When it comes to beauty routines, it’s easy to go overboard: If some scrubbing action makes for more radiant skin, then wouldn’t just a little more bring even greater luminosity? And if a little tweezing on that one eyebrow is perfect, then attacking the second brow should be no problem, right? Wrong. In these days of do-it-yourself beauty, too much gusto can quickly ruin your looks, leaving you with problems that include raw skin, sparse brows and ratty hair. We asked beauty experts to weigh in on ways to recover fast when you’ve gone too far.HE FIX “The skin’s outer layer serves as a protective barrier,” says Seattle-based dermatologist Brandith Irwin, M.D., co-author of Your Best Face: Looking Your Best Without Plastic Surgery (Hay House, 2002). “If you strip off too much, you’ll get red, scaly and irritated.” This can happen from overzealous exfoliation using physical scrubs, home microdermabrasion treatments or peels, as well as from layering high-potency “renewal products” (with ingredients like retinols, alpha-hydroxy acids and vitamin C) one on top of another.
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Once the damage has been done, you must give up the offending products cold turkey. Stash them in the back of the medicine chest–along with your toner, particularly if it contains drying alcohol–and give your skin a one-week rest. For seven days, cleanse and moisturize only with the gentlest of products (Irwin recommends Cetaphil, $7; at drugstores), and apply sunblock each morning to protect raw, exposed skin. (Skin is much more prone to sunburn after any type of exfoliation–even during the fall and winter months–particularly when you’ve gone gung-ho.) Then regularly use products for sensitive skin for at least two weeks. In addition to Cetaphil, try Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Solutions Cream Cleanser for Dry and Sensitive Skin ($9; at drugstores), Estee Lauder Verite Moisture Relief Creme ($50; esteelauder.com), a skin-soothing moisturizer that’s fragrance- and alcohol-free, or Clinique Exceptionally Soothing Cream for Upset Skin ($32.50; clinique.com), which helps calm red, itchy skin. A good sunscreen for irritated skin is DDF Organic Sunblock SPF 30 ($24; ddfskincare.com), which contains physical sunscreens like titanium dioxide, rather than chemical sunscreens.

After a few weeks, you can resume the following regimen suggested by Irwin: In the morning, cleanse, moisturize and protect. Save the renewal products (antioxidant creams, antiaging lotions, etc.) for evening, and remember never to layer without medical advice because it may make the exfoliating effect too potent. Choose only two products to start with based on your primary concerns (a good dermatologist or aesthetician can help you decide), and try rotating them every other night. Exfoliate once a week; try Clean & Clear Morning Burst Facial Scrub ($6; at drugstores). “If you’re still getting irritated, you’re using the wrong products,” Irwin explains.

THE CRISIS You’ve taken your acrylic tips off–and now your real nails are a mess.

THE FIX “Nails growing under acrylics are usually brittle, weak and splitting,” says Julie Serquinia, owner of Paint Shop Beverly Hills nail salon, which offers a six-week “holistic nail rehab” program for this purpose. (See paintshop beverlyhills.com.) To follow the regimen at home, start by soaking your nails in water with a drop each of tea tree oil (an antibacterial agent), tangerine oil (believed to stimulate nail growth) and lavender oil (for its soothing properties) for five to 10 minutes. Then apply a cuticle cream like Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Nail & Cuticle Therapy ($10; crabtree-evelyn.com), and gently push back your cuticles (never cut them) with a soft-tipped manicure stick. “A healthy cuticle will bring back a healthy nail,” Serquinia says. A superhydrating hand and nail cream–used at night under moisturizing gloves–will give digits a much-needed moisture boost. Best hand- and nail-care bets: Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream, $27; gloss.com, Dior Creme Abricot Fortifying Cream for Nails, $21; sephora.com, and Bath & Body Works Beauty Queen Wave Moisturizing Gel Gloves, $38; bathandbodyworks.com.

Go polish-free for the entire six weeks, buffing nails instead. Apply two coats of a nail strengthener, such as O.P.I Nail Envy Soft & Thin ($15; opi.com) or Creative Nail Design Toughen Up ($6; creativenaildesign.com). Or try the new Neutrogena Instant Nail Enhancer ($7; at drugstores), which strengthens with vitamin E and provitamin [B.sub.5]; follow with weekly manicures to keep nails in tiptop shape.