How Safe Is Your Makeup?

Most girls apply makeup and skin care products daily without any awareness of what is actually in them. Here are a few simple ways of testing your products to make sure that they are free from harmful chemicals.

Cleansing Milk/Lotion

A good cleansing lotion should be water based and non-oily. Pour some onto a spoon and heat it over fire. If you see oil splashing off then it contains oil. Water based cleanser should turn milky and creamy when heated. You can also dab some on a PH testing paper and the PH value should be between 5.4-6.8.

Toner

Good toners shouldn't have alcohol in them because that can damage your skin when used for a long time. To test your toner, shake the bottle hard and observe the bubbles. If you see large bubbles, then it contains salicylic acid. This is good for cleaning your skin but may irritate it. If you see a thin layer of small bubbles that disappear immediately, then it contains alcohol that will dry your skin out. The best kind of toner should have a thick layer of bubbles that disappear very slowly.

Moisturiser

Pour sufficient amount onto a spoon and heat it up over fire until it's completely gone. Any traces of black residual left on the spoon are the additives present in the product.

Foundation

Take sufficient amount and put it in a glass of water. If it sticks to the side of your glass, then animal oil is used in the product. If it floats to the top, then mineral oil is present. If it sinks to the bottom then that represents traces of lead, mercury and other heavy metals. A good foundation should be neither of those.

Makeup Remover

Put some waterproof products on your then rub sufficient amount of makeup remover over it. If it mixes well with the makeup and can be easily wiped off with a tissue, then the makeup remover is usable.

Lipstick

All lipsticks contain traces of lead so when choosing your lipstick, try to pick the one that contains the least amount of lead. To test how much lead is in your lipstick, apply some on the back of your hand then rub it with a silver ring and observe the the colour changes. If it starts turning black then lead is present in the product. The darker it turns, the more lead is contained and you should avoid these lipsticks.