, and breakage. For those who exercise frequently, or just “miss the feeling of washing it,” you can still rinse well with water and condition the ends between shampoos.

9. You’re skipping heat protect-ant.

Even if you don’t consider yourself to have damaged, vulnerable hair in need of protecting, a heat styling product is an absolute must before exposing your hair to any excessive heat source. Not only do they protect the hair from incurring damage as a result of heat exposure, but they also help to optimize the performance of hot tools, which means you get safer, healthier hair and a better style overall. Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

Makeup:

1. You stretch your eye to make the perfect wing.

Pulling your eye back when putting on eyeliner not only can break down the sensitive skin and elasticity around your eye but you you could also end up with a horribly uneven line. Quite a lose-lose scenario.

Instead, try using a makeshift stencil out of post-it notes or something similar! usually does the trick for creating a wing that's just the right size for every day wear. This way you won't pull and wreck the skin around your eye and simultaneously avoid your eyeliner resulting in a a dragged down look.

2. You drawing lines on the entire brow.

When you trace heavy lines on your entire brow, it can make it harder to blend and soften them. You'll most likely end up with an unnatural shape and cartoon-ish brows that don't match your hair color at all doing it this way.

Less is always more when it comes to brows as you want them to look as natural as possible. Start with a color that is the same or one shade lighter than your natural hair color. Instead of drawing a harsh strokes and trying to blend out those strokes with your finger or sponge, use an eyebrow brush and use small strokes on the bottom of your brow and brush upwards to mimic the hairs of your brows. The soft strokes will create an illusion of a fuller look without going overboard and a brush makes it worlds easier to blend.

3. You apply too much blush and you apply it too low on your face.

A nice rosy hue on your cheeks is meant to add the finishing touch to your face, not be the main point of focus. Putting blush on a lower part of your cheek can drag your face down and look tacky.

To fix this, use a contouring brush and applying color only to the apples of your cheeks (the round parts of your cheek when you smile), as opposed to the entire sides of your face. This way, your face will be lifted up naturally when you blend.

4. You use way too many products for contouring.

Start with your matte bronzer at the top of your forehead and make light strokes down your hairline connecting from your forehead to the top of your cheekbone and your jawline. Blend a little and you're done. Easy as that!

This will save your face and your wallet!

5. You apply lipstick to naked lips.

Do you want your color to last and apply evenly without smearing and/or drying out your lips? Then you want to avoid applying this product completely bare, even if you are reapplying.

While you may have heard that to fix this, you can dab a bit of primer or foundation on your lips, this can actually make your lips look more crusty. Instead, prep your lips with light face moisturizer/light chapstick and let it set while you do the finish with the rest of your makeup routine. After a few minutes, apply your lipstick. The added moisture will ensure your lipstick doesn't wear off right away and that it glides on much more smoothly and evenly.

6. You use your finger or a sponge to apply foundation.

NEVER use your fingers to apply makeup on your face. Not only can the oils on your hands clog up your pores, you can get an uneven, cakey result. In the case for sponges, they soak up majority of the of the product you want to apply. Basically, you're wasting a bunch of foundation and all the money you spent on your products is clogged up in the pores of a sponge.

Invest in a good foundation brush and that solve all those problems. These are much easier to use and you'll wind up great coverage.

7. You test your foundations in the wrong spots.

When looking for the best foundation match, majority of people smear the products on their hands, wrists or forearm for a quick test before buying. More often than not doing this can cause you to buy a shade that ends up being too dark for your face or just straight up doesn't match.

Dab a little on your neck and on the outside of your cheek. Your neck color is usually a lighter hue, which means you'll be less likely to buy a formula that's too dark for your face. It is much easier to deal with a lighter foundation shade than a darker shade as you can use bronzer to deepen the shade. Compare the color and pick the formula that seamlessly disappears into your skin.

8. You store your makeup products in the bathroom.

Many beauty products contain natural oils and waxes in them that when exposed to fluctuating temperatures in the summertime or after a hot shower, could get ruined. While products are generally tested to hold up at room temperatures, the consistencies of some natural products are meant to be kept in dark and cool conditions.

To fix this, you can get a makeup fridge (yes those exist now, check it out here) Products with natural or organic ingredients will thrive in these conditions and their shelf life while be prolonged. Cooler eye creams will help seal up your pores and feel that much more amazing on your skin when when kept in these conditions.

Otherwise, just make sure you have a separate drawer that isn't exposed to high temperatures (make sure it doesn't sit in the sun).

Skincare:

1. You was your face too much

Washing your face more does not equal less acne, in fact it can cause you to break out more! When you over wash your face, you strip away essential oils that prevent your face from drying out. For balanced skin, she recommends cleansing no more than twice a day, then following with a moisturizer.

A good moisturizer option for winter: Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Day Lotion.

2. You tug at your eye area

Much like the eyeliner tip previously mentioned, rubbing and pulling at the delicate skin around your eyes could make wrinkles pop up prematurely.

To take off eye makeup without vigorously rubbing at your eyes, hold a remover-soaked cotton pad against your lids for about 30 seconds before gently whisking it away. When applying eye cream, pat it with your ring finger, as this will apply the lightest pressure compared to your other fingers. Keep lightly tapping until the cream absorbs into the skin.

3. You choose the wrong products for your skin type

While it may tempting to play around with all the new products that seem to come out every week, or try or the products your friends use, your best bet is to stick with items that are designed specifically for your skin type. Dry skin? Stick with a routine that delivers extra moisture. If you're prone to breakouts, make sure to look over your product labels for ingredients that prevent acne, such as salicylic acid like you would for nutrition facts for food products.

For sensitive types, you also need to watch what is in your products, especially what’s not in your products. Pamper your complexion with cleansers and moisturizers that are free of fragrance and harsh irritants. Clueless about your skin type? Consult with a derm.

4. You apply too much product

It may be very tempting, but less is more when it comes to your skincare products.

While it may be surprising, the size amounts necessary to cover your face aren't actually too big. This means you may even be wasting money when it comes to how much product you use. For everything else in your medicine cabinet, here is a guide for exactly what size blob to use:

Pea-sized: Face lotions, face creams, and hand and foot creams

Grape-sized: Cleansers, toners/waters, masks, and body moisturizers

Rice-sized: Eye creams, serums, and treatments

A good rule of thumb is to apply the lightest weight product first, for example: a serum, then layer heavier products such as a lotion, cream, or sunscreen on top.

5. You sleep with makeup on

This biggest no no you could possibly make on this list is sleeping with your makeup on. Yes, it happens to the best of us as after a really long day you just want to crash. But makeup blocks the sweat and oil glands temporarily so you'll be clogging your pores.

Snoozing in mascara or eye shadow can also leads to very similar issues, maybe even worse. Leaving these products on can lead to inflammation of the eyelid and other infections. If you're truly too tired to do your whole routine, at least use a wipe.

6. You do your skincare routine immediately before bed

Apply your skincare products and acne medications at least one hour before bed so they have the chance to work into the skin.

Plus, the closer you get to bedtime, the more lazy you might get with your routine and might even skip some steps. So, get it out of the way and enjoy some personal unwinding time.