Does Your Skin Want to Go Makeup-Free?
Makeup can highlight our favorite features, hide our flaws, bring confidence, and just be lots of fun! We may all know that we should clean our face before we go to bed, but does our skin appreciate an occasional break during the day as well?
Here are a few ways that occasionally going without makeup, can benefit your skin:
1. Smaller Pores Anything that collects in our pores can clog them and cause them to become larger over time. Grains of makeup settle into our pores and it can be difficult to wash them all out. Going fresh-faced will give your complexion a smoother finish as the pores shrink without those extra particles getting in the way.
2. Fewer Eye Infections Most mascara brands contain preservatives that cause conjunctivitis (pink eye) and other eye allergies that can lead to redness, swelling, dryness, and itching. Sharing makeup, something that many women do with their friends, can also spread germs. Old makeup definitely poses a risk as well. Some of the worst everyday eye injuries can come from scratching and damaging your cornea while applying mascara.
3. Goodbye to Dry Skin Makeup interferes with the natural cell-renewal process of your skin. When the face is not washed before bedtime, natural skin sloughing (new skin cells replacing the old) is impeded. Layers of product applied for late evening events or that are constantly on the skin will have the same effect, leading to dull, dry skin.
4. Less Breakouts Much of the makeup used today contains toxins. Between those and the gross germs that gather on the makeup brushes that are almost never cleaned as often as they should be, we have quite a concoction to spread on our skin. Makeup is the root cause of acne and skin problems for about 30% of women. One of the best ways to identify the particular product that is causing your breakout is to go off all your makeup for a while and then slowly reintroduce each piece until you narrow down the culprit(s).
5. Fewer Allergic Reactions Parabens, sulfates, and metals are in many skincare products as well as makeup and are included on the list of substances known to cause skin allergies. And for very good reasons. Makeup allergies tend to show as contact dermatitis: red, dry patches on the skin. It is best to avoid any product that makes your face break out in this way. Makeup scents can cause headaches, migraines, dizziness, exhaustion, and nausea.
6. Reduce Wrinkles The same makeup we use to cover our wrinkles can make them worse. Over time, makeup will settle into the lines and wrinkles on your face and emphasize them. Pulling and rubbing at the delicate skin around your eyes while applying makeup also can increase the wrinkles there as the skin stretches.
7. More Time Did you know that most women spend around an hour every day putting on their makeup? That is a total of 474 days of their lives that they could be using for something else! Like sleeping in, learning a new language, and focusing on themselves or their loved ones.
8. Renewed Sense of Health As a society, women are told that they need makeup to look pretty and professional. As a result, they spend most of the time looking in the mirror and identifying their faults. Learning to see the beauty of a clean face is empowering. Women can come to love their flaws and actually embrace them. The focus is more on maintaining healthy habits -- drinking enough water, getting more sleep, eating right -- than on covering up and hiding.
If you are not up to going makeup free all day, remove it as soon as you get home. This will give your skin some more breathing space. But try to have a clean-face day or week every few months. Many women who have tried a solid amount of makeup-free time were quite surprised at their physical and psychological reactions. You may find that you are more at peace with yourself and your body-image.