My Skin Looked Like a Tomato Until I Stopped Doing These 5 “Skincare” Things | by Jainab | Oct, 2025

Sometimes the best skincare routine is the one where you do less, not more.

My bathroom counter used to look like Sephora exploded with products. Seriously, I used to have 23 different products lined up waiting to blend into my skin, each promising me to “transform” my skin in 28 days or whatever.

My skin? Honestly, it got worse than when I was just using soap and water for my entire skincare.

I wish someone had told me these things back then when I was just starting with my skincare journey. I know I have come a long way, and I can tell you to avoid those mistakes that I have ever made with my skin.

So let’s start,

1. Stop Using Foaming Cleansers Like They’re Body Wash

Back then, I used to scrub my face so much until it felt “squeaky clean” cause I thought that’s the right way to do it, I used to think that tight stripped feeling meant that my skin was actually clean. I used to scrub it hard like it was a dirty piece of cloth. When I recall those days, I laugh at myself for how stupid I was back then. But now I know that tight feeling was my skin’s barrier screaming for help. Please stop doing this to your skin right now!

I used those harsh foaming cleansers twice a day, for months, thinking more foam could make my skin cleaner. Until I realized that, my skin started producing MORE oil to balance for all the natural oils it was losing.

But when I switched to Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. It barely has foam. My skin slowly started to heal. The gentle formula in it cleans your skin without damaging your skin’s natural barrier. But before using any product, always check ingredients, no matter who recommended it to you, because you never know how your skin might react to it, and always do a patch test before using it.

2. Stop Layering 47 Serums Like a Skincare Lasagna

I used to think more products = better results. So I was layering like crazy. I used to apply vitamin C, then niacinamide, then retinol, then hyaluronic acid, then some fancy peptide thing I didn’t know what it was back then. I just started using it after seeing someone famous using it.

Everything was just piling up on my face like a mountain of skincare products. Attractive, right? How embarrassing it is to even think about it now.

It turns out that my skin can’t absorb so much at once. So I cut down to just The Minimalist Niacinamide 10% and Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy only for my skincare after that. But remember to check the ingredient labels because reactions might happen, and never forget to do a patch test.

Two products. That’s it. My skin looked really better in just two weeks after that it had in those two years of product hoarding.

3. Stop Skipping Sunscreen Because “It’s Cloudy”

If you’re making the same mistake as I, I used to think sunscreen was only for sunny days. That’s totally absurd. UV rays are always there, no matter the weather, so never skip your sunscreen. Always apply sunscreen, like your life depends on it.

The damage was really invisible at first, but after doing this for a few years? Dark spots, dullness, and fine lines are faded. It was a slow process, but worth it.

Now I use Minimalist SPF 50 Sunscreen every single morning, even when I’m staying home. It doesn’t feel greasy at all and actually mattifies my oily skin instead of making it worse. But don’t forget to check the ingredients and patch test first.

Sunscreen can prevent 80% of premature aging. That’s not me being dramatic and boasting over sunscreen; that’s just facts.

4. Stop Picking at Your Face (I Know, I Know)

This one is the hardest thing I have ever done, and believe me, after so many years, I still catch myself doing it sometimes. I used to stand in front of the mirror for almost 20 minutes every day. picking at every tiny bump and blackhead. That just became my habit.

You know what happened? More breakouts. More scars. More time wasted obsessing over my skin.

Your hands have bacteria. Your nails can damage your skin. It can wound your skin and might leave a dark mark that can take months to fade.

Then I started wearing pimple patches when I got a breakout, that how I stopped my bad habit of picking at pimples. It was a game-changer.

5. Stop Believing That Burning Sensation Means “It’s Working”

I remember feeling those burning sensations on my skin. I asked people about and you won’t believe what they told me. Girly, it’s just normal, it’s activating on your skin, and it will stop burning after a few uses. Nope! That’s not the case at all. If your skincare ever stings, burns, or makes your face feel like it’s on fire, that’s not the product “activating” or “working deep.” That’s your skin being damaged. What you need to do is wash your face as soon as possible and never apply that product again, just delete it from your memory.

Stop listening to those Instagram talks that “beauty is pain” or whatever. Beauty is never pain; it’s self-care, it’s joyful, it’s happiness.

Skincare should never hurt.

What Actually Worked

After I stopped doing all these stupid things, here’s what I do to my routine :

Morning:
– Gentle cleanser
– One serum (niacinamide)
– Moisturizer
– Sunscreen

Night:
– Same cleanser
– Same moisturizer

That’s it. It might sound Boring, right? But my skin finally calmed down.

The Reality Check

Your skin isn’t a science lab, so don’t try to perform any experiments on it. Your skin doesn’t need 15 different active ingredients fighting for dominance on your face.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your skin is to stop. Stop overdoing it. Stop following every trend. You don’t necessarily need to do it. Stop believing that complicated = better.

Give your skin a break. It might surprise you.

What skincare mistakes have you made? Drop them in the comments — I promise you’re not alone facing this!

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