Beauty Tips from Renée Rouleau: The Top 5 Worst Skin Care Mistakes

Guest blog by Renée Rouleau

In my 20+ years as an esthetician and working with skin, I’ve heard it all and have seen it all. Here is my list of the worst skin care mistakes–that you’ll definitely later regret. So please follow my expert skin advice!

1. A pierced nose is a large pore for life! Don’t do it! Many teens and 20-somethings love this trend, but at some point, you’ll get tired of it or your career won’t allow it. And now you’re left with an extra large pore that’s impossible to close. It’s bad enough we all have large pores anyways, so intentionally making yourself one?

2. Picking at your skin–the wrong way. I do believe there is a right way and a wrong way to “pick” at a blemish, although most skin care professionals will say you should never touch your skin. But let’s face it. Who wants to be walking around with a whitehead on their skin? Gross! But you need to know the right way to handle a blemish once you get one. Here’s my advice to heal acne blemishes fast! (jump for more!)

3. Washing your skin with bar soap. If you wash your skin with a bar of soap (no matter how much you paid for it), you immediately strip your skin of all its water which instantly creates dead skin cell buildup. Then you have to quickly put moisturizer on to put back exactly what you just took out–makes no sense! The binders that hold a bar of soap together have a high pH balance making it too drying for most skin types. But they they also reverse the benefits from any exfoliants that you’re using (AHA’s, BHA’s and facial scrubs) since those are intended to remove dry skin cells. Bar soaps are a no-no, so look for mild, sulfate-free, soap-free gel cleansers.

4. Not wearing sunscreen in your daily moisturizer. The #1 cause of wrinkles is sun exposure. Period. But you need to realize that you get UV damage when you’re driving in your car, working in an office near windows, and certainly walking down the street. So wearing moisturizer with a sunscreen 365 days a year, rain or shine, inside or out is a must. And the earlier you start, the better! But here’s the deal. For those with oily skin and prone to acne breakouts, you need to apply it generously–a little dab will not do ya! The best lightweight, non-pore clogging sunscreens should contain at least 6% Zinc Oxide. So find one you love and wear it daily. Your skin will thank you for it!

5. Not using an alcohol-free toner after every washing. Toners are misunderstood. Most people aren’t really sure what they do and they often don’t use them because the alcohol is irritating. Toners without alcohol are a perfect way to give your skin the water and hydration it so desperately needs. Your skin cells are like fish. They need water to live and without water they die prematurely resulting in unhealthy skin–not to mention dry skin cells. Use an alcohol-free toner every time after you wash, but make sure to leave it damp before applying your serum or moisturizer to seal in the hydration.

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