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It’s Time To Spring Clean Your Skin Care

Spring Clean Your Skin Care

It’s time to go “Marie Kondo” on your skincare and say ‘Thank you’ and ‘goodbye’ to what no longer serves you, or your skin.

In the spirit of Spring Cleaning we at Face Fit believe that one area of your house that shouldn’t be neglected when you’re clearing out the old, is what lies in your bathroom drawer. Like most things, Skin Care has a shelf life and if you aren’t aware and using dribs and drabs of that moisturiser you’ve had since forever you could be doing more harm than good. 

If you have a stockpile of skin care products and your not seeing results, it could be because they have passed their expiration date. It’s time to empty the drawers and get educated on what you’re applying to your skin. Let the Spring Clean begin.

Once products are oxidised (exposed to the air) many of the ingredients may break down causing the active ingredients to be less effective. This will mean that your at-home-beauty-regime will be virtually ineffective and you won’t be making improvements to the integrity of your skin.

Your skincare can also harbor nasty bacteria once it passes its shelf life. Bacteria can cause skin irritation, breakouts and completely undo the results you set out to achieve when you first purchased the product. Invisible bacteria can thrive in products past their prime, especially in hot, humid environments like your bathroom

What to look for

Most FDA approved skin care and beauty products will have a code or number listed on the packaging. This will often refer to the lifespan of the product once it has been opened. Some products will also have a small symbol that resembles at tub containing a number of months it should be used until, once opened (12M). If you still have product left and you have passed the recommended months of use, it’s time to break up, say sayonara and find a replacement. But on the positive; SHOPPING!

If the lifespan of your beauty products isn’t as visible, then let your senses do the work. Never ignore a bad smell, change in texture or an adverse effect on your skin. Trust your nose and your eyes, and if in doubt of a product’s cleanliness, say BYEEE.

Cleansers

With so many Cleansers on the market their POA (Period After Opening) may vary. Your oil based cleansers can be an unforgiving environment for bacteria—it’s much more difficult for them to grow and thrive in oily bases. That said, oil cleansers, particularly ones in a balm format or those that require you to open a jar to access the product, can separate after being exposed to oxygen for too long.

Water-based cleansers can harbour more nasties. Bacteria is much happier in a watery environment, so it’s important to use your water-based cleansers quickly after opening—6-8 months maximum, however foaming washes that contain acids like glycolic or salicylic acid have a slightly longer shelf life, since bacteria and acids don’t get along.

Moisturisers

The general rule for moisturisers and eye creams is toss them one year after opening, but things can get a bit trickier with jar packaging. Since more oxygen can get into the product and encourage bacteria growth, it’s recommended to toss these after six months.

SPF

A general rule with SPF is that one bottle should be used per each season of the year. Use it for a season then chuck it. If you apply last season’s sun cream you won’t be getting the level of SPF on the bottle, and you just don’t want to risk that

Makeup

If you’re a full faced makeup gal and need to restock on the reg, expiration probably won’t be your concern. However, when we open, sponge it, brush it, cross contaminating with our friends who need a touch up, the lifespan of your favourite products can vary.

On the contrary, if you’re into a more minimal coverage and tend to hold on to a product, you will need to be mindful of the POA. Exposed to oxygen, the product can oxidise and separate, leaving you with a not-so-nice look on application. If your product is water based, it can harbour nasty bacteria that will effect the health of your skin. Dirt, dead skin, bacteria and other unforgiving elements can also contaminate your makeup products when we use old brushes and sponges.

Brushes

We don’t need to tell you when your makeup brushes have seen better days, it’s obvious. If you’re like most, cleaning your brushes has been on your to-dos since forever but even though it seems tedious, it is most definitely instrumental to the health of your skin. Dirt and bacteria can build up in the fibres and be transferred to the skin and to your makeup. Think about your bathroom activities on a night-out. After one too many champas, our brushes come out for touch ups, placed on public vanities and tossed to the bottom of our handbag, it’s quite icky when you think about it. Be vigilant with cleaning your brushes for the sake of your skin and be ruthless with your disposable items, such as sponges and wands.  

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