Skincare is really personal, and everyone has their routine that they feel works best for them. Most routines are aimed at solving specific skincare problems that are caused by genetics, lifestyle, hormones or skin sensitivity that are totally individual.

However, there are some skincare sins that everyone should avoid, whatever their skin type or issues are. Here’s our list of seven skincare sins to skip:

Overexfoliation

Lots of people are guilty of this – particularly using harsh, physical exfoliants that can actually cause micro tears in the skin. It can be satisfying to feel like you’ve had a really severe scrub, but you might be really damaging your skin.

Using a cream or chemical exfoliator can be a much better option for your skin than using sharp, physical exfoliating products.       

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Picking, squeezing and touching your skin

We all know the feeling of having a zit or irritated part of our skin that we just can’t leave alone. Picking or squeezing zits can leave you open to infection (as well as making it look worse and take longer to heal) whereas touching your skin can spread bacteria and contaminants across your skin. It’s particularly apt right now, when we’re being encouraged not to touch our face and to wash our hands more frequently.

Try and leave irritated skin alone as much as possible and use soothing products with as few reactive ingredients as possible. If you're worried about a superficial zit that you just want to go down in size, try adding a hydrocolloid patch overnight to reduce inflammation.

Skipping SPF

The sun can be one of the biggest causes of premature ageing and skin damage. Overexposure and sunburn also increases the risk of skin cancer. Whilst staying out of the sun is one of the best ways to avoid this, it isn’t always possible. For these reasons, you should be using SPF every time you head outside – even if it’s cloudy – as the sun’s UV rays can cause damage.

If you don’t want to use a separate SPF, then why try using products that you would use anyway that already include SPF.

Not removing makeup properly

Going to bed in make up is bad for your skin (and your pillows).  You might not always feel like it, but taking your makeup off at bedtime is something that you should always, always do. We’re not saying that you should double cleanse every night, but lots of people swear that it helps their skin to feel squeaky clean.

Double dipping or directly scooping

Similar to touching your skin, repeatedly dipping into a product without a clean tool is one of the easiest ways to spread bacteria – and leave it sat in your product until next time. We don’t think that we need to tell you what to do here, but look for products that come with applicators to make this easier.

Using expired products

Makeup and skincare have expiry dates for a reason. Some active ingredients may stop working on expiry, and some might react in unexpected ways. Look, texture and scent of a product can also change for the worst if a product is out of date. If you can’t find the date or shelf life of a product, try Check Cosmetic to get an estimate based on batch numbers.

Not cleaning up makeup brushes or tools

This is another way to spread bacteria and germs across your makeup and skincare. Make sure you clean your tools – with an appropriate cleanser or product – each time you use them to avoid problems with your skin.

Do you think you're a skincare sinner? Have you managed to stop doing any of the skincare sins above?

Still looking for your perfect skincare routine? Try our skin quiz!