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" \n1. Nibbling on Your Cuticles  Why it&amp;#039;s a no-no: Torn cuticles lead to hangnails and infections, says Jessica Vartoughian, owner of Jessica Nail Clinic in Los Angeles.  Rehab: Keep the skin around your nails moisturized, says Vartoughian. &amp;quot;If it&amp;#039;s hydrated, you&amp;#039;ll have fewer snags and be less tempted to pick at it.&amp;quot; Rub a thick cream or oil into your cuticles daily and massage them with an exfoliator every few days. Try OPI Skin Renewal Scrub, $8.95. Also, push overgrown skin back with a cuticle stone after showering, when they&amp;#039;re soft. We like Revlon Expert Effect Cuticle Stone, $2.99. You can also try a bitter-tasting nail polish designed to discourage the habit.   2. Swapping Your Strand Shade Frequently  Why it&amp;#039;s a no-no: Trading your tress tint occasionally is okay, but dyeing your hair too often can make it weak and lead to an identity crisis. Sure, celebs like Rachel McAdams and Ashlee Simpson constantly switch up their hair hue, but they do it for a movie or to capture attention on the red carpet. And they put in major moolah and extra TLC to undo or hide the damage.   Rehab: First, try diverting your desire for novelty from hair color to makeup, since it&amp;#039;s easier to experiment with lipstick and shadow on a weekly basis. And when you get to the point that you just have to color your coif, take this advice from Pantene celebrity colorist Rita Hazan:  Be a smart blond. Bleach is the most damaging and drying ingredient. It&amp;#039;s okay to hit the bottle once every six weeks if you&amp;#039;re only brightening up a shade or two. If you want to be lighter than that, use a bleaching kit once a month, going one level blonder each time until you reach your desired hue.  Going darker is less damaging. Adding color to your hair isn&amp;#039;t as stressful to your strands since you aren&amp;#039;t stripping away any natural pigment. You can use a permanent dye every four weeks and an ammonia-free semipermanent formula every three weeks. Crib a conditioning regimen. Postcolor, apply the kit&amp;#039;s deep conditioner. Also, use a hair mask twice a week. Try Pantene Pro-V Pure Brilliance Deep Hydrating Treatment, $3.99.     3. Hitting the Sack Without Washing Your Face   Why it&amp;#039;s a no-no: Sleeping with mascara and eye makeup on can cause you to wake up with puffy bags and maybe even an infection, says New York City celeb derm Patricia Wexler. And layers of foundation, concealer, and blush will stop your skin from breathing and clog up your pores, making your complexion acne-prone and dull-looking. Even if you didn&amp;#039;t wear makeup during the day, your skin accumulates oil and dirt, both of which can also lead to pimples if not washed away in the p.m.   Rehab: Keep a pack of premoistened face wipes next to your bed. This way, no matter how tired you are (or how many cocktails you&amp;#039;ve had), you can swipe away your makeup in seconds, sans rinsing. We like Olay Daily Facials Express, $4.99.   4. Fake-Baking in a Tanning Bed  Why it&amp;#039;s a no-no: Ultraviolet-A rays (the kind emitted primarily from tanning-bed bulbs) are called aging rays for a reason \u2014 they penetrate your connective tissue, causing premature aging and the proliferation of free radicals. Plus, UVA rays have been linked to skin cancer and can suppress your immune system, says Dr. Wexler.   Rehab: It&amp;#039;s so easy to crib a safe and believable tan from a bottle, thanks to the latest body lotions that are spiked with just a hint of self-tanner. But unlike regular moisturizers, apply this variety to totally dry skin, since excess water can cause the color to develop unevenly, says Cindy Barshop, owner of Completely Bare in NYC. After 24 hours, assess your glow. If you&amp;#039;re craving a more golden look, rub on another coat and repeat daily until you reach your desired level of bronze. Try Dove Energy Glow Daily Moisturizer, $6.99.   5. Torturing Your Tresses with Heat  Why it&amp;#039;s a no-no: Wielding a hair dryer, curling iron, or flatiron daily (or a combo of any of the above) will dry out your locks, leaving them dull, frizzy, and weak, says Joico artist Anthony Morrison, owner of the Londoner Salon in Los Angeles.   Rehab: While blow-drying, stick to a medium heat and speed setting and keep the nozzle a few inches away from your hair, says Morrison. When using a flatiron, quickly slide the iron down a section of hair in one smooth motion. Any pauses along the way will create dents that will require another run-through with the iron to fix. If you&amp;#039;re curling your locks, release the coiled section after no more than five seconds. It&amp;#039;s also a good idea to keep your heat-styling sessions to a minimum, only blasting your locks with a dryer a couple of times a week instead of daily. When you suds up, use a moisturizing shampoo to keep strands supple. Try Joico K-Pak Shampoo, $11.95.   6. Overbleaching Your Teeth  Why it&amp;#039;s a no-no: Your pearly whites can only get so bright, no matter how many times you bleach them, so any treatments you do after reaching your maximum level of whiteness (they shouldn&amp;#039;t be bluish or whiter than the whites of your eyes) are more hurtful than helpful, says Cyrus Tahmasebi, a dentist with BriteSmile. &amp;quot;Constantly applying hydrogen peroxide to your teeth can leave them ultrasensitive and prone to chipping.&amp;quot;   Rehab: If you&amp;#039;re going to a pro, you can expect your teeth to whiten up about eight to nine shades (think the subtle difference between colors of paint). On the other hand, if you&amp;#039;re using an at-home kit, you&amp;#039;ll probably see about a four-shade improvement. Be sure to follow the instructions on the box carefully, and don&amp;#039;t rebleach until at least six months later, says Dr. Tahmasebi. A superfast smile kit: Crest Whitestrips Renewal, $39.99.    7. Using Makeup Testers  Why it&amp;#039;s a no-no: Your chances of contracting herpes or pinkeye from the bacteria and germs found in the testers at a makeup counter are slim, but theoretically it could happen, according to Dr. Wexler. And let&amp;#039;s face it, it&amp;#039;s a little (okay, a lot) icky to share lipstick or eye shadow with tons of total strangers.   Rehab: Make sure the store where you&amp;#039;re shopping practices safe makeup sampling. Look for disposable applicators, sponges, cotton swabs, tissues, disposable mascara wands, and rubbing alcohol for disinfecting makeup brushes, says Lyn Lynch, lead color specialist at Sephora. It&amp;#039;s also crucial that you don&amp;#039;t double-dip into the master container \u2014 ever. If you&amp;#039;re not sure how to handle the testers, ask for help. Any reputable store should have well-trained sales associates. Also, wash your hands postshopping.   8. Popping Your Pimples  Why it&amp;#039;s a no-no: You should maintain a strict hands-off policy when it comes to your zits. Can&amp;#039;t resist? How&amp;#039;s this for motivation: Messing with a pimple can extend its staying power to seven to 10 days instead of the normal two to three, since the dirt from your fingers can force bacteria into your pores and cause an infection, says Dr. Wexler.   Rehab: Practice patience and apply either a benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid potion twice daily \u2014 in three days, it should be clear. Try Patricia Wexler, MD, Acnostat Acne Spot Treatment, $18.50, and Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, $17. In the meantime, squirt a cotton swab with redness-reducing eyedrops, then place it on your pimple. Follow with a dab of concealer. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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