Sleeping With Your Makeup On

One of the nastiest things we can do to our skin is something that almost half of us are guilty of doing on a regular basis: sleeping with our makeup on. This unhealthy habit can wreak havoc on our skin -- aging it as much as 10 years over a two-month period. It clogs pores and makes us look worn and tired. But it’s not just our skin that pays the price when we forget to cleanse at bedtime.

Makeup can build up on pillows, and combined with oils and dead skin cells, can develop into a breeding ground for bacteria. When you toss and turn at night, that bacteria can get into small cuts in the skin and cause infections, or it can get into the eyes, along with the oils, waxes and chemicals left on them from residual eye makeup. These products can block glands, causing bumps in the skin around the eye or even a stye.

Staying Out Of The Sun (or Using Too Much Sunscreen)

Gone are the days of using tanning oils to get ourselves as dark as possible while exposing ourselves to cancer-causing rays. However, our bodies need vitamin D to stay strong, build healthy bones and boost our immune systems to keep illness at bay, and the only real way to get vitamin D into our systems is through sun exposure.

Sunscreens can prevent the body from getting adequate levels of vitamin D, so don’t be overly neurotic about applying sunscreen. If you’re going to spend the day at the pool or beach, you want to be sure to slather it on, but if you’re going to be out and about running errands or spending 20 minutes or less in the sun, skip the SPF and enjoy the sun on your skin. Not only will you get a healthy glow (and hopefully not a burn!), but you also will give yourself a daily dose of vitamin D. Keep in mind, your face is the one part of your body that should always have protection.