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Get MORE from your products by knowing how to store them!

16 August, 2017 - 07:57pm by - First Lady | 28 Comments

Poll posted by BR Natalie

A few years ago we published this article on Product expiration dates.  It's one of our most-read articles to date.  From the comments we received it seems we were pretty even-stevens on those who follow the expiry dates and those who didn't. 

One way to ensure you get the most out of your beauty products is to store them correctly - exposure to air, light, temperature changes and moisture can all shorten the life span of our products.  The biggest and easiest change you can make to your beauty storage is to follow one simple rule.  

Now.  Repeat the golden rule of beauty product storage after me:

Bathrooms are not for beauty products.  

The humidity and constant temperature changes alone do not a stable environment make.  And what do product formulas need to stay tip-top?  Stability.  

1.  Beauty products do not like moisture.

Now don't get us wrong - we want our products to be moisturising.  We don't want them to be impacted by excess moisture.  Not only does unwanted moisture change a product's consistency, it also increases the likelihood of bacteria growing.

Your pot of eye cream?  Well firstly, pots are the least sanitary dispensing format, but when kept in a bathroom the probability of icky bacteria breeding increases.  

Do your powder products seem to get cakey quickly?  Add moisture to powder and what do you get?  Cake.  Powder products absolutely should not be kept in the bathroom.  EVER.

Even 'bathroom' products shouldn't really be kept in the moist bathroom area.  Take those salt and sugar scrubs we're all addicted too.  Add more moisture and what happens?  The key ingredients dissolve!  Ergo.  A less scrubby scrub.

 

2.  Nor do products like temperature changes.

Take your favourite anti-ageing moisturiser for example.  All of those powerful active ingredients need a stable environment, rises and falls in temperature will compromise the actives and if don't take care of your actives and they won't be active anymore!  

Now your everyday hair care and body washes, thing you're using often, can stay in the shower, but products you're using less often,like a hair masque, or intensive body lotion, should be kept somewhere cool - changes in temperature can impact the emulsion of the product.

Oils, oil based products, silicone based primers and liquid foundations should most definitely be stored in a consistently cool place. Think inside a cupboard, but not near an external wall.  Why?  Well changes in temperature  dry products out, and cause the oils to split in the formula. 

 

3. Nor do products like light. 

So forget arranging your collection neatly on your dressing table and put it in a drawer.  And look - for once I'm leading by example.  In these drawers hides my makeup.  

Clear containers, especially for things like eyeshadows, lipsticks and other products where shade is important, are frankly the worst packaging fail ever.  The UV rays of sunlight will over time change the pigment.

Products containing UV protection / SPF, should absolutely be kept in the dark. Why?  Well the bit that protects you, the UVA absorbers, work regardless of whether the product is applied to your skin.  So basically, if SPF is exposed to sunlight, it will absorb the energy, using up the protection factors in the product.

4. Fragrance and Paraben and preservative free products will last longer if you store them in the fridge.

If you're buying products sans preservative, or tend to buy a lot of 'natural' products, remember they have a shelf life a lot shorter than usual - so not only do these need to be out of the bathroom, you'll want to put them somewhere where they'll last longer.  The fridge!

Fragrance will also last longer in the fridge - those hundreds of specially chosen ingredients in every bottle are so susceptable to light and temperature, the best place for it is somewhere cold and dark.

You can also keep things like lipsticks and balm products in the fridge during the summer months to maintain their consistency; and some products like eye cream can also be kept in the fridge for a better performance - the coolness constricts blood vessels, reducing puffiness.  It's the same with anti-redness products!

image: BR member Amyxxoo

Remember - only when stored correctly will a product actually make it to its expiration date.  So do yourself a favour and stop using your bathroom to store your cosmetics, skin care and fragrance.

So - where do you keep your beauty products?  Do you throw caution to the wind and have your pretties on display in the bathroom, or are they safely tucked in a drawer, fridge or cupboard?  Get chatting below!

Comments

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17th August, 2017

I store all of mine in a large drawer in our bathroom...I have the whole drawer to myself. I hope that because it's closed most of the time it keeps everything pretty stable...

17th August, 2017

I store mine in drawers...in the bathroom mostly.

17th August, 2017

I'm pretty good when it comes to storage. I'm used to living with a lot of people so sharing a bathroom so I only keep things that I'll use in the shower consistently in the shower so like my cleanser that I use nightly in the shower, soap and stuff like that. Shampoo and conditioner goes under the sink since it's only used twice a week. Micellar water, oil cleansers, eye makeup remover, etc goes behind the mirror in the bathroom. The rest of the stuff goes in my room. I'll take my body butter or body oil in the shower with me in the evening when I shower as well as my toner and take it back to my room afterwards. Serums, creams, facial oils are stored in their respective boxes in a basket on my table just out of where the sun's streaming rays can hit them in the afternoon. Makeup and perfume goes in my dresser drawers along with masks and things I don't use everyday. Anything that's unopened and waiting to get used gets stored in a box in the cupboard. The only items the sun's rays regularly touch are a balm and a couple of non-spf hand creams sitting on the end of my laptop/beauty table because the other end has my skincare. But I don't mind if my hand creams don't have as many antioxidants as my serums and facial oils. Oh and I think I have a Lush face mask in the fridge but that's the only beauty item I have stored in there and I'm planning on using it till it's used up expired or not.

17th August, 2017

My dream is one day to be rich enough to have a walk in fridge where I'll store my makeup/perfumes and set up my makeup battle station. One day!

17th August, 2017

Omgsh, I keep EVERYTHING in my bathroom..I make my goodies a part of the decor! Hmmmm, seems I better sort that issue out quick smart! Great article, thanks BR Babes!

17th August, 2017

Right, erm, I need to go re-organize some things then. Our place is quite small though, so I'm really not sure where else I'll be able to store my make up.

17th August, 2017

I have a cupboard in the hall next to the bathroom where I store extra products and only have my daily products in the bathroom.

17th August, 2017

My Lush scrubs in the shower probably need taking out of there. I been thinking of buying the clear acrylic lipstick stand because I'm not happy with them being in a drawer.

16th August, 2017

Great reminder. I store my products in drawers that aren't clear but nay acrylic clear drawers and fragrances are stored in my walk in drobe however I do make the mistake of having my daily skincare in my ensuite that and my haircare but overstock are in my drobe

16th August, 2017

I love displaying all my products on my drawer, they look good and i like to be organised.

16th August, 2017

Lol I can honestly say I have stuff everywhere....oops

16th August, 2017

Oh gosh I have some in the bathroom some in the bedroom...time for a tidy up and change hahaha

16th August, 2017

Mine are almost all in my bedroom which is very sunny and hot in summer. Some are on the duchess but the rest are scattered through a couple of drawers very untidily. I need an expert to fix it.

SooziesWorld
17th August, 2017

Me too! Every room of my house, to be exact lol.

Erikka
29th August, 2017

I got one of the lipstick holders from Kmart - mine has areas for glosses and an area where you can put other misc things (I put other personal care items I use every day, deodorant, a small lotion and hair product).

SooziesWorld
17th August, 2017

That sounds a bit chilly lol.

Charmmy-Kitty
17th August, 2017

Hmmm yea might not have thought that through super well. Maybe I'll keep it at like 10 degrees or something like that.

MAGPIEFI
21st August, 2017

Yep like a humidity room :) Could also store wine in there as well x

Charmmy-Kitty
21st August, 2017

Oh perfect! I might be too tempted to do my makeup while drunk though ;)

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