Ida’s Pep Talk

Greetings my friends, welcome to Pep Talk. My name is Ida and today we are going to talk about tips for a healthy skincare program.  The topic is expiration dates on your skincare products.

 I’m sure this has happened to you as it happens to me, I open my refrigerator and I reach for my milk and discover that it has expired. It doesn’t taste good, it doesn’t smell good and it doesn’t look good.  Food expiration we understand.  We need to understand that Skincare products are food for our skin. Our bodies need nutrition and by applying skincare products topically, our skin is able to absorb all of the ingredients. If you use expired products you can put yourself in danger, not only topically to your skin, but also to your whole body. There are several risks associated with using expired skincare products. 

If a product becomes contaminated and applied close to the eyes it can cause redness, itchiness, and flakiness to the skin. If it is applied to the entire face, it can cause heat, redness, and breakouts on the skin. Obviously these are negative results of using expired products that can be avoided. 

It is important to understand that different products have different expiration dates. For example, organic products will have a shorter shelf-life since they contain fewer preservatives. Non-organic products are designed differently and usually have a longer shelf life. 

 Now let’s talk about extending the life of your daily skincare products. 

The first thing you should do is have a Sharpie in your bathroom. Use the sharpie to write the month, day, and year on the bottom of your products. Sharpies are great because they are waterproof, black, and are clearly visible on all product containers. 

Second, and this is extremely important, is how you use your products. Always wash your hands before you touch your products.  The jar edges and lid need to be kept clean at all times. To keep them clean you can use an alcohol swab to clean the outside rim of your jars, and lids.

My final tip is, and this question comes from many of my clients.  “What should I do if I never marked any of my products?  The answer is simple, use the sniff test.  Open the jar and sniff, if it doesn’t smell good, just like the rotten milk, toss it out. 

I hope you find our tips helpful. Please let us know what you think. Share your feedback, questions and we will continue to bring you useful tips to help you maintain healthy, beautiful skin for a lifetime.