Have you had a sudden face break out and have no explanation why that is? Well, facial break outs are common and can be caused by amongst other things hormonal imbalance, heat rash, acne, scrubbing your skin too hard, the skin’s reaction to the use of harsh facial creams that dry it out and block your pores and so on.
But have you considered that the break out could also be as a result of prolonged use of make up applicators without cleaning them?
Way back in the year 2014, I curiously stumbled upon an intriguing hypothesis done by Jonathan Hadgraft, a UK leading expert in Skin Penetration along with Majella Lane on ‘Transepidermal water loss and skin site.’ Please read the abstract on google by checking the International Journal of Pharmaceutics Volume 373, Issues 1-2, 21st May 2009, Page 1-3. The paper sought to address why the facial skin is more sensitive than the rest of our bodies.
This was a particular topic of interest at the time as I was battling eczema, psoriasis and almost permanently hooked onto face creams that contained steroids to kill the break outs and diminish black spots. I was not aware of what the effects the creams prescribed by my dermatologist were on my skin over time. It took a lot of research, trial and errors as well as ugly skin break outs in identifying what harmed my skin to get here. Make-up hygiene plays a huge role in keeping your skin clear.
It is therefore essential to keep your make up items clean to avoid getting more breakouts.
Cleaning instructions
You will need the following:
- A plastic bowl
- Aloe Hand and Face soap
- Make up remover (optional)
- Utilities: A microwave
1. Soak the sponges in a plastic bowl containing aloe hand and face soap and let them sit for about 10 minutes. I insist that is is important to use a gentle face wash to clean your sponges because your facial skin is sensitive therefore using other harsh detergents to soak or clean might react to your face. My personal choice of cleaning soap just happens to be the Forever Living range as I find them very gentle on my skin.
2. Carry out the first step of removing makeup from the sponges gently to avoid digging into the sponge and tearing it especially using your nails (for those that keep long ones).
3. Boil water and put it in the plastic container with the sponges.
4. Add few drops of the aloe hand and face soap and warm them in the microwave for anywhere from 3-5 minutes. You could flip them over as sometimes they tend to stay afloat. This will further sanitize the sponge and remove any invisible impurities.
5. Rinse the sponges by gently squeezing the water off repeatedly until the sponges and water remains clear.
6. Leave them to dry. I prefer using a dry clothes rack (the one with suspended pegs) where I clip the sponges. It has been mostly effective in keeping them dry and fast.
Tip: I replace my sponges every 3 days on a minimum. Do not use them for more than a week without cleaning.
Thank you for making time to read this brief instructional.I hope it helps you keep your sponges clean and face clear. Feel free to make use of other gentle soaps that favor your skin.
I will appreciate your feedback on what has worked and what has not.
Peace.
Stop. Go. Experience Life 