6 truths about beauty that might freak you out.

Everyone has bad habits, from drinking too much coffee to skipping workouts, but if you regularly bite your fingernails or sleep in your make-up then: PANIC. I’m kidding, I’m kidding.

While these bad beauty habits definitely aren’t good for us (we know, our mums have been drilling it into us for years), there’s other ways we could be inadvertently sabotaging our skin. Read on for six beauty habits to, borrow a phrase from Gwyneth Paltrow, ‘consciously uncouple’ from right now.

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Dove. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100 per cent authentic and written in their own words.

1.  Touching your face.

This is a big one and you could be doing it right this second. Spending hours staring at a computer screen sometimes makes us physically zone-out so what do we naturally do? Rest our faces on our hands. I’m guilty of doing this one on a regular basis and here’s the kicker: it spreads bacteria and oils onto our faces causing congestion and breakouts.

2. Shaving damages your skin.

You probably don’t give your underarms much thought, but shaving under your arms just once a week can cause skin tissue damage. The skin underneath your arms is more delicate than you think and easily becomes scraped, raw, sore and irritated. Since we’re not likely to give up shaving our pits anytime soon, choose your razor wisely – don’t go for the cheapest razor on the market and choose a moisturising deodorant that will protect the delicate skin.

3.   Picking at chipped nails.

A professional gel manicure should last you several weeks, but it’s around the three-week mark that it starts to grow out or chip. Rather than making an appointment to have it removed properly, we pick, peel and rip the topcoat until it comes off. Sound familiar? Picking or peeling off nail polish – gel nail polish or otherwise – not only damages and weakens the natural nail bed but it rips up layers of your nail plate. Ouch.

4. Sleeping In Your Contacts

You’re exhausted (or have had a couple of wines) and the extra minute it’s going to take to remove your contact lenses is one minute you’re not willing to lose. No big deal, right? Well, not exactly. While you might get away with it occasionally, that decision could lead to serious eye infections like corneal ulcers and conjunctivitis. I’m speaking from experience here, as an avid contact lens wearer, and ok, wine aficionado; I developed an eye infection after repeatedly sleeping in my contacts. My ophthalmologist told me if I kept it up, I may develop corneal neovasculalisation (do not Google it), and not only would I not be able to wear contacts again but I could lose my vision altogether. Enough said.

5. Not Cleaning Your Mobile.

Think about the amount of times you touch your phone on a daily basis. Now think about the amount of times you’ve touched your phone after handling germ-riddled money (waiting for coffee perhaps?) or while riding public transport. You know where this is going, right? You’re swiping, texting, Facebooking, Instagramming and then you get a call, you bring the phone up to your face and bam, all those germs have now transferred to your face. Gross. Still not convinced? A recent study found that your smartphone and tablet are dirtier than public toilet seats. Get out the antibacterial wipes, um, now.

6. Never washing your make-up brushes.

Confession time: how often do you wash your make-up brushes? Once a fortnight? Once a month? Never? If you’re in the latter category, we know that you’re not a disgusting person, it’s just that the thought never crosses your mind when you have five minutes in the morning to speed through your beauty routine. The fact is dirty, unwashed make-up brushes loaded with old product contain oil, dead skin and bacteria. So that flawless skin you’re trying to achieve? You could be sabotaging it daily with unwashed make-up brushes. If you’re short on time you can use a spray-on brush cleaner, just spritz it on, wipe off the product and leave it to dry. Or a gentle shampoo will also do the trick. Aim for once a fortnight as a minimum. Stop freaking out and take our advice:

Underarms are one of the most neglected body parts. Many women do not even think of their underarms as skin and, therefore, deprive them of the care and attention they give the rest of their bodies. Without even realizing it, women are damaging their underarms when shaving. On average, when you shave your underarms, 36 per cent* of what you shave off is skin.

Ditch your harsh, drying deodorant and choose a product that moisturizes and replenishes to reduce the potential for irritation while providing all-day perspiration protection. Dove Original Deodorant provides effective 24-hour protection from sweat and odour with the added benefit of skincare. Dove’s unique ¼ moisturising cream helps skin repair itself from the damage of shaving. This leaves your underarms softer and smoother.

* Unilever Research, 9%–64% female underarm skin debris