By: Jess Walter (guest blogger)
Your skin tells the world your story. Drug addiction and unhealthy lifestyles go hand-in-hand, causing a lack of nutrients and stress to show up on your face in the form of acne, dryness, or a dull complexion. Now that you’re in recovery, turning to makeup to hide these signs from the world might worsen them! For example, using makeup to cover up pimples can irritate the skin. A Brazilian study found that 14 percent of women had active acne lesions from their makeup products. It’s important to use the right makeup products and follow healthy makeup habits to nourish your skin and keep it looking healthy.
Choose Natural Ingredients
If your beauty bag’s filled with conventional makeup products, it’s time to replace them with natural, organic ones. Toxins found in conventional products, such as synthetic colors, can irritate the skin or cause allergic reactions. Propylene glycol is another toxin to avoid. It’s usually found in makeup products to condition the skin. But it can lead to skin conditions such as dermatitis and hives.
When you choose certified organic products instead, you avoid dangerous chemicals that can ruin your complexion. Your skin is delicate and you want to treat it with kindness so that it can look its best.
Avoid UV Rays
One of the worst things you can do to your skin is step outside without UV protection. The sun’s rays penetrate deeply into your skin where they kill healthy skin cells. This can lead to a variety of skin problems, such as dryness, aged skin, redness, pigmentation, and skin cancer. You should always choose makeup products that contain SPF in them, but bear in mind they’re rarely in a high enough quantity to protect your skin on their own. You need to apply sunscreen too so that you get the right amount of protection.
Don’t Go To Bed With Makeup On
Sleep is important to regenerate skin cells so that they look healthy, but you’re not doing your skin any favors by going to bed with your makeup on. When you’re wearing makeup during the day, you collect environmental pollutants on your skin. If you don’t wash these off before bedtime, they can damage your skin, causing wrinkles or an uneven skin tone. Makeup also clogs the skin’s pores, causing redness and inflammatory acne.
Choose Products According To Your Skin Type
Not all makeup products are right for you. You have to take your skin type into consideration so that you choose makeup products, and especially foundation that prevents skin damage. For example, if you have oily skin, you should choose a liquid foundation that’s light on your skin and won’t make it look greasy. If you have dry skin, on the other hand, a moisturizing liquid foundation will prevent your skin from becoming flaky and dull. Combination skin requires a light foundation that feels smooth so that it gives you coverage where you need it without making oily areas of your face greasy.
Throw Expired Makeup Away
Beauty products have expiry dates on them for a reason! You need to use them within the amount of months listed on the products and then throw them out once that time has passed. This is important because once products have expired, they start to grow bacteria that you don’t want to put on your face. This can cause pimples, redness, rashes, blisters, or even skin swelling. It’s worth noting that even organic products have use-by dates, so always ensure you follow them to protect your skin.
Your skin is a window into your health. When your skin looks stressed, such as when it’s breaking out, it reveals an unhealthy or stressful lifestyle. Wearing makeup can exacerbate the problem, which is why it’s important to follow healthy makeup rules. When your skin looks good, you feel good.