6 common skin care mistakes you're probably making in the shower
- A dermatologist told insider the six mistakes you're probably making in the shower.
- Showering for too long in hot water water can dry out your skin.
- Using the wrong cleanser or moisturizer can cause irritation and premature aging.
- Make sure to wash your loofah or washcloth, because they can turn into breeding grounds for bacteria.
Whether your guilty pleasure is taking a scalding hot shower or scrubbing yourself raw, some of the things that make us feel clean aren't actually doing us any favors.
Dr. Heidi Waldorf, a cosmetic dermatologist, told Insider the six most common shower mistakes she sees clients making.
Taking a shower that's too hot and too long
There's a fine but important distinction between a warm shower and a hot one.
A hot shower can dry out your skin, cause irritation, and even prematurely age you, so Waldorf says it's best to use tepid water.
"We say a tepid shower is best, but the time is more important than the temperature," Waldorf said. "Frankly, it is also tough to ask people not to use hot water, especially in a stressful time. So limit the shower to 10 minutes or less."
Using the wrong cleanser for your skin
If your skin feels tight after washing, you're using the wrong cleanser. An effective cleanser for your body will feel gentle and like your skin feeling soft rather than dry, according to Waldorf.
"Classic soap bars are going to dry the skin and disrupt the skin barrier – they strip the lipids and proteins and not all liquid cleansers are the same," Waldorf said. "Your skin shouldn't feel tight after washing."
Using the wrong cleanser can strip your skin of necessary oils and disrupt the skin barrier.
Failing to moisturize afterwards
If you shower, towel dry, and don't apply moisturizer, you could be doing some serious damage to your skin.
Using a moisturizer when your skin is still damp locks in needed moisture to keep your skin from becoming dry or cracked. "The best way to preserve your skin barrier is to pick the right cleanser that won't strip the skin and then moisturize to seal it in," Waldorf said.
Effective moisturizers use humectants to pull in moisture, emollients to smooth the surface and provide a silky feel, and an occlusive to lock the moisture in.
Using oil to moisturize instead of lotion
Using just an oil after your shower is better than nothing at all, but it still doesn't do the job of a proper moisturizer, according to Waldorf.
While oil holds moisture in, it doesn't do add anything additional.
Never washing your loofah or washcloth
Loofahs and washcloths work up a lather, but they can also be breeding grounds for bacteria if they aren't washed regularly.
"That can spread bacteria to the skin which can infect any breaks in the skin," Waldorf said. "So use something you can dispose of or wash regularly."
Scrubbing too hard
Scrubbing hard in the shower may leave you feeling clean, but it can damage your skin.
If your skin is red after you go at it with a pouf or washcloth, you could be drying it out.
"Unless you have a specific condition requiring gentle exfoliation, there is no need to scrub or rub to wash," Waldorf said.
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