11 Bad Beauty Habits To Break NOW!

I remember how mindlessly blow-drying at the hottest temperature and using box colour left my hair in terrible condition as a teenager. Every single strand was split in multiple places. One of my favourite activities back then was to pick at my split ends for hours on end. I didn’t realise how damaging that was until a hairstylist told me to stop asap. But I didn’t give it up until she shamed me into stopping. We’re all guilty of certain hard-to-break habits that do us more harm than good. The first step towards resolving these habits is to recognise them. Here are some things we all do more often than we would like to admit and need to put a stop to immediately.

 

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Color (Rs 188)

1. You Bite Your Nails

Biting your nails makes your hands look horrible, and is a dead giveaway of your personality, i.e. usually someone who is insecure, nervous, always fretting and unable to come to a decision. It is as bad as wringing your hands. Besides, constant biting your nails can also expose your nail bed to fungal infections and ingrown nails, which can be quite painful. Apply a nail hardener that makes it difficult for you to bite your nails or use one of those bitter nail polishes to remind you to break the habit.

 

Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream (Rs 431)

2. You bite your cuticles

Cuticles are meant to protect the base of your nails. Just like biting your nails too close to the bed is bad, picking on your cuticles can expose your nails to infections. Hands are the most noticeable feature and I don’t think infected fingers look anywhere close to acceptable.

 

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Polish Scrub (Rs 520)

3. You tweeze ingrown hair

It is intensely satisfying to dig around a follicle with a pair of tweezers to pluck out the ingrown hair. However, what you are not realising is that you run the risk of infecting said follicle. Folliculitis spreads to other hair follicles and that’s a lot to deal with. They are quite painful and lead to scarring. Prevent ingrown hair by exfoliating your skin before you shave or wax.

 

 

4. You use old make-up

We know how hard it is to kiss goodbye to your babies. But it has to be done. Ugly breakouts are harder to deal with. Read more about how soon you need to toss away your products here.

 

Dermalogica Precleanse Wipes (Rs 1,750)

5. You sleep with your make-up on

Let’s be honest, it only takes five minutes to get every last bit of make-up off your face. Dilly-dallying and thinking how much you hate this chore takes a lot more time than that. Your skin needs to be able to repair itself from all the wear and tear it goes through during the day. If you are guilty of not taking off your make-up before you hit the sack, keep a packet of wet wipes by your bedside where they are accessible. Wet wipes can clean most make-up and something’s better than nothing, no?

 

L’Occitane Immortelle Harvest Eye MakeUp Remover (Rs 1,323)

6. You don’t take off your eye make-up properly

So you took off most of your waterproof mascara, but little bits are still clinging to your lashes along with residual kohl on your waterline. That should be fine, right? Not right. Leftover eye make-up can clog tear ducts and the base of your lashes, leading to styes and infections. Use a cleanser that does its job well without being harsh.

 

Police Caribbean Pure Femme Eau De Toilette (Rs 1,500)

7. You bathe in perfume

One should try to smell good at all times, but if your perfume makes an entry before you do, we have a problem here. Apply perfume only on your pulse points, and if you can’t give up your need to bathe in perfume, try switching to lighter fragrances instead of dousing yourself in a strong, heady fume that’s overpowering.

 

The Body Shop Strawberry Cleanse Gel Hand Sanitizer (Rs 315)

8. You are constantly touching your face

Hands are constantly being used to turn door knobs, handles and touch a hundred other things. Obviously, you are picking more germs than you can sanitise, so keep your hands off your face. And for god’s sake don’t pick on your pimples. Gouging them out will only leave you with a scarred face.

 

Clarins Ultra-Matte Rebalancing Lotion (Rs 2,381)

9. You apply make-up on dry skin

You can use make-up to conceal acne and scars, but there’s absolutely nothing you can do to conceal dry, flaky skin. Always moisturise your skin thoroughly before you start applying make-up or it will go on streaky.

 

Coastal Scents Makeup Brush Shampoo Cleanser (Rs 1,820)

10. You use dirty brushes

Brushes get stained with product. Liquid and cream residues on brushes are the perfect place for bacterial growth. If you continue using the same brush without cleaning it, the old product will also go on to your face along with the bacteria. It can cause some horrible skin problems. Make it a point to wash your brushes at least once a week.

 

Khadi Rose and Papaya Face Scrub (Rs 110)

11. You over-exfoliate

You need to exfoliate to slough away dead skin, and for your skin to absorb the goodness of  moisturisers. However, exfoliating more than once a week using harsh scrubs will peel off more than just the dead skin and that’s not something you want to deal with.