Makeup is an integral part of the modern women’s beauty regimen (oh, and even for men these days), but it isn’t a secret that using makeup can be quite harmful as well. Some of the ingredients can irritate your skin and eyes, while others can be absorbed into your body through the skin for even more serious adverse effects. However, there are safe makeup products and tips that can prevent such effects from ever occurring in the first place. Contrary to what most people think, health and makeup are not mutually exclusive. To understand how to make that happen, read the following points.
Don’t Store and Use Old Makeup
Makeup products are expensive, especially the good ones, so it is only natural to want them stored and used cautiously for as long as possible. Unfortunately, this does not bode well for your health at all. Even with the utmost care, makeup is almost always bound to get contaminated within a few months or a year, so the advice is to buy in small quantities, use it up or throw it away before it starts to smell or change color.
Hygiene is of Paramount Importance
Every time you dip your finger into your mascara or any other product, you are contaminating it with bacteria. Always pour the product out and never put anything that comes out back into the container, even if it is in excess. If you must use something to scoop it out, make sure it’s a clean, sterilized or disposable object. It goes without saying that you should also wash your hands and face thoroughly before starting.
Remove Everything before Bed
Take your time in removing all that you have put on before going to bed. If you neglect this step then you will end up with clogged pores and oil glands, which basically translates to pimples and other inflammation.
What to Avoid in Your Makeup?
Even though all the chemicals and other ingredients used in any makeup product should be approved by the government, there are some which still may not be ideal for your skin. You will see them listed vaguely in the ingredients list with terms such as hypoallergenic, which in itself isn’t a bad thing, but doesn’t describe what the actual thing is. Some of the chemicals that you should avoid whenever possible include lead, butadiene, dioxane, phthalates, ethylene oxide, parabens, p-Phenylenediamine, carbon black, siloxanes, and triclosan.
What Should You Look for?
Not everything in your makeup is bad though and there are certain things which can even benefit your skin’s health, but you need to know what they are and be picky about it while going through a product’s ingredient list. Zinc oxide or anything with an SPF 30 rating, Aloe Vera, rose water, coconut oil, grapefruit, plant pigment colors, vitamin E, and goji berries are all good for the skin.
As you can see, just like everything else, technology and knowledge have improved makeup products as well and they are no longer contain all the toxic products that they used to be a decade ago. That is not to say that they can still be used without being careful, but if you keep the tips mentioned here in mind and check the ingredients, even makeup can be healthy as it turns out!
