Common mistakes while washing face

Washing the face is considered a necessary step in one’s daily skin care regime. But you may not be doing it right. Here are some common mistakes that one makes while washing the sensitive skin on the face:

Failing to ensure that your hands are clean: Dirty hands mean washing your face with dirt in the water. So, it is necessary to wash your hands with anti-bacterial hand wash.

Using soap: Harsh soaps take away the natural hydrators from the skin and make the skin dry and flaky.

Daily exfoliation: Exfoliating the face is necessary to keep the skin glowing. But doing it daily with cleansers, scrubs, and manual exfoliators makes skin dull. Dermatologists suggest using a cotton washcloth for exfoliating and doing it once a week is enough.

Scrubbing and lathering for too long: The length of time you lather does not correlate with how well you cleanse your face. Excessive scrubbing and lathering can lead to irritated and red skin.

Using water that is too hot or too cold: People say using hot water opens up the skin pores and cold water closes the skin pores. This is just a myth. Skin pores do not depend upon it. Using too hot or icy cold water for washing delicate skin can remove its natural moisture, which ends up breaking the blood capillaries and making the veins visible on the face.

Washing more often than necessary: Ideally, we should wash our face twice a day, in the morning and at night. Washing it too much can lead the skin to produce extra oil.

PHOTO: ISTOCK