Makeup can enhance your appearance, but it can also cause problems and be harmful to your eye health, especially if you use it incorrectly, use old products, don’t remove it at night, etc.
Here are five ways to help you wear makeup safely.
1. Test New Eye Makeup Before Application
Just like any other makeup product, eye makeup can cause an allergic reaction, especially in those with sensitive skin.
Before using a new product, it is best to test it out by applying a small amount of it to the inside of your elbow and waiting for 48-72 hours.
If the area becomes itchy, red, or swollen, you may have an allergy to the product. Some of the typical allergens found in eye makeup include dyes, fragrances, and preservatives.
You can even have an allergic reactions to eyelash extensions. A blog by Lilac St tells you all you need to know about allergic reactions, including the ingredients in lash glues that can cause the problem.
Do a skin test to check for allergic reactions to glue ingredients by applying a drop of glue behind your ear and checking for any negative reactions that will usually develop quite quickly.
2. Replace Your Makeup Regularly
Makeup doesn’t last forever, and eye products have a shorter shelf life than other makeup due to more exposure to bacteria and fungi.
Using old products can result in eye problems, such as infections of the lid or lash line. If cosmetics develop a different smell or become discolored, make sure you get rid of them.
Mascara and liquid eyeliners need to be discarded after about three months. Cream eye shadow can last for up to six months.
Powder eye shadow and pencil liners tend to last for longer, and you may be able to keep them for a year or two.
3. Keep it Sanitary
- Always wash your hands before you apply makeup or you could transfer germs to your face and eyes.
- Makeup brushes and applicators need to be kept scrupulously clean as they can easily attract bacteria and dirt. Wash them regularly and replace them when necessary.
- Never share makeup or your makeup tools, as this can easily spread bacteria. You’re risking cross-contamination and eye infections, such as “pink eye,” spread very easily.
- Make sure you use makeup brushes on designated areas such as eyes or lips and don’t swap areas, or this could cause cross-contamination with bacteria.
- If you get an eye infection, it is important to replace all the products you were using when you got it.
- Rinse your eyes thoroughly with clean tap water or eye-wash solution if you get makeup in them.
4. Remove Your Makeup Before Going to Bed
Your eyes are extremely sensitive. Going to bed with all your eye makeup on can expose you to eye infections, dryness, irritation, and allergic reactions.
Make it a non-negotiable rule to thoroughly remove your makeup every night. Even the smallest amount of mascara or eyeliner you leave on your eyes can cause irritation or infection.
Use a specific product for removing eye makeup and remove it gently, taking care not to get any of it in your eye.
If you’re sensitive to makeup removers, you can try using diluted baby shampoo and lukewarm water. Gently rub along the margins of your eyelids.
If you don’t keep your lashes and eyelids clean, you could develop blepharitis which is a bacterial inflammation of the eyelids that makes them red and itchy and causes scaly flakes like dandruff in the lashes.
5. Keep Makeup Outside of the Eye
Don’t apply eye makeup where the eye and eyelid meet. The inner rim of the lower eyelid is a tempting place for eyeliner but putting makeup so close to the surface of the eye increases the likelihood of getting an eye infection.
The meibomian oil glands are situated in this delicate part of the eye, and you don’t want them to get blocked. They play a great role in making your eyes lubricated.
If they are blocked, you can suffer from inflammation, infection, or dry eyes. Keep your makeup application to the external structures of the eye only.
