It seems like there are so many rules flying around in the skincare and beauty world. While some of them can be helpful, others aren't necessarily words to live by. As a woman navigating the skincare world and all of its rules, it can feel overwhelming. That being said, here are 3 that you can break!

1) Avoid physical exfoliators and scrubs

• Yep, you don't have to fear physical exfoliants. While chemical exfoliants like vitamin C and retinol are great, so are physical forms like microbeads! The big key here is finding a physical exfoliator that isn't overly abrasive. The ground fruit pits and nutshells found in scrubs like St. Ive's are large and have uneven jagged edges. These uneven particles can do more harm than good to your skin by causing microtears. Over time, the use of these products damage and irritate your skin. 

• To avoid this, look for physical exfoliators that contain rounds beads, dissolve, or are super-finely ground. These products don't have sharp edges and will not cause any micro-tearing. 

• Physical exfoliants might work for you if you have oily or acne-prone skin. You can start by incorporating them into your skincare routine once a week and build your way up to three times a week if needed. If you have sensitive or dry skin, it may be best to limit their use and not use them as regularly.

2) Don't exfoliate daily

• A general rule of thumb for any skincare regime is don't overdo it. Overdoing any step in skincare can cause irritation and sensitivity in the skin that is hard to heal. Manufacturers, brand owners, dermatologists, and estheticians use a general rule not to exfoliate every day. If you haven't used exfoliators before or are just starting a skincare routine, this is helpful advice. That being said, each person's skincare is very personal to him or her. When using exfoliators, start slow. Try using an exfoliating product 2-3 times a week at first to avoid the risk of over-exfoliating and causing inflammation and redness to your skin. Once you've eased into a new exfoliating product, you can see how your skin reacts to using it more often or even daily. If exfoliating daily works for your skin type and you tolerate it well, then there's no harm in doing it! At the end of the day, it depends on how much exfoliating your skin can tolerate and how long you've been using the product.

3) Oily or acne-prone skin types should only use oil-free products

• The thing about products marketed as "oil-free" is that the term isn't regulated. Anyone can label their product as oil-free. That doesn't mean that you can't trust these products, but it means that the advertiser is trying to reach people with oily or acne-prone skin. The term oil-free generally means that a product incorporates lightweight ingredients. Ingredients used in these products might not explicitly have the word "oil" in them, but that doesn't mean that they won't have oil-like emollients. Essentially, the ingredients will work the same way but just feel lighter on the skin. Everyone needs some sort of occlusive ingredient to help moisturize and lock in hydration on the skin! Depending on your skin type, you may need more or less oil on your skin. In some cases, people with oily skin actually need moisture and oils that replenish the skin. Your skin may be overcompensating which causes it to be oily.

• What it comes down to isn't avoiding oils but finding which products have the oils that work for you. Oils that are high in linoleic acid are great for people with acne-prone or oily skin! These oils replenish the linolenic acid your skin may be missing and balances everything out.

Those are the 3 skincare rules that are safe to break! Make sure to understand your skin type and what works best for it. Once you know what your skin needs and doesn't need, you can build a routine that keeps you looking good and feeling even better!