Lipstick is the most common cosmetic product used by girls. Visual observation showed that most girls in our school use lipstick all the time. We know that lipstick tints the complexion, makes it expressive, emphasizes the lip pattern, and serves as a protective agent.
The harms of lipstick
About cheap lipstick would not be worth talking about at all, but still recall that in this case the case is not limited to cosmetic problems: cheap lipstick can be toxic, often contains heavy metal salts and aggressive chemical dyes.
Glittering and shiny, such lipstick may contain substances that release in sunlight so-called atomic oxygen – a strong oxidant, which dramatically accelerates the aging of the skin.
So before you use lipstick, it is necessary, at least in general, to ask about its composition, otherwise instead of pleasure you may get a burning, itching and even inflammation of the skin.
For example, the carmine dye, which is also used in the food industry, quite often causes severe allergic reactions, and lanolin, which has always been used to moisturize the skin, disrupts the stomach and intestines.
Vaseline has long been used to soften the skin, and is considered safe, but it too can cause allergies, and with regular use, it dries out the skin on the lips. As a result, feeling dry, the woman unconsciously begins to paint her lips more and more often, and the circle closes. Many manufacturers may be aware of this, but do not rush to inform consumers, so as not to reduce the demand for lipstick – otherwise where would they put their product?
The ingredients listed above can also cause headaches and nausea, if they regularly, though in minimal quantities, get into the gastrointestinal tract.
Mineral oils – microcrystalline wax and paraffin – are also dangerous. These substances are created on the basis of petroleum products, and can accumulate in the body, affecting the kidneys, liver and lymph nodes – and there are many women who literally do not go out without wearing your favorite lipstick.
Many well-known manufacturers add solid waxes to lipstick to make it thick and not spill. The wax particles are not visible to the naked eye, but from the lipstick they get on your teeth and stick firmly to them, becoming a hiding place for millions of bacteria. The result is more micro-cracks on your teeth and faster tooth decay – and there’s already plenty of cause for it these days.
How to choose lipstick
No one urges you to avoid wearing makeup, but it won’t hurt to brush your teeth more often, especially if you’re using lipstick regularly. Lipstick should try to choose a quality lipstick, which has more natural ingredients, including natural wax.
There are ingredients that go into almost all lipsticks: these are waxes, solid and semi-solid; fats, oils and fat-like products, often derived from petroleum; solvents and hardeners.
A quality lipstick contains natural beeswax, candelilla wax and carnauba wax – their properties are similar.
Beeswax is about 5%, and it binds the other ingredients well, making the lipstick firm and neat. Candelilla wax is added for shine – it is extracted in America from certain species of cacti and can be up to 13%; carnauba wax is extracted in Brazil, from the palm tree, which is called the tree of life there – it retains moisture in the skin well. Lately synthetic products have been used instead of natural waxes, which is why you should study the lipstick’s composition when buying it.
Lipstick Types
Lipstick can be hygienic, photo-protective and colored – translucent and opaque.
Hygienic lipsticks are considered safe – therapeutic and protective; they do not contain dyes, but there are useful additives; they can be recommended even for children, but the composition should still be studied.
Photoprotective lipstick, as its name implies, protects lips from the sun and wind, while softening their thin and delicate skin. By the way, many hygienic lipsticks also contain photoprotective components.
Tinted lipsticks are the most popular: you can find them in the cosmetic bag of women of all ages, at any time and in any country in the world.
Quality lipsticks
The quality of lipstick depends not only on the formulation, but also on the technology of production – as a rule, well-known manufacturers provide this technology.
A good quality lipstick gives an even smear; it is applied to the skin easily and evenly, and stays on it, causing a feeling of softness and silkiness. The smell and taste of such lipstick is pleasant and its surface is smooth; it does not tug or irritate the lips – you can almost not feel it at all; the surface of the lipstick is smooth and evenly colored. Quality lipstick does not melt in the sun and generally reacts little to temperature changes, the rod of the lipstick is strong enough; in storage it is not covered with gray plaque and drips, does not lose flavor and fragrance.
