An Expert Reveals Skincare Mistakes You Might Be Making When Working From Home

When the Coronavirus quarantine relegated majority of us to carry on working from the comfort of home, many assumed that our skin would benefit greatly from it. After all, the advantages are many - no dirt and grime collecting during your commute, barely any sun exposure and no makeup to sit on your face for 8 hours in the day. Even with so much working for us however, there are still multiple skincare mistakes that we might be making. Worse, one might be making them unknowingly! We spoke to Paula Begoun, skincare expert and Paula's Choice founder to break down skincare mistakes we might be making when working from home.

(Also Read: 5 Mistakes That You Didn't Know You Were Making When Showering)

Stop Making These Skincare Mistakes When Working From Home

Use working from home to benefit your skin by stopping making these mistakes right away.

1. Skipping Moisturiser

You might be at home but that doesn't mean your skin doesn't require moisture, does it? It continues to function as usual even indoors which means, you should not halt daily application of moisturiser to your face, balm to your lips and lotion to your body.

2. DIY-ing Without Caution

DIY skincare remedies are a current craze but that doesn't mean you slather everything you find in the kitchen on your face. Paula advises, "Many DIY ingredients trigger varying degrees of irritation, and irritation is always bad for skin. Irritation causes collagen and the protective layers of skin to breakdown. Abrasive DIY ingredients tear at skin and weaken it, which destroys skin's ability to fight environmental damage and increases dryness as well as breakouts. The worse ingredients in your home that cause irritation are lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit essential oils, witch hazel and alcohol. The worse ingredients that cause micro-tears in skin are sugar, baking soda, salt and loofahs."

(Also Read: 5 Concealer Mistakes You Need To Stop Making)

3. Gorging Too Much Junk

A trip the fridge seems like a good idea for a snack break every couple of hours. But you must be careful about what it is that you're eating. The advantage of working from home is unlimited snacks at your disposal but if all of them are salty chips, fried namkeen, sugary tea and cream filled cookies, it's time to replace them with healthier options. Excess salt can dehydrate the skin while increased sugar leads to inflammation and possibly even acne and eczema.

4. Getting Too Handsy

When working, you might find your hands unconsciously moving towards your face to cradle your chin, rest against your cheek or rub your eyes because possibly, there isn't makeup on to prevent you from keeping it there. Make it a point to keep hands away from your face. Not only is this essential to prevent spread of COVID-19 but also stopping bacteria and dirt from passing to your face.

5. Stopping SPF

"Don't forget to wear sunscreen during the day! Even though you're inside, the sun's cancer causing and skin aging UVA rays still make their way through windows," recommends Paula. Especially if you are sitting by a window seat or with any exposure to sunlight, you need your daily dose of SPF as usual.

"The bottom line is that skin care research and facts don't change just because you're not going outside," signs off Paula.

(Also Read: 5 Skincare Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Skin)