As a professional makeup artist, you will have a long list of clients, each with different beauty needs and requirements. Sadly, only a few beauticians and makeup artists work to a high standard. This is more reason why clients keep flocking around them. Looking out for the health and safety of your clients is very important. Practicing a proficient hygienic makeup application is one way to not just attract new clients but also maintain a growing list of loyal clients. Whether it is before, during, or after makeup application, each stage has its own hygienic steps to take.

Proper Hygiene and Infectious Diseases

Moreover, practicing proper hygienic makeup application can also reduce the risk of infectious disease. On the other hand, dirty brushes and makeup tools as well as poor hygiene can cause a wide range of skin infections such as impetigo, conjunctivitis, and ringworm. Poor makeup application hygiene puts your business at the brink of collapse and the lives of your clients at risk.

Common Infections Conditions

Failure to practice proper hygiene as a professional makeup artist can expose you and your clients to the following infectious conditions.

• Bacteria-related conditions: sties, impetigo, conjunctivitis
• Fungi-related conditions: ringworm
• Virus-related conditions: Herpes simplex
• Parasite-related conditions: scabies, head lice

Likewise, there are non-infectious conditions which include acne, vitiligo, and psoriasis, just to name a few.

If you have to deal with clients with any of the above-mentioned conditions, you need to take special care and caution without causing discomfort or hurting the client’s dignity.

Hygiene Tips for Makeup Artists

Maintaining good working practices can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Also, this practice reduces the risk of spreading infections from your makeup and beauty tools to vulnerable skin. No matter the client you want to serve, be sure to observe the following working practices

Before Makeup Application

• Double check to see if the makeup product hasn’t expired. If it has a funny look or smell, dispose of it. Each makeup has its shelf life. If you want to get outstanding results regardless of how many times you have used makeup, store the products properly.
• Do not start a makeup application without washing and drying your hands. Doing this gives clients the notion that you take personal hygiene seriously
• Ask your clients if they suffer any allergies. This question might sound odd and a bit personal, but it’s necessary, so you don’t do anything that may trigger their allergies.

During Makeup Application

• Treat clients with any kind of infection be it skin, eye, or mouth, with extra care and caution. Have  disposable makeup applicators handy. After a successful service delivery, be sure to clean and sanitize your hands before attending to another client or touching your face or any surface.
• If possible, avoid sharing makeup amongst clients. But this is somewhat unavoidable. If you must share your makeup tools, be sure they are properly sanitized. These beauty products can easily transmit infectious diseases from one person to another hence the reason why you should always sanitize them.
• Avoid blowing on your makeup tools. This process sometimes leaves splashes of your saliva and germs on the tools. Just imagine a waiter blowing on your tasty meal at the restaurant, how would you feel?
• If you are handling a large client base simultaneously, use  disposable makeup applicators and disposable sponges on their face. No client will feel comfortable with a used sponge on their face.
• Avoid sharing towels. Use clean towels on clients.

After Makeup Application

• Make sure you sharpen pencils immediately after use. Apart from keeping the lid clean, sharpened pencils mean you don’t have to keep the next client waiting.
• Clean and disinfect all makeup tools. Fortunately, the market is full of effective products designed to kill makeup bacteria and viruses.
• All tools including makeup brushes, tweezers, and scissors should be cleaned before storing or using them on another client. Check the market for the right disinfectant. Even if you haven’t used a particular tool for long, clean it periodically. This gets rid of bacteria lurking around.
• Depending on the kind of service rendered, keep your work environment clean. Remove all rubbish from your work area.

Stay ahead of the competition and make clients feel appreciated by practicing good makeup application hygiene.

What The Professionals Should Know About Hygienic Makeup Applications

Photo by Rashid Sadykov on Unsplash