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Friday, March 29, 2024
Clean face
Clean face

In middle and high school, I seemed to spend hours applying foundation, eyeliner and mascara daily in order to cover-up my imperfections. I went through all types, styles, and brands of chemical gunk that I believed would make my skin more beautiful. After becoming annoyed with the time it took to apply makeup, I began to use less and less of it. Now, I wear it only for special occasions, about once a month. 

While my dislike for makeup probably isn’t a valid reason to stop using it, many studies provide information about which makeup may have negative health benefits, giving reason to reconsider your makeup use. Here are some medical reasons and some not so medical reasons to consider before applying

1. Summer

We live in Florida and it’s 90 degrees on “cooler” days. Makeup is sticky and heavy. I don’t care how many times Cosmo tells me that the newest organic, light, powder makeup will make me feel as if I’m not wearing anything- it’s just not true. When you’re sitting at a picnic in July it doesn’t matter how much or how little your makeup thinks it feels, when it starts to melt off your face, it feels like the heaviest cream foundation in the world

2. Medical Effects

Research shows that women who use make-up on a daily basis may be filling their bodies with as much as 5 pounds of chemicals a year. If you wouldn’t drink sulfates, then don’t put them on your face. Everything we use absorbs into the skin, much of it then makes it to our blood stream. The British Skin Foundation found that the average women applies 175 different chemicals to their skin on a daily basis many of which can cause skin problems, hormonal conditions and cancer.

3. Old Makeup

We’re in college and it’s just not lucrative to throw out your mascara every three months. The downside to saving money? Old makeup harvests germs and harmful bacteria. Eye pencils are good to go for about a year, if they’re cleaned properly after each use. It’s time consuming and just not practical to follow the FDAs guidelines for makeup, but not taking care of your cosmetics can cause disease.

4. Animals

Most makeup is tested on animals. This can cause many lifelong disturbances to an animal’s health. Not using makeup saves both their skin and yours. A win win!

5. Time

Holy cow! Even my most skillful friends say it takes them about 15-20 minutes to apply a “full face” of makeup. In that time you could watch an episode Modern Family, do a quick circuit workout, take a shower, run two miles, cook a meal, take an online quiz, and the list goes on. Before you spend a third of an hour applying makeup this summer, take some time to consider leaving that part of your morning routine out.

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If you hate being makeup-free, pick the habit back up in the fall. But for now, it’s at least worth a try!

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