Our female readers (and a select few of our male readers) are probably well familiar with the mascara dilemma – no matter how expensive a brand you buy, it dries out well before the tube is used up. This isn’t due to manufacturers trying to suck up more of your cosmetics dollars… well, not entirely, anyway.

Of all the cosmetics used, mascara probably provides the most prolific breeding ground for bacteria. Mascara wands frequently touch the inner portion of our eyelids as we apply the product, and it picks up germs from the mucous membranes. When you replace the wand in the container, a certain amount of air goes in with it (more if you’re one of those who “pumps” the wand to mix the product), and the bacteria are then free to wantonly reproduce. Since a mascara wand is used in such close proximity to the eyeball, it’s not unusual to accidentally poke or scratch the eye, which provides an excellent opportunity for those germs to move in for the attack. Manufacturers and doctors both recommend you throw away a tube of mascara after three months, but fortunately – since few of us follow that directive – the product usually begins drying up after that amount of time anyway, so that it can’t be used any longer.

Never share mascara with anyone, and never use saliva to revitalize dried-up product – that only adds more germs to the equation.