A woman who went to bed with makeup on

9 Beauty Mistakes that Age You

If you’re over 30, looking young takes work. And believe me—the older you get, the more work it takes! However, here’s good news--often, you can take years off your age simply by correcting a few flaws in your beauty routine. Here are nine of the biggest mistakes that you might be making right now:

Brushing your hair wrong. Don’t brush your hair when it’s wet. This stretches it, making it weaker and more prone to breaking. Also, if your hair is tangled, don’t brush it from the roots to the tip, which can cause breakage. Instead, work from the bottom up, untangling small areas.

Leaving your makeup on when you go to bed. Together, makeup and unwashed skin create a breeding ground for bacteria. (Eeeuuuw.) Even worse, that trapped gunk can cause oxidative damage, aging your skin and making it wrinkle. It only takes a couple of minutes to give your face a quick scrub before you hit the sack, so don’t skip this ritual.

Showering for too long. This dries out your skin—especially in the winter. So hop in, scrub up, and hop out—and then moisturize your body with coconut oil or a nice natural moisturizer. (Check out the Environmental Working Group’s recommendations for moisturizers.)

Wearing too much makeup. Unless it’s Halloween or you’re into the Goth look, less is more. Remember: Excess makeup ages you. Also, tone down the colors; nobody over the age of 15 can really pull off electric blue eyeshadow, and dark red lipstick can be extremely aging. Finally, go easy on the eyeliner and mascara, because raccoon eyes went out in the Sixties.

Sticking with an aging hairstyle. Still wearing the same “do” you had in high school or college? An outdated style can add years to your age—so splurge and make an appointment with a high-end stylist who can recommend a new look.

Rubbing your eyes. It’s tempting to rub itchy eyes, but this damages the delicate skin around them, promoting wrinkles and bags. Instead, put a wet washcloth or some cucumber slices over your eyes for a few minutes. This will hydrate your skin, rather than hurting it. Also, when you clean around your eyes, pat gently—don’t scrub.

Drinking too little water. Hydrated skin is happy skin! So moisturize from the inside out, by drinking lots and lots of water all day long. Adding a little shot of lemon juice to your water will give you a hit of vitamin C, which also is a great skin renewer.

Eating too little healthy fat. Good fats like omega-3 fatty acids, coconut oil, and avocados make your skin cells smooth and beautiful. A low-fat diet, in contrast, will dry it out and make it wrinkle more easily.

Starving your body of collagen. As you age, your skin loses collagen—and as a result, it starts sagging and wrinkling. A daily fix of bone broth or high-quality collagen powder can give you the quick collagen boost you need to keep your skin young.

Correct these nine beauty oopsies, and you’ll see a difference right away in the form of healthier hair, better skin, and a younger, more flattering look. But you’re not quite done… because for serious anti-aging power, you also need to eat a natural, low-carb diet, de-stress your life with meditation or yoga, and exercise every day. Yeah… that’s the “hard work” I talked about earlier!

Keep thinking Big and Living BOLD!