When To Throw Out Your Beauty Products! Some Great Tips!

Hoarding old makeup can cause eye infections and fungus! Old cosmetics need to be tossed!!!

Hey!!! 

So as most of you will now know, I am using up all of my make up and beauty products because i am going all 100% natural with all of my products!!! 

For years i have hoarded makeup like no other! Keeping most for years, even if i never used them. This meant keeping them way past their sell by date and to which i never cared, or really knew of!

 If you are the type of person to just keep adding to your collection, you can forget how long you have had certain items etc, I know I found products in my that I stash that I had
 forgot I had, oops!

Whether you want to keep your old products, sell them or even swap them, it is SO important that you inspect them every so often! So in this post I would like to give you all some tips as to what to look for or notice about your products, I hope this will help some of you as I know me being is the beauty swap world (Blog sales, eBay etc), it is so important for everyone in the situation!
Enjoy...

Changes in colour!

The colour of our products are usually very sensitive to light, so it's not unusual for cosmetics in clear packaging to experience a shift in shade. Slight colour changes don't necessarily mean there's anything functionally wrong but if you detect a big change from the products original appearance then it's time to toss it. 

                                                                 Changes in texture!

Changes in the consistency of your product may be subtle but significant. For example, if your lotion looks exceptionally thick or thin or if it appears too grainy, this may be an early indicator of product instability. This means the oil- and water- soluble chemicals are separating. Not good!

Changes in odour!

Fragrances are made up of many different ingredients that can react with the rest of the product so it's not surprising that the fragrance is often the first thing to go bad. A little fragrance fading is completely normal but if you detect a sour or rancid odour it may be a signal that something is seriously wrong and it's time to throw it out!

Microbial contamination!

If you see any black spots or fuzzy growth in your product, it could be contaminated with bacteria or fungus. Get rid of it immediately or you may be at risk for infection! And by the way, you should never dilute a product with water just so you can get the last little bit out of the bottle. Adding water can dilute the preservative system which can allow potentially dangerous bugs to grow, I happen to know people who do/did this as they thought they were saving money using up every last drop of the product but believe you me, it is NOT worth the risks! Once your bottle/tub cant give any more product, THROW IT!

Physical separation!

If the product has separated into two layers then it has gone bad! You can't always fix it by just remixing it, as some people may think! This is particularly true of cosmetics that have active ingredients like sunscreens and dandruff shampoos. Once the active ingredient has separated from the rest of the formula, it may not work properly anymore.

             What's the best way to store beauty products?
To get the most out of your products proper storage is the key. Many products are sensitive to heat, cold and light. Products are best stored in a dark place without major temperature changes. I know some people think that the freezer will extend the life of their products but the truth is products like skin lotions (which are emulsions) can crystallise, thicken, or turn grainy if they're frozen. Once that happens, the product is ruined.  There is no way to know what happened to a product before you bought it, whether being from a store or from a blog sale etc, and please don't believe everything someone tells you! Some people may be honest but how are we to know how many times they really used a product and how many swatches it had, there is no way to tell apart from take their word for it but you can take care to store it properly once you get it home. Also, don't leave products in your car for extended periods of time, the huge swings in temperature will cut short the life of your product.

Bottom Line!
If properly stored, we can potentially get a few years use out of many of our favourite beauty products. However, it is important to take notice of your collection every so often to make sure you are not using something that could potentially be harmful. Remember that...

 WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT!!!

"The things that are most likely to give you an infection are creams, or things that are wet or dark or damp,"

Using an old mascara can lead to some unsightly skin issues including blepharitis, an itchy inflammation of the eyelid and conjunctivitis, also known as "pink eye."

Experts recommend dumping eye makeup after three months, getting rid of creams, liquids or moisturisers after about a year (less if you're constantly sticking your fingers in the pots) and tossing powders, pencils, lipsticks or gloss after about 18 months.

Once you open a product, it's a countdown to contamination, so try to remember when you started using it so that you can toss it!!!

Stay away from makeup store testers! If you must try out a colour, use a clean cotton swab. Still, don't forget you're sticking that swab into a potential pot of germs!

I hope you all got some good tips :) Thank you for reading my lovelies :)

xox Tink xox