8 Common Mistakes In Skincare That Almost Everyone Makes

We all know about skincare, we may all have luxury skincare “set up”, but do we really make the best out of them?
Due to nowadays fast living lifestyle, we are almost always in a rush – or being distracted, even when applying skincare products, or in another word, self-care.
In this article, we are listing 8 common mistakes that almost everyone makes in their skincare routine that potentially reduce the benefit of products by 50%. See if you are making any of them?

1. Not using the right products for your skin

This is considered to be the “number one” reason why your luxury skincare routine just does not work! No matter how good the products are, if you get yourself one that is not suitable for your skin, it will just worsen the situation. For example: if you have acne-prone skin but go for products with pore-clogging ingredients or heavy moisturizer, it will likely lead to intense breakouts. Or if you have dry & sensitive skin but go for products with strong exfoliating agents, it will irritate your skin.

How do I know which products are right for my skin?
You need to understand your skin first! Which type is your skin? What symptoms does it have? Which skin problems do we need to solve? To get to know about your skin, you can take a 5-minute skin test skin from DT Collagen & get instant consultation from our dermatologist.

DT Collagen Skin Test

Take our quick DT Skin Test to get to know more about your skin & get our consultants on the products.

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2. Heavy oil, pore-clogging products

This is extremely important if you have acne-prone or oily skin, using creams with heavy-oil-based or pore-clogging ingredients can lead to severe breakouts. Another fancy word for pore-clogging factors is “Comedogenic Ingredients”, which includes: coconut oil, almond oil, palm oil, olive oil, etc.
You can opt for a lightweight moisturizer formulated for acne-prone skin, most dermatological skincare products are generally safe. Check out DT Collagen Anti-Aging Day Cream SPF-50 & DT Collagen Anti-Aging Facial Night Cream, they are lightweight anti-aging moisturizing crème made of natural occurring proteins and amino acids that work together to stimulate collagen growth, restore skin elasticity and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. DT Collagen contains ingredients such as hydrolyzed collagen type II, ceramide, and hyaluronic acid that penetrate deep into the skin to repair damaged skin cells and reveal smoother, healthier young-looking skin.

3. Using the same moisturizer for both summer & winter time (especially if you live in countries with distinct seasons)

This is not going to be a big factor if you live in countries with only sunny & rainy seasons, but if you live in countries with distinct summer & winter, then you may need to think about using different moisturizers for these seasons.
During summertime, when the temperature is high and we tend to sweat more, using lightweight moisturizer is recommended as to not block your pores while still giving your skin nourishment. During wintertime, our skin tends to feel tight, you can opt for a richer moisturizer (but still be mindful about pore-clogging ingredients if you have acne-prone skin). This is important if you have combination skin – which can feel very oily in the summer but tight in the winter – so a flexible approach in your skincare routine would be best.

4. Too much exfoliating/ strong products

A lot of products for acne-prone skin or for cleansing purpose has strong exfoliating agents. While a decent amount of these will help clear away dead skin cells, bringing you a brighter, glowing skin; an overuse of exfoliating products may make you skin become red, irritate or face with inflammation, furthermore challenging your skin’s natural moisture barrier.
If you see any signs of over-exfoliating, like redness, sensitivity, bumpy skin, or flakiness, maybe you should adjust the way you use these products, maybe reduce how often you use them or be gentler whenever you apply these products to your skin.
DT Exfoliating Cleanser can be a right fit for you, a gentle exfoliating cleanser which you can use daily! Its new formula with Vitamin B12 will further nourish your skin, so you won’t have to face with over-exfoliating problems while still keeping your skin clean & clear!

5. Wrong order when applying skincare

The correct order when applying products in your skincare routine is tremendously important & will help enhance the benefits of all products! Some products require a 5-10 minutes gap before the next step for the skin to sully absorb them. But at the same time, we all know that we wouldn’t have that whole lot of time if our routine is too complicated!
Here, we suggest a simple yet effective morning & night routine for your skincare steps, which ensure giving full benefits of treatments for your skin plus not wasting too much of your time.

Skincare Order Rule Of Thumb
“If a complex structure is hard for you to remember, just note that when it comes to skincare, you should apply with the order from the thinnest to thickest.” – said Dr. Dieu Thao. “After cleansing your face, toner/water balance should come after, then serum as the second most light-texture product & so on. Moisturize creams would usually be the last step in our skincare routine to lock moisture.”

a) Morning Routine

Step 1: Cleanser
Step 2: Toner (optional)
Step 3: Serum (optional)
Step 4: Eye Cream
Step 5: Spot Treatment
Step 6: Moisturizer
Step 7: Sunscreen

For acne-prone or oily skin, you can combine both step 6+7 with day cream with ability to lock UV rays like DT Collagen Anti-Aging Day Cream SPF-50.

b) Night Routine

Step 1: Cleansing Water
Step 2: Cleanser
Step 3: Toner, Essences, Boosters (optional)
Step 4: Eye Cream
Step 5: Serums, Treatments, Peels (optional)
Step 6: Moisturizer or Night Cream

Above is just a suggestion of products’ order if you have them. If you don’t have any of them (for example if you don’t use toner), just simply skip to the next step.
We suggest not including serum or toner in your skincare routine if you have extremely sensitive skin to avoid irritation. If you use our DT Exfoliating Cleanser, you don’t need toner or serum in your routine – our formula already includes cleansing & exfoliating agents and Vitamin B12 as a calming ingredient.

6. Dirty hands/face

Not yet cleansing your face thoroughly or having dirty hand when applying skincare is another factor that may reduce the effect skincare products, or even worse, giving a chance for bacteria to stay longer on your skin.

7. Forget to use cleansing water at the end of the day (even if you don’t use makeup)

Some people still think that if you don’t wear make up, you don’t need to use cleansing water before your night routine. The truth is, you still need to wash off those excessive oil, dirt & germs from the day to maintain a clear and healthy skin. A gentle wipe of light cleansing water would help a lot, this is especially important for acne-prone or oily skin.

8. Neglecting the importance of sunscreen

Even if you work in the office or at home, you still need to wear sunscreen during the day. UVA can penetrate through dark clouds & glass, all year round even on cloudy or overcast days. If you are someone who works a lot on a computer, sunscreen is a must. Watch the short video below to see how harmful UV rays are to our skin, and why would we need it!