9 Habits To Break Now If You Want Amazing Skin

by Hope Freije, Annmarie Skin Care

Today, we’re here to divulge some of our skin tips that might just help you achieve your best skin ever. It’s not so much a to-do list, but more of a “what not to do” list.

Chances are, you’re probably already doing some beneficial things for your skin, like using natural skin care or eating an organic diet. But you might also be committing skin sabotage in some ways you didn’t realize.

Most of us have been guilty of some of things at least once in our lives. We made a list of the top 9 things you might be doing to make your skin less-than-radiant.

1. Eating Excess Sugar (When you know you shouldn’t!)

A 2013 study looked at the connection between blood sugar and aging. Participants who tested with higher blood sugar levels were also rated as looking older. Crazy, right?

Looking older shouldn’t be the only reason you avoid eating sugar, but it is one effect that this addictive substance seems to have. Constantly spiking our blood sugar levels and then later crashing down is an unhealthy cycle that many of us subject our bodies to, and our skin shows it.

Sugar induced aging

Our blog post on sugar induced aging will tell you more about this.

We recommend making informed choices about which kind of sweetener you use and paying attention to how much sugar is in the prepared foods that you buy. For those of us who maybe haven’t perfected the art of making “meals” (ahem, guilty), simply eliminating peanut butter cups from your breakfast menu might be an easy place to start.

2. Not Hydrating

We’ve all heard that statistic that says we’re pretty much just a bunch of water that look like humans walking around the planet. Yet we still find reasons not to hydrate: “Water is boring…” “Having to pee all the time is inconvenient…” “I hate washing cups…”

We know that we need water to do all the things our body needs to do. One is transporting nutrients to the places they need to go. Another is flushing out the impurities we don’t wanting hanging around. So do yourself a favor and drink up!

3. Sleeping on Pillow Cases Washed with Toxic Laundry Detergent

Bet you didn’t see this one coming!

We’ve talked about chemicals found in laundry detergents that you might be using, some of which are linked to cancer, lung damage, and hormone disruption. Given that your clothes are on your body all day and you sleep on your pillows all night, you might want to think twice about what you use to launder them.

the problem with chemical detergents

Is using chemical detergents to wash your pillow cases causing your acne or wrinkles? Probably not. But it’s definitely not helping, and some people are more sensitive to chemical irritation than others. Either way, having those substances near your face (for ⅓ of your life!) does not a happy complexion (or body) make.

You might try making your own detergent if DIY is your style. Here’s one of our favorite recipes from Wellness Mama!

4. Using Skin Care Products That Contain Alcohol

Why is there alcohol in your skin care products? They’re used to help ingredients mix together to form a finished product, act as preservatives, and temporarily shrink your pores.

Why don’t you want them there? Some alcohols used in skin care are drying, irritating, and damaging to your skin, and many contain petroleum-derived additives that you definitely don’t want on your face. You can read more about it in our blog post here.

what can you use instead?

Even the types of alcohols that are pretty much harmless aren’t doing anything good for your skin, but if you replaced the alcohol with aloe juice, your skin would be singing joyful noises (or dancing or painting or doing whatever your skin does when it wants to express itself).

All we’re saying is, be choosy when it comes to the ingredients in your skin care. There are so many plant-based ingredients out there that your skin loves, so there’s no need to settle for skin-drying alcohols.

5. Skin Addictions

Skin gets used to what you put on it. If you’re feeding it well, awesome! If you’re not, then there can be problems.

A common ingredient that skin gets addicted to is benzoyl peroxide. Usually prescribed for acne, it clears up the skin by killing bacteria and reducing oil production. In the long term, it is extremely drying for most skin types, essentially working like a bleach. Ouch!

the skin detox process

Alkaline benzoyl peroxide disturbs your skin’s acid mantle, which should be at a pH of between 4.5-5.5. Once you stop using it, your skin starts to re-balance itself to its natural pH. During what it essentially a detox process, many people find that they break out.

Have patience! These skin detox-induced breakouts should subside after a few weeks. And there are lots of natural remedies for oily skin and other skin types.

Ditch your skin-diction! Read more about skin detox here.

6. Using Unnatural Makeup

So we talked about your skin at night (resting on a pillow case), but what about during the day? Many of us wear makeup, either occasionally or for everyday coverage. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look your best, but putting on foundation, blush, concealer, etc. every day could be making your skin less healthy.

the problem with chemical makeup

Many makeup brands, I’m going to say most, use ingredients that can cause you harm. Unnatural makeup products can clog your pores, irritate your skin, and create a barrier that keeps your skin from breathing. What ends up happening? Your skin gets worse over time as you use them.

We favor natural mineral makeups without added preservatives and fragrances, like our Minerals Multi-Purpose Foundation. They’re a healthy way to even out your skin tone and cover imperfections. You can also use our Sun Love lotion for a hint of color (not to mention luxurious avocado oil and beautifying hyaluronic acid).

7. Leaving Your Makeup on Overnight

You’re tired. Your eyelids are closing against your will. You’re almost considering sleeping in your jeans. Stop! Wait! It’s time to wash off your makeup.

Naked skin is happy skin. Especially if you’re wearing chemical makeup brands, you want to give your skin a break over night.

In the same vein, make sure to wash your makeup off before working out. When you break a sweat and your pores open up, dirt, oil and, yep, makeup will get in there.

Also, unless you want to wash your pillow cases every day, you should do your best to keep them clean in between washes. Another reason that washing your face before bed is a must!

8. Eating From a Box

You can’t talk about good skin without talking about health. Your skin is an indicator of what’s happening inside.

We can’t tell you whether being gluten-free, vegan, raw, vegetarian or what will work for you. There a lot of theories and diet plans out there, and we don’t have the bandwidth to sift through them all.

stick with whole foods

However, eating whole foods is something pretty un-debatably healthy. It can be challenging to prepare foods from scratch and avoid the urge to succumb to a prepacked frozen entree, but preparing fresh foods is a great way to stay healthy. At the very least, you’ll know what’s on your plate.

Try to have a salad or smoothie every day to up your intake of raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Try to eat the rainbow! Different colored produce provides different benefits, so make things fun and multicolored on your plate in order to cover your nutritional bases.

9. Not Exfoliating

We’ll end with a simple one: exfoliation. As you get older, your need for regular exfoliation increases. Plus, when you’re using potent anti-aging products, you want to make sure they are being well absorbed.

Of course, there is such a thing as too much exfoliation, so you need to find a balance. For most people, a couple times a week does the trick. As you age, this may be closer to 3 or 4 times a week.

If you have oily skin or otherwise sensitive skin, be careful not to exfoliate too vigorously. A gentle scrub like our Ayurvedic Facial Scrub may be better suited for you.

You can achieve the skin you want! By ditching some of your bad habits and adopting some good ones, you could find yourself waking up to younger, more radiant looking skin!

By the way, today, you can get a 7-day sample kit which includes the Aloe Herb Cleanser, Anti-Aging Serum & Anti-Aging Facial Oil for just $10.

And… drum roll, please! A sample of the Illuminating Pearl Mask is also included for free. Again, the entire sample kit is only $10—plus the shipping is free.

To get this one week supply (and a free Illuminating Pearl Mask), click here and you’ll be on your way!