Six Ways You Might Be Accidentally Ruining Your SkinCredit : Pexels/Ekaterina Bolovotsova

Skincare's supposed to be all healing and therapeutic, but do a couple of things wrong and you've officially somehow managed to ruin your skin. Okay, perhaps that sounded a lot scarier than we wanted it to be, but the point remains. There are some fundamental skincare steps you need to take, as well as certain things you need to avoid, to make sure your skincare routine is ultra-effective.

With all of the care we put into putting our best faces forward, nobody likes to discover they've somehow accidentally caused more harm than good to their skin. With that in mind, we're going to go ahead and share six of the more common skin care mistakes that you might be making (which may also be the reason why you're not getting the result you want!) -- so that you can correct them ASAP.

Moisturize Well, and Moisturize Often

One of the biggest mistakes a lot of people make is not moisturizing nearly enough. The rule of thumb here is pretty simple: you moisturize when your skin starts feeling dry. Heck, do it before it starts to feel dry in the first place, just so you can get a pre-emptive strike on maintaining that supple, glowing skin you deserve. And no, it doesn't matter if you just moisturized half an hour ago. If your skin calls for some hydration, you gotta give it the extra moisture it needs.

Keep in mind that moisturizing your skin a lot won't make it oily or cause breakouts, either, but letting it get too dry certainly will cause some problems. If your skin's calling out for moisture, it has a reason to do so. You're either in an area where the air is excessively dry, or your skin is having some issues. Regardless, respond to its calling and moisturize as often as you need to, and schedule an appointment with your derm to get to the bottom of it.

Your Diet Matters (A Lot!)

 

If you've been struggling with skin problems, breakouts, or even rashes -- even though your skincare game is on point -- a closer look at your diet might provide some answers. You probably know how certain foods can cause breakouts or make your skin oily. So if you've been eating a lot of fast foods or processed junk, it's time to switch it up. It's also worth remembering that nutrients such as the Omega-3s are great for your skin, so including them in your diet could also give you positive results!

You're Staying Hydrated, Right?

 

If your skin's been feeling dry, is suddenly starting to become prone to rashes and chapped, has gray spots on it, and is looking more flaky than usual, it might be because your water intake is seriously low. The water in your body keeps your skin hydrated from within, and it's the joint effort of internal and external hydration that leads to healthy, dewy skin.

We get it. Developing a habit of drinking water every other hour is really difficult, especially if you don't like getting up from your desk every five minutes for a quick bathroom break. What you need to remember though, is that drinking water is the easiest way of keeping your body healthy. On the other hand, dehydration will make things really difficult for you, leading to energy loss and excessive cracking of your skin. So go ahead and set up reminders, and drink at least eight glasses of water every day!

The Ingredient List Is Your New BFF

If there's one mistake you need to correct, it's not looking over the ingredients that your skincare products have in them. Many popular brands use a lot of terrible pore clogging ingredients such as parabens, artificial colors, sulfates, and cheap oils, just to cut costs at the expense of your skin's well-being. If your cream or wash has any of these items, then you're far better off staying away from them altogether.

And while you're being wary of the big guns, don't forget that there are plenty of great ingredients that your products should contain, too! Natural ingredients such as aloe vera, plant extracts, and natural oils (like plant squalane, for instance) are great, as they supply some essential nutrients and keep your skin naturally hydrated. Feel free to reach for those when you feel like your face needs a little extra TLC.

Try Not to Stress Out So Much

 

Overworking yourself and stressing over trivial things is one of the worst things that you could be doing to yourself. When you're under a lot of stress, your organs are unable to function normally. In turn, your body isn't able to absorb nutrients correctly, and its effects start showing on your skin in the form of wrinkles, fine lines, and a dull complexion. No matter how you look at it, stress is bad news all around.

Stress could also lead to insomnia, which in turn messes with your body's immune system and may cause you to break out and develop dark circles underneath your eyes. Make sure that you try to remain calm by setting aside time to meditate each day, and keep your schedule in check so that you're not biting off more than you can chew. Also, having a firm sleep schedule should be your biggest priority! They don't call it your "beauty rest" for nothing, right?

Develop a Nighttime Skincare Routine

 

Having a separate nighttime skincare routine could do wonders for your skin, especially because it is during this time of the day that your skin heals and repairs itself. Ingredients that help boost cell growth and regeneration help in repairing and evening out your skin tone, adding vigor and life back into. So before you head to bed, putting on a moisturizer, eye cream, and serum specially designed to aid skin repair while you sleep will definitely help!

It's so easy to neglect your skincare routine, especially when you're busy with other things in your life. However, there's nothing more frustrating than thinking you were doing everything right, only to discover that your regimen is actually causing you more harm than good. By taking the time to introduce these six beauty-friendly skin habits, and practicing a little bit of self-love and compassion, you can finally have that crystal clear, radiant skin you deserve.