How to Sanitize Your Mascara

Last Updated: February 6, 2020

Had the same mascara on the go for a while? Worried about it being unhygienic or gummed up at this point? Here's a way to sanitize your mascara wand/spoolie.

Steps

1
Apply rubbing alcohol (70%) to a sheet of paper towel (also known as kitchen roll). The fibers of the paper towel are strong even when saturated and will withstand being swiped with the mascara wand/spoolie. .
- Tissues are not suitable to use for this method, as, once saturated, the tissue will tear and the loose fibres will cling to the mascara wand/spoolie.
- Standard rubbing alcohol solution should be 70% alcohol (isopropanol) by volume. One might be tempted to go for a more concentrated alcohol solution such as a 90% or 99%, thinking that it will have stronger antibacterial properties, but that is incorrect. Alcohol itself is not an effective antibacterial agent, but when properly allowed to evaporate, it has an antibacterial effect because it dries out the bacterial cells, causing them to die.
- 70% alcohol is about as optimally concentrated as the solution can get and still penetrate the bacterial cell wall/membrane. If the alcohol is too concentrated, the cell wall hardens almost like a nutshell and keeps the alcohol from getting inside, which increases the time necessary to dry out the cell to kill it.
2
Apply the first coat of mascara to your lashes.

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3
Swipe the mascara wand through the alcohol-saturated paper towel.
4
Allow the wand to dry for a minute or two before replacing it in the mascara tube. When allowed to adequately dry out after application, rubbing alcohol may be an effective antibacterial step to help control bacterial growth on the spoolie before it is replaced in the mascara tube. Hypothetically, this should be an effective way to help minimize the spread of eye infections such as conjunctivitis (pink eye) that are caused by sharing mascara.
- The important component to highlight however is that if rubbing alcohol is used to help control bacteria, that it will only work if the surface/brush/etc has been allowed to adequately dry after application of the alcohol (which should only take 1 to several minutes).
5
Repeat the process after each application of mascara to your lashes.
6
Remember that cleaning is no replacement for using fairly fresh, bacteria-free cosmetics. The best practice is to only use relatively fresh mascara and never share it or other cosmetics applied near mucous membranes. Keep in mind that a bad eye infection can cost a much, much more than several new tubes of mascara.

Community Q&A

Question

Is it okay to put mascara on top of my top lashes near the eyelid?

Community Answer

Yes, that is okay. It will make your eyelashes look fuller.

Warnings

Any concentration of alcohol above 50% is flammable, including rubbing alcohol. Be very careful when handling alcohol solutions. A spark from a hairdryer or a small ember from a hair iron could cause a serious fire. It would also be best to minimize skin contact with the alcohol as it may strip natural oils from the skin and leave it very dry and chapped.

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