Mistake #1 You don’t commit to your skin care routine, morning and night, 365 days a year. I know it sounds silly, but many people don’t follow their skin care routine consistently. Either they are too tired or lack the discipline to follow the routine twice daily. Think about an apple that falls from the tree and lands in the grass: if you leave it there, it will be mush within a couple of weeks.

If you pick it up, clean it, protect it and put it into a temperature and moisture controlled environment – you can sell it as a perfect apple in a 3-5 months. Our skin is no different – you must take good care of it to slow down the aging process.
Solution: Follow a proper skin care routine when you get up and again before you go to bed! Set your alarm clock with the time you need in the morning so you are not rushed. Make it a goal to take care of your skin twice daily!

Mistake #2 Using expired products. Many ingredients found in skincare products become rancid. This can result in infections, rashes, dry skin and acne. Not to mention that what we put on our skin can enter our bloodstream within 26 seconds.
Solution: Check the expiry dates of your skin care and cosmetics products – especially those in liquid form. When you use your products consistently, you are likely to use them up prior to the expiry date. But if you’ve been inconsistent or purchased products on sale or at a discount retailer (meaning that they were likely about to expire in the first place), check the expiry date: if it’s passed – replace it as it is likely doing more harm than good.

Mistake #3 Not using an effective sunscreen. The sun will dry your skin, cause age spots, freckles, fine lines and wrinkles and eventually affect your skins collagen production, leaving your skin less supple and firm.
Solution: Use a good quality facial moisturizer with broad spectrum UVA/UVB (minimum 15) daily. If you are near or on the water, or outside all day, you will need to reapply it every few hours.

Mistake #4 Using soap to clean your face. I hear it all the time – people running out of their facial cleanser and using soap. Soap contains a number of ingredients that irritate and dry out the skin, including sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), fragrance, Paraben, and other toxic ingredients. Not only does soap commonly irritate the skin, it strips the oily “acid mantle” that actually protects us from bacteria. Once your acid mantle has been stripped, your skin will spend the next 12-14 hours trying to repair it.
Solution: When you notice your cleanser is getting low, pick up another one, and if time is a factor, have someone pick it up – they benefit from your wellbeing! Substituting soap or another product for a few days could cause irritations that might take weeks to settle down again.

Mistake #5 Purchasing skin care based on advertising and marketing hype. As our population ages, anti-aging cosmetics have become a booming trend. As with any trend, many companies without any experience are quick to jump in to get a piece of the pie.
Solution: Look for a brand with at least a decade or two of experience producing quality anti-aging products that are proven safe and effective. Ideally, products will be vegan, botanically based, and free of known toxins including: Fragrance, Paraben, Toluene, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), Phthalates and Formaldehyde Donating Preservatives. Don’t let your face be a victim of some company’s fad.