How bad is it?

[Teaching3bears]

To put your finger directly into your facial moisturizer instead of using cotton or a q-tip?  

I just find with that one extra step I am too lazy to put the moisturizer on many nights.  Still, I was always led to believe that touching the moisturizer directly is a huge faux-pas that can lead to bacterial contamination.

[Melissa in Australia]

What, are we not meant to use our finger. 

[Garga]

I’ve never heard of that! I’ve been putting my fingers in the moisturizer for years and years—decades. So far, I haven’t had any trouble. 

[Ali in OR]

This is soooooo far down on the list of things to worry about. I have the big tub of Eucerin cream that lasts more than a year for my face moisturizer and I only use my fingers to scoop it out. No problems here.

[Jean in Newcastle]

If you are the only one using the moisturizer, why would you be worried about your own germs?  I assume that you wash your hands after using the toilet and handling raw foods etc. so you shouldn't have any particularly nasty germs. 

[alisoncooks]

I know beautypedia ranks products lower if they aren't in a pump or something. Apparently touching the product can intro bacteria. 

Whatever. Just wash your hands prior to using it. It'll likely be fine. 

Edited April 20, 2021 by alisoncooks

[KungFuPanda]

It's my moisturizer that I share with nobody, and since I just washed my face, my hands got clean in the process.  I would not add a step to this.  I feel like I'm going above and beyond if I remember to wash my face at night.  Is this going to be like that time you guys told me I'm supposed to be washing my washing machine?????

Edited April 20, 2021 by KungFuPanda

[Bootsie]

For most commercially prepared moisturizers that you will use in a relatively reasonable time period, I think it is fine.  I think homemade moisturizers can be more tricky and have a much shorter shelf life.  I do make sure, however, to be careful, however, with eye creams, gels, moisturizers, and eye drops not to dispense onto my finer or directly into my eye because eye infections can be serious.  

[HeartString]

That would just generate more trash and I already feel guilty about all the disposable stuff and plastics that go into my beauty (such as it is) and hygiene routine.  I'm going to stick with using my hands.

[SKL]

This is a whole new idea for me.  I have never used anything other than my hands to spread stuff on my skin.  😛

[Farrar]

I put that sort of stuff on when I'm right out of the shower. My hands don't get cleaner than that.

[fraidycat]

The only time I've ever seen anybody use a special spatula or other item to scoop product is in a professional setting. Even my own sister, an esthetician, uses her clean fingers in her own products at home rather than wasting disposable scoops or having to wash/sterilize non-disposable ones.

[wathe]

I've heard this advice for people with severe eczema that's chronically infected, and for people who are MRSA carriers who are under treatment - to avoid re-infection.  For people without any special medical reasons, I don't think I'd bother.  I mean, I actually don't bother.  I stick my finger in the tub of cream and don't think twice about it.

[Pawz4me]

I use a clean kitchen spoon to scoop out moisturizer from a large tub (like the CeraVe or Eucerin ones). I put a few spoonfuls into a small, reusable container. When that's all gone I can wash the smaller container and scoop some more into it. That way I'm not continually dipping fingers into a large tub. But I doubt that it really makes any difference.

[Innisfree]

7 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

This is soooooo far down on the list of things to worry about. I have the big tub of Eucerin cream that lasts more than a year for my face moisturizer and I only use my fingers to scoop it out. No problems here.

This is me, exactly. Right before bed, not even right after washing my hands. Never even occurred to me to worry.

Oh, eta I'm just putting it on my hands. Don't know if that matters though...

5 hours ago, wathe said:

I've heard this advice for people with severe eczema that's chronically infected, and for people who are MRSA carriers who are under treatment - to avoid re-infection.  

This makes sense, though!

Edited April 20, 2021 by Innisfree

[math teacher]

Always use my finger for moisturizing my face. Also to apply my psoriasis cream.

[LuvToRead]

Most moisturizers have preservatives in them so using your fingers is no big deal.   It is only an issue if you are using a homemade moisturizer or one that doesn't have any preservatives.  Plus I am assuming your hands were clean.

[marbel]

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

I use a clean kitchen spoon to scoop out moisturizer from a large tub (like the CeraVe or Eucerin ones). I put a few spoonfuls into a small, reusable container. When that's all gone I can wash the smaller container and scoop some more into it. That way I'm not continually dipping fingers into a large tub. But I doubt that it really makes any difference.

This is what I do too. Anytime you stick  your finger into a substance there is a chance of contaminating it. A very small chance with clean hands, of course, and almost certainly nothing to worry about. But with large containers (such as the Cetaphil I buy at Costco in a big tub), it makes sense to me to scoop from the larger jar into  a smaller one with a utensil, and then just dip my fingers into the smaller container. It's not a big deal to do it. Plus, since I keep the moisturizer on my bed side table, the smaller container fits better anyway.  

 

[Katy]

I’ve been experimenting with an airless pump and have decided I’m going back to fingers.  I can never get the right amount of product, which led to far more breakouts than using my fingers. 

[Kanin]

Oh wow. That never crossed my mind, either. Most of the time I'm too lazy to even use moisturizer, but when I do... fingers!