How to Protect Your Skin From Makeup
Wearing makeup every day can cause problems such as breakouts, dryness, oily skin, or sensitivity. However, there are many different ways that you can protect your skin when wearing makeup every day.
Makeup is a wonderful way to express yourself and show your individuality, but it can be damaging. That’s why we asked some of our experts in skin care and protection to let us in on some of their secrets to protecting your skin while wearing makeup every day.
Moisturize
Moisturizing is something a lot of us forget to do. It doesn’t always seem to do much to change the appearance of our skin, but the long-term effects of moisturizing can be significant. This is especially true if you’re trying to protect your skin after wearing makeup every day. If your makeup doesn’t have an SPF rating, it can also be helpful to use a moisturizing SPF cream or lotion each morning.
“Even if your makeup has some moisturizers built-in, you’re going to end up with unhealthy skin if you’re not moisturizing regularly,” says Ann McFerran, CEO of Glamnetic. “Your skin produces natural oils to protect itself, but these oils can be absorbed into your makeup and stripped away by your cleansers. This can lead to dryness because your skin can’t keep up with oil production, or it may start to overproduce oil to accommodate. Both scenarios can result in acne and other skin problems.”
Don’t Touch It
Once you’ve applied your makeup, you should do your absolute best to avoid touching your face. You have all sorts of bacteria and germs on your fingers – even if you’ve just washed your hands. Make sure you’re using clean application tools and avoid touching your makeup directly with your fingers as much as possible.
“Every time you touch your face you’re introducing bacteria to your skin,” says Rachel Roff, Founder and CEO of Urban Skin Rx. “When wearing makeup, it can be tempting to touch your face to smooth something out or apply part of your makeup with your fingers. Do your best to avoid using your fingers as makeup applicators and make sure you never touch the makeup itself. Touching your palette or makeup bottle introduces these germs to the product and it’s impossible to clean. It’s also a great idea to invest in quality brushes and cleaners to make sure you’re keeping everything as clean as possible.”
Exfoliate
Wearing makeup every day can cause a build-up of skin cells and oils on your skin because it’s essentially trapping everything underneath. Exfoliating regularly allows your skin to shed those extra layers and help prevent clogged pores that can lead to uncomfortable breakouts.
“Exfoliation is an important step for everyone, but it’s really important for daily makeup wearers,” says Miles Beckett, CEO and Co-Founder of Flossy. “While each person will need to follow their own exfoliation routine, it’s generally recommended to exfoliate around 2-3 times per week. This helps your body shed those skin cells and prevents unsightly breakouts that would have to be covered up with even more makeup which just prolongs the cycle.”
Use a Primer
Using a primer is an excellent way to make sure your skin stays healthy when wearing makeup every day. Primer acts as a protective barrier for your skin between the makeup and the natural oils that your body produces. Using a high-quality primer can help keep your skin healthy even with the heaviest of makeup products.
“Primers act as a sort of barrier for your skin,” says Yooseok Gong, Global Business Lead at Ohora. “They do a couple of great things for your face. First, primers are a great way to smooth and even erase some imperfections such as pores and wrinkles by filling the crevices with a material that is kinder to your skin than foundation. It also provides a protective and sometimes moisturizing barrier that helps your makeup stay in place better too.”
Keep It Light
It’s no surprise that heavier makeup is more likely to cause breakouts because of blocked pores. If you’re wearing makeup every day, you’ll want to keep coverage light or invest in a lighter coverage foundation that can be used in the rotation if you do need to frequently use heavier coverage.
“The more frequently you can go light with your makeup, the happier your skin will be,” says Jae Pak, Founder of Jae Pak MD Medical. “While full coverage makeup does cover everything up, it can also cause further breakouts and create a cycle that results in you feeling like you need to wear heavy makeup to cover everything up. Let your skin breathe by switching to a lighter coverage makeup or alternating foundation types to let your skin breathe for a few days in between full coverage days.”
Remove Makeup ASAP
We become so used to wearing makeup that it can be easy to forget that we’re even wearing it. However, it’s best to remind yourself of that and take it off as soon as you get home. Leaving makeup on for an additional five hours can cause a lot of problems due to the amount of oils and dirt that are trapped by the layers of makeup.
“Removing your makeup does a lot more than take away the product,” says Guna Kakulapati, CEO of CureSkin. “You’re allowing your skin to be cleansed and preventing further issues that could be exacerbated by wearing your makeup for an extended period of time. Rather than wearing a full face of makeup around the house after arriving home, take it off and let your skin relax at the end of the day.”
Tips for Protecting Your Skin
While wearing makeup everyday can be problematic due to the products, oils, and dirt that are often trapped against your skin, there are things that you can do to protect your skin when wearing makeup every day.
Moisturizers and primers help balance a skin’s oil and moisture level while also providing protection against the drying effect that makeup can have on the skin. Primers also help your makeup look its best while preventing it from fully infiltrating your pores.
By applying lighter makeup and removing it as soon as possible, you can minimize the effect that wearing makeup every day has on your skin. Avoiding the urge to touch your face can also help your skin stay healthy.
Finally, exfoliation is a fantastic way to make sure your skin is being taken care of if you wear makeup every day. Because your skin is covered on a regular basis, its natural exfoliating efforts may be hindered. Help it out by exfoliating on a regular basis.
Hopefully these tips help you provide your skin with the care it needs to be protected when wearing makeup every day.
