When it comes to being sanitary, we often think about just washing our hands to prevent the spread of germs. But, did you know that there are a bunch of ways to ensure that your skincare and beauty products are properly sanitized? When your products that go near your eyes, nose and mouth aren’t properly cared for, it could potentially lead to infections or acne breakouts! Do yourself a favor and follow these simple practices that can help to minimize these issues:
Wash Your Hands!
Of course we should be washing our hands regularly, but this is especially true before we apply make up or our favorite skincare products. Since we will definitely be touching our faces during application, it’s important not to spread germs to our face during this process.
If you want to go the extra mile, use disposable hand towels or a freshly laundered hand towel to dry your hands, since a used cotton towel that you use for your entire body can also potentially harbor bacteria. Before you even begin the makeup or skincare application, you can also wipe down your area (like your bathroom counter) and all your products with an antibacterial wipe to truly ensure there are no lingering germs!
Use Clean Tools For Product Application
Many products are available in pot or jar containers, which is great for keeping them airtight! While this is ideal to help preserve your makeup or skincare for longer, you should apply these products using clean utensils or makeup tools. Even if your hands are clean, you should avoid dipping your fingers into the product! We love to use our spoon and bowl set for our face masks as well as our body scrubs; this way, there is less of a chance of contamination and it keeps you products fresher, longer.
Don’t Pick At Your Skin
It can be hard not to pick or pop anything we see on our skin, but it’s best to avoid it as much as possible. Use a gentle exfoliant, like our Vanilla Body Polish, if you have a pesky flaky area or small bumps. Sometimes if you pick at your skin, it can cause an infection or potentially spread the bacteria and cause even more breakouts if you’re not careful!
However, if you absolutely MUST pop a pimple or extract a large black head, then be sure to wash your hands, thoroughly cleanse your face, and use a sanitized extraction tool. Once you’re done, be sure to cleanse your face again and clean your extraction tool properly with alcohol.
Throw Out Expired Makeup and Skin Care Products
As we’ve mentioned in our other blog, it’s best to go through your products and check their expiration. Most products expire about 1 year after being opened, so it’s ideal not to hoard your beauty and makeup products. The products may not work as well as they used to, and they could be contaminated as well, so just toss them and save yourself from unnecessary breakouts.
Routinely Clean Your Beauty Tools
To avoid contamination and annoying breakouts, be sure to clean your beauty tools, like brushes, spatulas and sponges, at least once a week. You can sanitize with an alcohol solution (depending on the tool), or you can soak your products in hot water with a gentle makeup brush cleanser. Although it can be a time consuming task, it will save you time and energy doing “damage control” on your skin if a breakout pops up from using unclean beauty tools!