How Your Beauty Routine Can Keep You Healthy During Flu Season

During cold and flu season, be sure to clean your makeup brushes every day — wash them with any of these DIY cleansers — then lay them on a flat surface so they're ready for the following day. Also, try to store your brushes somewhere other than the bathroom or your bedroom, where you're probably spending the most time when you're sick.

"The most common products likely to be breeding grounds for germs include lip products," says Kashuk. To disinfect lipstick, gloss, or lip balm, we recommend spritzing the applicator or bullet with isopropyl alcohol after each use. Many makeup artists carry cosmetic sanitizer wipes by BeautySoClean in their kits too.

Dr. Ronneberg warns that 59 percent of surfaces in the home can be contaminated with the flu virus: "According to the CDC, the influenza virus can survive on hard surfaces between two and eight hours." This means you should be scheduling twice-daily sanitizing sessions. Cover your brushes if they're kept in the bathroom to keep germs from contaminating your just-cleaned tools, and avoid resting brushes on the counter between use.

Your makeup bag is a cesspool of dirt and bacteria, and it's one item we most commonly forget to clean. "Flu viruses are relatively fragile, so standard cleaning and disinfecting practices are sufficient to remove or kill them," Dr. Ronneberg says. To properly sterilize, the cleaning product should sit on the surface approximately 10 seconds. Or, if your bag is made of cloth, put it in the wash.

Those tips are valuable when it comes to keeping yourself flu free, but what if you end up getting sick? Here are a few suggestions from Dr. Ronneberg and Sonia.

We know fluids are necessary when you're sick, but drinking water can also help with your skin. "Cold and flu medications can strip the skin of moisture, leaving behind dry skin," says Dr. Ronneberg. So in addition to flushing your system, fluids will help keep you moisturized, too.

"Start the day off with a facial exfoliator to remove dead skin; then use a brightening primer to brighten the face," says Kashuk. Try Sonia's Perfecting Brightening Primer ($14). Some exfoliants can irritate dry, raw skin, so try to avoid anything with alpha or beta hydroxy acids, and instead focus on physical exfoliants. Be careful not to be too rough around your more sensitive areas (like your nose).

Moisturizing tissues are always a good purchase, but you'll end up with a dry, itchy nose regardless. Dr. Ronneberg suggests one-percent hydrocortisone cream to help heal your schnoz. If you need to wear makeup, Sonia suggests concealing redness with a green-toned concealer, but be careful not to overload the product on dry, irritated areas.

If you don't feel good but you have to pull yourself out of bed and look presentable (granted, we'd suggest staying away from others if you're contagious), Sonia recommends creating a healthy glow with bronzer and blush, which adds color to normally sallow skin when you're sick. Open up the eye with mascara, and add a bit of gloss in a natural shade to enhance. "Keep the aesthetic natural and soft," says Kashuk.