Cosmetics are supposed to enhance your beauty, but if you're not careful, they might hurt it instead.
How do you keep makeup clean?
Items like lip gloss and mascara that seem so harmless can actually cause you to end up with conditions such as bacterial infections, the flu, pink eye or even herpes.
It's not that the products or their ingredients pose these threats. The problem arises from the fact that cosmetics are an ideal environment for nasty microorganisms, such as yeast or e.coli, to thrive.
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If you are thinking, “doesn't makeup have preservatives,” the answer is yes. But, understand that preservatives are included to minimize risks. They do not offer a solid guarantee that your cosmetics will remain safe. More than a few women have discovered this the hard way. So that you don't get counted among them, develop good habits that can help to keep you safe.
Expiration Dates
A lot of women do not replace cosmetics unless the products are empty or there are clear signs of a problem. This is one of several common mistakes that you should never make again. Though it may not be printed on the packages, cosmetics, like food, have expiration dates and they need to be discarded when their lifespan expires. Think about it, if product has expired, its preservatives have expired too.
Seal It
If you are a neat freak, then you are doing yourself a big favor with regards to your cosmetics. If you are bit less tidy, you need to do better. Do not leave your cosmetics and cosmetic tools strewn about uncovered in the bathroom counters, on your makeup table or elsewhere. Doing so invites contamination. Also, if the covers or lids on your cosmetics get lost or broken, either throw the products away or find a way to protect them when they are not being used.
Cosmetic Tools
Brushes, applicators, sponges and other cosmetic tools should always be handled with freshly washed hands. These tools also need to be cleaned regularly with hot water and anti-bacterial soap. It's also best to avoid using old applicators in newer products. If you break the tip off your new mascara brush, your solution shouldn't be to use the one from some old mascara at the bottom of your makeup bag.
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Sharing
No matter how close you are to an individual, there comes a time when you need to draw boundaries. One of those moments is...
... when it comes to sharing makeup. Don't do it, not even using your own tools. If someone has an eye infection or suffers from cold sores and her cosmetics get contaminated, that you dip your own brush into a product will not prevent the spread of those germs.
Makeup Counters
There are women who wouldn't think of allowing a stranger to use their cosmetics, yet they will happily indulge in makeup counter samples. This is sharing of perhaps the worst sort. Almost all of those shared products are likely to be contaminated with something undesirable. Never put any of those products on your face. If you want to test them, do it on your wrist or the back of your hand, and afterward, make sure to wash your hands before they come into contact with your face again.
Saliva
Do not allow saliva to get anywhere near your eyes. Some women will thoughtlessly lick their fingers and wipe their eyebrows, attempt to keep eyelashes clump-free or to remove unwanted makeup from their eyes. Saliva contains bacteria and such practices are essentially begging for a problem.
Contact Lens Wearers
People who wear contact lenses need to be more careful than other cosmetics users because items can get trapped against the eye and increase their risk of infection. Always put your contact lenses in before you put your makeup on and remove them after you have removed your makeup.
