A Time Not to Share

“Not a good idea!” Sara cautioned, as her friend reached over to borrow her mascara. "I had a pink eye infection a month ago and my doctor gave me a lecture. She warned, ‘Don’t share any of your makeup with family or friends.  Don’t go to bed without first cleaning off the makeup.  Don’t’ …” ….so many rules!  I just don’t want to infect you."

It is, of course, in everyone’s best interest NOT to share cosmetics, even though Sara may have had a hard time to say no to a friend in need. It is not a wise procedure to share.

There are germs on the skin.  And they do like to hop from one place to another. 

If perusing one’s skin cells under a microscope, we would witness microbes, both good and bad. The good ones help to keep the skin moisturized and act as a barrier to keep irritants out. It is the bad ones we wish were not there.

While every skin has different microbe parties going on, the healthier host keeps the balance. But when the bad ones surface, we need to fight back:  eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, acne, and in the case of eye infections, pink eye, or lip infections, herpes and cold sores. 

The goal in skin care should not be microbe annihilation, because killing the bad ones meaning ridding of the good ones too. It should be about maintaining a balance. 

When a make-up brush touches the skin, it can become contaminated. Sharing it with someone else passes it on. If the cream or lotion container is shared, the microbe party moves from one host to the other.

It is important to be cautious with all skin care products. Creams, lotions, eye liners, mascara, brushes. Attempting to maintain a balance often means adding questionable antibacterial preservatives as are found in many commercial products,

Our Earth to Body skin care products do not contain the questionable preservatives, like formaldehyde,   that are added to help control the good vs. the bad bacteria. We use natural means like organic lemonseed extract and vitamin E. One day, small cosmetic fridges, as are common in many parts of Europe, will be the norm on one’s dresser or bathroom. 

This may require more work or caution on the part of the user, but if one seeks the best nutrition for the skin, it is well worth it. And we learn that our skin care is our own and not to be shared.