We all have those days where we are feeling lazy and don’t want to do a proper skin care routine or do the necessary steps to prevent breakouts or hair damage. These bad habits can lead to long term damage on our skin or hair that could have easily been prevented.

1. Sleeping in Makeup: Throughout the day, your skin is in contact with dirt, bacteria, and so many more unsanitary things; therefore, it is extremely dirty by the end of the day. Makeup clogs your pores so if you leave it on for too long it will lead to breakouts and quickly age your skin throughout time. Specifically, sleeping with eye makeup on such as mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow can get inside your eye and cause serious damage. Therefore, it is highly advised that you take the extra 5 minutes before going to sleep to take your makeup off, so your skin has time to heal.

2. Forgetting to Wash your Makeup Brushes: I know no one is doing this as often as they should. Not washing your makeup brushes is very bad for your skin. Makeup brushes are put directly on your face and contain so much dirt, oil, and bacteria that build up after each use. Not washing your brushes leads to acne breakouts and the clogging of your pores. Dirty makeup brushes can even lead to serious skin and eye damage such as pink eye or cold sores. Studies show that the correct time to wash your makeup brushes is twice a week.

3. Overuse of Hot Tools on your Hair: Yes, we all love the end result of our hair after we curl or straighten it, but little do you know the amount of damage that you just put on your hair to get that picture perfect hair style. Hot tools dry out your hair and lead to the breakage of your hair. You should avoid using hot tools as much as possible. You should limit the use of hot tools to a special occasion or when it is absolutely necessary. When using hot tools, it is crucial that you are using a heat protectant on your hair before any heat is applied to it.

4. Using Expired Makeup: It’s time that we start paying attention to the expiration date on our foundations and mascara. Using expired makeup is terrible for your skin as it can cause long term damage. When makeup is expired, the ingredients break down and will irritate your skin. Although it is a pain to spend the money on new products, it is important that we pay attention to the expiration date to prevent breakouts and damage. Expired makeup can also have a funky smell to it and be harder to apply to your skin. Mascara should be bought every 3 moths and foundations should be bought every 8 months.

5. Picking your Split Ends: Despite it being terribly addicting and makes the time go by faster while you’re sitting in class or a meeting, picking your split ends is one of the worst things you can do to your hair. This thins out and weakens your hair. It makes your hair break twice as easily. When you have a breakage in your hair it causes your hair to appear frizzy. When you start to notice an excessive number of split ends, it is time to book your next hair cut soon!

6. Not Drinking Enough Water: Breakouts, redness, and oily skin are just some of many ways your skin is telling you to drink water. Drinking water keeps your skin hydrated and healthy. Water reduces the amount of breakouts that will appear on your skin. A general rule is that you should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water each day in order to maintain good skin and proper hydration.

7. Picking your Nail Polish: This bad habit can cause a lot more damage than you realize. People tend to pick off their nail polish when they notice it chipping. This bad habit can cause you to remove the top layer of your nail bed. This causes your nails to weaken and begin to easily break off.