Makeup and Your Eye Health
By Brandi Goodman
Eyeliner, eye shadow, concealer, and more are makeup options for the eyes. While they can work well to help conceal dark circles, bring some color and light to your eyes, and simply enhance your appearance -- they also have the ability to present many dangers. You need to be careful of how you're applying your makeup and how you're caring for the brushes and applicators so you don't harm your eye health.
Wash Your Hands First
It's important to wash your hands first before you ever attempt to apply makeup. Bacteria on your hands could get into your eyes and cause irritation or worse. Spend at least 20 seconds washing and thoroughly dry your eyes before you begin application.
Keep Your Brushes and Applicators Clean
The brushes and other applicators that you use to apply eye makeup need to be kept clean as well. Letting them sit with makeup on them for days on end -- or longer -- can lead to bacteria. Touching them to your eye can then introduce that bacteria to your lenses and make your vision blurred.
Throw Away Outdated Makeup
You should never keep makeup for years on end. Most companies even suggest replacing your palettes and other options every few months. Bacteria grows inside of makeup and can be a cause for concern for your eyes. Throw away anything that you don't remember when you got it or how long you've had it. Six months is usually the maximum recommended time frame. If you start to notice a funny smell, mascara that's getting too thick, have cracked eye shadow, or anything is becoming discolored, it's time for new.
Remove Makeup Before Bed
Too many women leave their makeup on when they go to bed. You may find yourself rubbing your eyes in the morning as you wake. Having makeup on when you do so will cause you to rub your eyeliner or shadow right into your eyeball. This can cause blurred vision and even make it hard to open your eye at all for a while after. Remove your makeup before bed so this isn't a concern.
Your eye health can be damaged when you apply makeup incorrectly or don't keep your brushes clean. Always be careful when it comes to applying makeup to your eyes so you can keep your vision intact. Avoiding it as much as possible is the better idea.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Arnold, Mo.