Prep Your Body for Flu Season

We’re heading into the cold and flu season, and these vicious viral infections spread easily among family and friends. Supplements, sleep, and hygiene all help your body avoid the flu, but did you ever think about the impact of your beauty routine? Germs can easily travel from products to your face in a stroke of a brush. Hygienic makeup practices are important year-round, but remember these guidelines to keep your body and your beauty routine extra healthy this time of the year.

1. Keep Hands Clean

Your hands are certainly one of your most important beauty tools, but they’re also the source of most viral infections. Doorknobs, drawer pulls, and hand rails are all teeming with bacteria—you touch the equivalent of at least 100 other hands upon contact. While it’s true your body holds more than 50,000 harmless bacteria per square inch, be mindful of those extra microbes you don’t want hanging around. A purse-sized hand sanitizer is a lifesaver in sink-scarce situations.

We Recommend:

Bath and Body Works PocketBac Sanitizing Hand Gel in Apple

2. Brush It Off

Brushes have the ability to trap a surprisingly large amount of airborne bacteria, so it’s a wonder why some Beauties go weeks or even months without giving them a proper rinse. Soak brushes thoroughly at least once a week and make sure to rinse and dry them well, otherwise bacteria or mold can develop at the ferrule of the brush.

We Recommend:

Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Liquid Soap

3. Keep It to Yourself

We don’t recommend sharing makeup in most circumstances, but we forbid it during flu season! Makeup is already contaminated by its owner as soon as it oxidizes. When you expose yourself to bacteria from your friend’s makeup, germs get an immediate passport to your face. Bacteria from the flu virus can infect quicker than you can say “Can I borrow that?” Don’t risk it!

4. Bathe and Restore

There's nothing like luxury in the bathroom, but it's a major win-win if your pampering essentials help your body on the inside as well. Bath products infused with eucalyptus or tea tree oil are especially beneficial for your skin and nasal cavities because they open both your sinuses and your pores when heat-released with steam, releasing all the yucky stuff you want out of your body. Trickle in a few drops of these essential oils or drop in a menthol-scented shower bomb for a refreshing and healthy beauty indulgence.

We Recommend:

Level Naturals Shower Bomb

This article was originally published on October 14, 2011