7 Skincare Misconceptions You Should Know
If you regularly dig into the depths of your favorite skincare blog and flip through every page of the latest fashion magazine to find out what skincare trends celebrities are following this week, chances are you've learned a lot of skin care advice.
And thanks to your exceptional research skills, you may assume you know everything there is to know about building the perfect skincare routine and making your skin look younger, brighter, and clearer.
Unfortunately, with all of the available resources and trends readily available at our fingertips, it's not surprising that there is a lot of inaccurate or just plain wrong skincare information floating around. Many of these skincare misunderstandings were created years ago before any scientific knowledge or research could back them up.
So let's learn the truth about some of the most common skincare misconceptions.
You only need sunscreen if you're going outside
Whether or not an outdoor adventure is on your agenda, wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher should be part of your daily skincare routine. Harmful UV rays still make their way to the skin through the windows of your home and car and can negatively affect your skin's health. Additionally, researchers have found that the blue light that is emitted from our phones and computers contributes to worsening hyperpigmentation and accelerated aging.
Exfoliation isn't that important
Exfoliation is an essential step of your skincare routine, and we believe that everyone should be using a natural body scrub regularly! It helps to even skin tone, slough away dead skin cells to unclog pores, increase cell turnover, and helps other skincare products penetrate the skin deeper.
There are three common physical exfoliant bases: sugar, coffee, and salt.
Since sugar has smaller and softer granules than salt and coffee, sugar scrubs are an excellent option for all skin types and great for sensitive areas like the face, lips, neck, and chest. Salt scrubs are a bit more abrasive and should be used more for areas such as the arms, legs, and feet. Coffee scrubs are rich in antioxidants and are quickly becoming a favorite in the beauty world. They can be used to promote collagen, reduce inflammation, and may be used on the entire body.
Crossing your legs causes varicose veins
Varicose veins - enlarged veins that are easily visible through the skin - are a common condition that affects more than half of the women in the United States. It was thought that crossing your legs can contribute to the formation of these veins, but that is simply not the truth. If you're looking for something to blame, blame genetics. If other members of your family deal with varicose veins, you probably will, too, at some point. Other causes may include gender, activity level, age, pregnancy, and obesity.
Oily skin does not need to be moisturized
If you have oily or combination skin, you may have been told that moisturizing is unnecessary and will only exasperate your problem. Wrong!
Some natural oils are removed from the skin when you wash your face, leaving your cells unprotected and dehydrated. If left alone, your skin will trigger sebum (oil) to be produced in an attempt to rehydrate and protect itself - even if you have oily skin. So by skipping the moisturizer at the end of your routine, you are encouraging the skin to produce even more oil that has the potential to clog pores and cause breakouts.
You don't need eye cream until you have bags
Even if you are fortunate enough not to have any visible signs of aging around the eye area, that doesn't mean you should ignore it. It's never too early to start using eye cream, as prevention is the key to ageless skin.
The skin around your eyes is extremely delicate and thinner than the skin on the rest of your face, so it's often one of the first areas that show signs of fine lines, dark circles, and bags. Working an effective eye cream into your routine before you "need" it could help prevent these symptoms from appearing!
The more expensive a product is, the better
Dishing out your entire paycheck on a product that promises to fix every single skincare problem you have and then some may not always be the best idea. Instead of basing your decision on the product's price tag, take a look at the ingredient list instead. The effectiveness of the ingredients and the formulation of the product itself matters a lot more than what it costs.
Shaving makes hair grow back thicker
No matter what part of the body, shaving will not make the hair grow back thicker or faster. The reality is that hair regrowth just looks slightly different at first. An unshaven hair has a visible finer tip and a coarser base that is below the skin's surface. When your hair begins to grow back in, it's the base of the hair that you notice before the softer, thinner part grows in. So shaving does not change the hair's thickness but rather leaves it with a blunt tip.
Find more skincare advice along with ways to build a healthy skincare routine and how to eat for your skin on our blog!