News Taffy

Women love their makeup and skin care products. But unless you take good care of your makeup and frequently replace old products, your makeup may not be doing you any favors and may instead cause breakouts, eye infections and other problems. Replace your bad habits with the following healthier ones, after all, better safe than sorry. Men, this applies to you if you use skin care products, lip balms, etc.

Every time you touch your makeup with your fingers or to your face, you risk contaminating the makeup with germs. Makeup brushes, makeup containers and products left sitting open on the bathroom counter can also pick up germs so put them away after using. Wash your hands thoroughly before applying makeup and be sure to wash your makeup brushes and applicators with soap once a week or use disposables. If you have acne prone skin, you may notice an improvement just from cleaning your applicators.

Don’t share makeup products or applicators; it’s a great way to pick up a nasty infection, even staph. Your eyes are vulnerable to infections, especially if you wear contacts and shared lip products can spread infections like the cold sore virus.

Don’t try samples at the beauty counter. You don’t know how many people may have tried that lipstick and what germs are lurking on it. Yuck! A study conducted several years ago found staph, strep and E. coli bacteria on the makeup testers at drug stores, department stores and specialty stores. If you want to try one, ask for an individual sample if available or wipe the tester with an alcohol wipe. Remove the top layer from lipsticks and wipe with alcohol.

It’s better to use products that come in tubes rather than jars as the product in jars gets more exposure to germs when you dip your fingers in. Sharpen your lip or eye liners each time you use them to remove any germs. Wipe the sharpener with alcohol to clean it. Don’t forget to clean your makeup bag periodically so it isn’t filled with germs too.

Makeup and beauty products do not have an indefinite shelf life so it pays to replace them periodically so they don’t become a breeding ground for germs.

Note the following recommended replacement dates.
2 to 3 months: mascara, facial peels and masks, acne wipes, loofahs
6 months to 1 year: liquid eyeliner, foundation or concealer, acne creams and washes, eye creams, face washes, serums
1 to 1/2 years: lip gloss, cream eye shadow, face cream, sunscreen, eyebrow gel
2 years: lip and eye pencils, lipstick, nail polish, powder eyeshadow and blush, powder foundation, body lotion, scrubs

FYI: makeup and beauty products are filled with chemicals which are absorbed into your skin, some of which may actually be harmful. The chemicals have been linked with various problems like asthma, cancer, reproductive problems and causing harm to fish and wildlife. Cosmetic products are not well regulated by the FDA or any other agency so use caution when buying them in the first place. If you experience any problems after using a product, discontinue use immediately. Seek medical help if the problem worsens, is infected or painful.