What lipsticks are available
Lipsticks are also divided into nourishing, moisturizing, resistant and ultra-resistant – with the latter you can safely walk around all day.
Nourishing lipstick is topical in winter and generally in cold, windy times, as it contains more fatty ingredients. Before applying it, it is advisable to use a pencil, so your lips are not “blurred.
Moisturizing lipstick makes your lips softer, and contains many natural substances: vegetable oils – avocado, castor, cocoa, sunflower, coconut, extracts of chamomile and other herbs. This lipstick does not stay on the lips for a long time, and it can “stain” – it can leave stains on clothes, which are then difficult to wash. It is usually used in the warm season.
The choice of lipstick texture depends on personal taste, as well as the shape of the lips, clothing and makeup style, appearance features and other factors.
Pearlescent lipsticks are popular again today, as are lacquered lipsticks with a light gloss. You can put glitter on top of red or pink lipstick to make your lips look plump and expressive.
If you don’t want to accentuate the lips, choose a matte lipstick with a low-key color, as this will make your lips look less voluminous.
Choosing the color of lipstick
Makeup artists give more detailed recommendations on the choice of lipstick color – because on the lips it almost always looks different than in the pencil. The skin on your fingertips is similar in color to the skin of your lips, so it’s recommended to apply lipstick from the sample on them.
If your lips are large, choose calm colors: brown, purple, bronze shades; a light lipstick enhances thin lips.
Blondes with blond, almost white hair suit lipsticks in shades of cappuccino, pinkish-purple, or the color of red berries such as raspberries, strawberries, cherries, etc.
Goldilocks should choose coral and peach shades; redheads should wear shades of terracotta and cinnamon.
Brunettes, depending on the color of the eyes and skin, will suit a rich pink, ruby, raspberry red, plum, reddish brown, dark cherry and light pink – here it also depends on the light and time of day.
Any lipstick lasts no more than three years – don’t use it after the expiration date. And don’t forget to remove it from your lips every night – don’t sit down to dinner with lipstick on your lips.
Dangerous carcinogens
The oily film that coats your lips is the very property that interest experts from Germany. Scientists have paid special attention to lip care cosmetics, as lipsticks are quickly absorbed and eaten, resulting in the ingestion of unwanted substances. On average, women apply lipstick and glosses six times a day, which equates to about 57 milligrams of product. The study found harmful substances in nine products – Aromatic Hydrocarbon (Aromatic Hydrocarbon) mineral oils, MOAH for short. These additives are considered dangerous carcinogens and are suspected to cause cancer. The names of the brands of cosmetics containing the hydrocarbons were not disclosed.
“About 0.2 percent of these fragrance compounds were found in the composition. That’s relatively high when you compare it with the results of previous studies about their content in food,” Beate Brauer told the BR broadcasting company. Foods containing three thousand times less mineral oil are forbidden by law. So far, there are no restrictions at EU level regarding the content of this compound in lipstick. Johannes Remmel, State Minister for Consumer Protection in North Rhine-Westphalia, commented: “Such ingredients just shouldn’t be in cosmetics.
Expensive is not always the best
Dangerous mineral oils are hidden in the composition of cosmetics under the names petrolatum, paraffin, vaseline or vaseline oil, microcrystalline wax, ozokerite, ceresin. Back in 2015, representatives of the German Foundation for the Independent Examination of Products and Services Stiftung Warentest called for a rejection of products containing these harmful substances. Aromatic hydrocarbons are available and cheap components, which is why they are included in many well-known face and body creams, hair gels and lipsticks. Scientists have yet to prove whether carcinogenic mineral oils can actually cause cancer.
In February 2014, the German Association for Climate Protection and Nature Conservation (BUND) in cooperation with the portal Codecheck.info confirmed that nearly one in three cosmetic products on the German-speaking market is dangerous for consumers because of harmful chemicals that affect the hormonal system.