What makeup product should you throw away after having a cold?

Parting with makeup is never easy.

And then again, neither is having a cold. Doing both simultaneously is probably one of the most upsetting things a gal can deal with in her sad little life. And yet, here we are, considering throwing away all those products that may contain flu-based germs and cause us to get sick again and again. A true modern tragedy. While many health experts suggest getting rid of most of your makeup products after going through a period of sickness, we're going to go ahead and assume that pretty much nobody does that. Makeup is expensive and there's no way that we're going to throw every product we used while unwell away. There is, however, one product that is apparently the worst offender when it comes to re-introducing those sick bacteria when you're finally healthy again - lip products. Lipsticks, lip liners, lip glosses, lip creams - you name it, if you put it on your lips while you were sick, it probably has to go. That's according to Morgan Statt, a health and safety investigator for ConsumerSafety.org, anyway. She recently told the Independent that you should "absolutely" dispose of any products that come into contact with your lips while you're sick. “Your lip linings are a natural gateway to your respiratory tract which puts you at an additional risk of infection and illness," she said. Eileen Schneider, a medical epidemiologist, told Allure something similar a few year back. She said that bad bacteria like to live on makeup for a long time. She said:

"Respiratory viruses can survive on environmental surfaces for varying amounts of time, depending on the virus and environmental conditions. "If a person is ill with a cold, they should limit close contact and not share these items with people. This will help to limit transmission of the respiratory virus."

However, if you don't want to throw these products out (because, honestly, who would?), there are other options. Cutting the top off a lipstick can remove the infected area entirely, just as wiping a top layer off with tissue and disinfecting the tube with rubbing alcohol can. However, Statt said that there was no better way to ensure you don't get sick again than just dumping the lot - and your eye makeup too, while you're at it. We'll have to have a think about that one...