Washing your face is essential for your skincare routine. This simple step, when done properly, can keep away acne breakouts, infections and irritation. When it comes to beauty and skincare, many of us make terrible choices due to laziness/lack of information.

However, as simple as washing your face is we’ve made mistakes while giving our face a nice cleanse. Here are the top 8 skincare mistakes you might be guilty of when you wash your face.

Oops #1: You don’t wash your face before you sleep

Washing your face is the last thing you’d think of when you’re so exhausted, but now is time to have a rethink. Not washing your face before bedtime is a popular skincare mistake.

When you go out, you get exposed to pollution from the fumes and smoke from engines of vehicles, dust and dirt in the air and smog from factories. All these come in form of tiny particles that are small enough to get absorbed into your skin.

When you skip washing your face before bedtime, it gives a chance for those particles to cause infections that could make your skin inflamed and irritated.

Oops #2: You wash your face with bar soap

It’s a common sight for people to reach for a bar of soap when they want to wash their face. However, bar soap is harsh on the skin. It strips the natural oils off your skin. Your face needs the moisture to keep it hydrated. If your face is too dry it activates the sebaceous glands to produce more oils and this could lead to acne breakout. So, opt for a gentle cleanser instead to avoid this skincare mistake.

Oops #3: You lather and scrub your face longer than necessary

This may come as a surprise but lathering and scrubbing for too long initiates irritation, redness and even cuts. Aim for a 20-30 seconds lather or scrub. Do this in circular motions paying close attention to your T-zone and chin. Once the time is up, wash with water.

Oops #4: You use water that is too hot

No matter how good washing your face with hot water feels, you need to cool it down a bit. Experts say that hot water can cause your skin to dry out faster as the hot water strips your skin off its oils that keep it hydrated. So use lukewarm water to wash your face. Warm water is less damaging than steaming hot water.

Oops #5: You wash more than twice a day

Washing your face multiple times during the day could be damaging to your skin because frequent washing dries your face out and irritates your skin. Stick to washing your face twice a day (once in the morning and once at night).

An exception to this rule is when you workout as keeping the sweat on your face may cause infections.

Oops #6: You cleanse after using a face mask

After a nice relaxing and rejuvenating face mask, many women follow it with a cleanse to take the mask off. The ingredients in the face mask were discovered to be 300 percent more potent than serums. When you cleanse off your face mask, you cut short the hydrating and repairing effect of the mask on your skin. Instead, only use lukewarm water to remove the mask while allowing the ingredients that seeped into your skin to do their work.

Oops #7: You wipe your face with your towel

As strange as this may sound, it was discovered that you transfer microorganisms from your body to your face when you use the same towel you use to wipe your body after a shower. Having such microorganisms on your face can cause skin problems. It’s best to have a separate towel dedicated only for wiping your face.

Oops #8: You skip the early morning cleanse

Even if you washed your face at night, you must not miss the morning wash. The germs on your pillow, oil from your hair and saliva can cause your skin to breakout. That is why when you wake up in the morning you need to make sure to wash your face to remove any germs that you contacted when you were having your beauty sleep.

Also, not moisturising immediately after cleansing your face is another popular mistake. You need to moisturise as soon as you are done cleansing so your face soaks in all the moisture while damp.

Did any of these skincare mistakes surprise you?