Learning about makeup usually means copying a ton of tips from magazines, friends, and even just picking up advice by ear. However, some of these tips are very questionable and would even expose you to the risk of enduring nasty health problems due to the inappropriate use of cosmetics.
Some widely known myths about makeup are essentially false and may cause severe harm to your skin. Thus, it is essential to know what tips to avoid and why.
You Don’t Need Sunscreen when Your Makeup has SPF
One of the greatest makeup mistakes is not wearing sunscreen before putting on makeup. Most tips suggest that it is not necessary to apply sunscreen if your makeup has SPF. The response to this tip is a big “NO.”
While it is smart to get makeup that has SPF protection, it’s simply not enough. Relying only on makeup with a bit of SPF will not give your skin enough protection due to the small amount of product used.
In order to get full UV protection, it’s better to start with a color-correcting matte finish protection cream with a base of SPF50 before putting on makeup. Don’t hesitate to add a high-quality, SPF-based mineral powder throughout the day.
There’s No Harm in Sleeping with Your Makeup On
It’s true that removing your makeup at the end of the day is a hassle and takes up time. However, in truth, it’s a chore worth doing. If you let makeup rest on your face overnight, you’re raising the risk of the products settling and clogging your pores.
This can prompt breakouts. Sleeping helps your skin to recover and fix itself. Unfortunately, this regeneration process is significantly disturbed when you let makeup settle on your face overnight.
The Higher the SPF of Your Sunscreen, the Better.
Over a certain point, a greater SPF level has little to no added advantage compared to a lower SPF. It is generally recommended to use a sunscreen with at least SPF30, which protects your skin from UVB radiation about 97%.
If you intend to be out in the sun for more than 2-3 hours when the sun is at its peak, it might be useful to have a higher SPF sunscreen. But at other times, using sunscreen with higher SPF is not worth the additional cost.
Furthermore, products with high SPF levels may also pose some health risks. High-SPF products need a greater accumulation of sun-filtering substances in contrast to low-SPF sunscreens. A few of these ingredients may expose you to health risks if your skin absorbs them. Lastly, products with excessive concentrations of SPF have been associated with potential hormone disruption and tissue damage.
Powder Help Makeup Last Longer
In contrast to the generally held belief, you don’t require powder to keep your makeup in place. It isn’t necessary to powder each day since it won’t make your makeup stay matte longer. It only affects your skin texture, so you don’t have to powder consistently. How often you apply powder should be based on your skin type. All in all, there is no need to powder regularly, especially if the weather outside is cool, and you want your look to be natural.
Moreover, it’s better not to use powder often due to it being extremely fine. Powder also tends to absorb almost all your face’s natural oils, making it hard for your skin to breathe. This results in blocked pores and breakouts. Thus, using powder daily isn’t recommended because it is generally bad for your skin’s health.
Ingredients that are Hard to Pronounce are Bad
This is not necessarily true. It’s a fact that worldwide governing bodies, especially the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), demand that cosmetic companies list ingredients based on the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) terminologies. Unfortunately, most INCI terms can be unpronounceable.
You don’t have to remember all the INCI terms. However, you can figure out how to recognize some unsafe ingredients. A few terms to be wary of are those associated with phthalates that are listed down as “fragrances.” You should also avoid parabens or components with the prefixes “propyl-,” “ethyl-,” “butyl-,” or “methyl-.”
Permanent Makeup is Dangerous
Most types of permanent makeup are generally acknowledged as safe. Most of the risks permanent makeup carries are the same as other standard tattoos. One of the more prominent risks is that of infection; though this is uncommon and usually only happens from improperly sanitized tools and equipment, or improper aftercare.
Thus, ensure that the permanent makeup service you pick has all the essential licenses and accreditations. Also, make sure that they can respond to any of your inquiries regarding safety. Before the procedure, you had to know your options to ensure that your technician uses new, sterile needles and utilize new gloves.
Wearing Makeup Regularly Speeds Up Aging
If you’ve ever heard people say that you shouldn’t wear makeup too much because it will make you age faster, don’t believe them. Makeup, alone, will not quicken your face’s aging process. Various double-duty cosmetic products work to protect, improve, or nourish your skin when applied on your face.
Although makeup does not cause aging, not washing the makeup off before bed will cause undesirable effects. Aside from the makeup, you’ll let the toxins, dirt, and oil your skin accumulated throughout the day settle on your face overnight. This is what causes aging. Luckily, you can continue using all the makeup you need without being concerned about aging as long as you wash it all off and cleanse your face afterward.
Moisturizer is Not Needed for Oily Skin
If you have an oily skin type, it doesn’t mean that you can skip putting on moisturizer before putting on makeup. External factors such as excessive skin cleansing, pollution, and UV rays can harm your skin’s moisture production. This will cause an incredible increase in sebum production, all the while losing moisture. This could entail that you’ll wind up having an excessive shine if you don’t take the proper measures to restore your skin’s natural moisture.
Furthermore, applying moisturizer before putting on makeup will help reduce skin problems and even conceal blemishes. All in all, moisturizing is still needed for people with oily skin to ensure that the makeup won’t fully absorb their natural moisture. Not using a moisturizer before applying makeup can result in common skin problems like acne.
Takeaway
Outdated claims and outside opinions can make it all the more challenging for somebody to wear makeup while keeping their skin healthy. Furthermore, some of these myths even pose a threat to your skin’s health. That’s why these fallacious tips need to be addressed as soon as possible.