Throw It Out Thursday
This Throw It Out Thursday I am dedicating to everyone, there isn’t one person in the world that expired product doesn’t affect. Take a moment, wherever you are, and think about all the things you have in your house that have expiration dates. Can you think of some hiding in your fridge or under your sink, even worse in your cabinet in the bathroom that has gone bad? There’s even stuff that doesn’t have a date and still goes bad (loofas?!?!?) but have no fear, I am going to discuss what that means and what it can potentially do to you if you use it, how to decode your bottles labeling so we all know when we should throw out the old stuff and even where to throw it out! Hang on tight, this one might throw you for a loop!
“What happens if you use vitamin C oxidized serum?
You would think that using oxidized vitamin serum won’t do much harm, but actually it does if it has lost all its potency. If your serum has less than 10% potency then it will not only turn yellow-brown but will also stain your skin and you will also feel some irritation. In worse cases, blackheads and red spots also begin to appear.”
To begin with, expirations dates are not news to us, we all know that they exist and that items we buy don’t always last forever. What is surprising to me is how long people will continue to use things after they have opened it, only thinking of the expiration date and not how long it has been opened.
Did you know that expired makeup can harbor bacteria that cause rashes, more blackhead production and acne? Expired skincare can form parasites and filamentous fungi that can result in dermatitis, increase in blackheads and in extreme cases can make you sick?! The most common you’ll find though is just a colony of bacteria living their life in your product.
“Expiration dates decoded:
MFE, MFG, M = The date that it was manufactured
EXP, E = The expiration date
BB, BBE, BE = The period of time suggested to use within
6M, 12M, 3M, 24M = The product life span after you open it
6M is within 6 months and
12M is within 12 months”
In most cases, when products go bad they grow mold and bacteria. We can see this when we forget about leftovers in the fridge and they grow an ecosystem that we would rather throw out than clean up. Food is pretty easy, it has a date and you eat it or freeze it before then. Medicine and other prescriptions we get also have use by dates, its up to us to pay attention to those. Using expired pills can lead to a whole mess of other issues, but as my concern is your skincare and body care, let’s start there.
I am a visual person and hopefully this little chart helps us out:
Please note that loofas are typically “open” so you only want to use them for 7 weeks before recycling and getting a new one. That is not the same for your washcloth if that is what you use on your body, clean that as you would a used towel (hopefully every three uses).
Some of this will overlap on each other, like if you are using acne fighting products you’d want to pay attention to the Benzoyl Peroxide and Salicylic dates as those are the active ingredients doing the work. Same for serums, if you have a serum with Vitamin C you’d want to lean more towards the 4-6 month and not keep it longer than 6 months. You always want to think of the most active ingredient in your product first and go by that date as it will most likely already be expired by the time the date for your product comes up.
Try getting into the habit of writing the date you opened the product on it so it will be easier to track. You can use a piece of tape with the date written on it in sharpie, easy to use and take off for reusable bottles that you refill. There are a lot of ways to mark a bottle, the hard part is remembering to do so. If you are a more digital person, you can set alarms on your phone to go off either the day of or a couple of days before its “use by” date. This also works if you like google docs and are a graphic making wizard and make a Google Live Spreadsheet and keep track of it there. Whatever method you choose, don’t make it overly complicated for your lifestyle but be consistent with it, that’s what counts.
Once you have set your method, and start coming up to dates to ditch, how do you dispose of them? We have to be aware of how we are disposing things, it is becoming a more constant concern of mine as I see how much waste we create when we could just be refilling and reusing. So what do you do when you throw out beauty products? First of all, don’t put them in the trash. I am not a scientist but I do know some and they have told me of the horrors of what happens when products break down. To combat this issue, certain companies have popped up or made aware that there is another way to throw away old skincare.
One of my favorite places to dispose of the old is Origins. In most Malls, you will find either a stand-alone store or one inside the makeup department at a Macy’s. They have this bin in their shops where you can dispose of any empty skincare or makeup container and they will recycle it for you. Easy peasy! I am sure in your local area there is probably more than one place to recycle old product. Get creative and dig into your own neighborhood and see if there is a program in place. With community engagement so important these days, what better way to connect to your ‘hood than by doing good for the planet and clearing out clutter!
Did you know skincare shouldn’t be kept in the bathroom?!?!
Ok, so you’ve checked everything in your house, room by room to find what is old and needs to get the boot (omg that totally rhymed! I feel a song about old product coming on…) You have your method for tracking how long things have been opened and when they too need to get the toss, and you even know where and how to dispose of them! Now, we get into fun ways to keep your favorite items fresher for longer.
One way to preserve is to buy items such as cleansers, moisturizers and serums with a pump as it creates a physical barrier to the product. When it comes to makeup and skincare, they should be kept in a cool environment, which typically is not our bathrooms with their fluctuations in temperature. You can always designate an area of your fridge to your skincare, but this only really works if you don't share your fridge with anyone and it is relatively close to your bathroom. A mini fridge might be an option for your space, or maybe a closet in the hallway outside your bathroom. By now, I am sure most of us have tried to Mari Kando our homes so I leave there where part to you. Just make sure it is in a cool environment to prevent oxidation. As long as you don’t keep your makeup in your car, pretty much anywhere other than, again the bathroom, will work. If you carry chapstick or lip balm with you, keep in mind these factors as well and cut the time you still “use after opening” in half to prevent bacteria sneaking in.
Hopefully you feel informed after this month’s Throw It Out Thursday and not in fear of impending bacteria! We are so busy in our daily lives that simple things such as checking expiration dates or where you store your skincare get overlooked and swapped out for convenience. Our goal at Enlighten Bodhi Spa is always to slow down just for a moment and be present wherever you are, the same is true here. Be present in your home, and with the items you spend your precious and hard earned money on. Value the things in your life and they will serve you better. Happy Throw It Out Thursday to you and till next time!
Till next time, be good to your skin and even better to yourself,
xx eri