Featherstroke: Beauty Products You Should Not Share

Beauty Products Hygiene

The first simple rule before using any beauty product is to wash hands with soap and water or use sanitizer

Beauty product hygiene is crucial because bacteria can harbor in makeup and brushes/sponges if not used or cared for properly. This can lead to eye infections, breakouts, and spreading germs. Eeek.

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Another mistake most of us make is holding onto makeup that has reached its expiry date. Makeup should be tossed when it’s reached its expiration

10 Beauty Products You Should Never Ever Share

And eight that are OK to for your BFF to borrow.

By Carly Cardellino Aug 11, 2016

It’s tempting to watch your best friend pull her favorite (and perfectly shaded!) pinkish nude lipstick out of her bag and want to ask to use it when she’s done. But the truth is, you just shouldn’t — unless, of course, you have some alcohol-based wipes at the ready to sanitize it. And here’s why: Even though someone doesn’t have a visible cold sore, they can still carry herpes simplex virus 1 [HSV-1] and pass it off to you in one makeup application.

That said, Dr. Engelman broke down which beauty products you should steer clear of sharing and which are safe to borrow from your BFF:

STEER CLEAR OF SHARING;

1. Any beauty products that comes in a jar. If you have to dip your fingers into a cleanser, day or night cream, eye creams, foundation, lip balm, etc., it’s best that you (1) wash your hands before coming into contact with the formula and (2) keep that product for your own personal use.

2. Mascara. Your favorite mascara can harbor bacteria and viruses that are easily transmissible, like conjunctivitis. And since your eyes don’t have the same layers of protection that your skin does, it’s more susceptible to infections like pink eye. “Plus, each time you pull the wand out and push it back in to lube up the brush head, you push air into the dark bottle’s base, feeding the aerobic bacteria that can survive in an oxygenated area,” Dr. Engelman adds. Basically, the only safe way to share your mascara, if you so desire, is to practice what pro makeup artists do and never let the wand that comes with it be used; use only disposable wands to apply it, and never double dip.

3. Pressed foundation. Dry powders don’t hold onto bacteria the way that wet formulas do, but that doesn’t mean you can’t transfer bacteria from one person to another — especially if you’re using a sponge to touch up areas around your mouth or eyes. The only safe way to let your girlfriend use your pressed powder, should she need to touch up her shiny forehead in a selfie emergency, is to spray the powder with an alcohol-based spray. Give her a clean makeup brush to use, and have her swipe it over pressed powder once.