Beauty shortcuts, we all have them, but did you know these may be hijacking your attempts at slowing down the ageing process. You may just be your own worst enemy.

Beauty shorcuts to watch out for:

1. Beauty shortcuts – Over cleansing your skin

Cleansing of the skin is vital to remove dead skin cells, debris and pollution that have accumulated on the skin throughout the day, however, it is important to remember that everything in moderation is beneficial … too much of a good thing can be bad.

Our skins have a protective layer known as the acid mantle with a pH of 7, this protective layer is a thin oily layer on the surface of the skin. Over-washing can strip the skin of this protective layer as well as other necessary oils, leaving your skin vulnerable and dehydrated.

Dehydration quickly results in fine lines and wrinkles, as well as ‘whiteheads’ known as milia. Ideally, you should only be washing your skin first thing in the morning and last thing at night. This is not an area to take beauty shortcuts.

2. Beauty shortcuts – Exfoliating your skin too often

Once again moderation is key here. We exfoliate to help remove and slough off dead skin cells that may be hanging on by the finest thread, we do this to encourage cell turnover and the production of new skin.

Too much exfoliation, however, can result in the fresh ‘new’ and rather vulnerable skin cells being exposed to the sun and elements before they are fully matured. This premature exposure will result in damage in the deeper layers of the skin and definitely additional pre-mature ageing.

It is recommended that you exfoliate no more than 2 – 3 x per week, or alternatively consider having regular professional skin peels for a deeper exfoliation.
We recommend that you consult a skin care therapist or dermatologist for an accurate recommendation.

3. Beauty shortcuts – Incorrect eye make up removal

The tendency when removing eye make up seems to be a rather heavy-handed slapdash affair amongst women, especially late at night. It is important to bear in mind that the skin around the eye area is much thinner, finer and as a result way more fragile.

By stretching this skin you are damaging the skin structure and encouraging fine lines and wrinkles around the eye area.

Our recommendation would be to place your eye make up remover onto two round cotton pads, place these gently over the eye area and rest for a few minutes, then gently rock and sweep off the eyes in an outward motion and repeating as many times as needed.

Ageing is inevitable but we sure can do our part to slow down the process.