Here’s How Often You Should Clean Your Makeup Brushes And Why

Photo c/o @nanciemwai

Think of brush cleaning as an essential part of your beauty routine. You should take care of your makeup brushes and tools just as you would care for your skin. Don’t freak out. Cleaning your makeup brushes doesn’t have to be a tricky or time-consuming process. With a combination of easy tricks and genius products, even the laziest of lazes can wash their tools with ease.

The main reason it’s so important to keep your makeup brushes clean is that it’s hygienic. As simple as that. Dirty makeup brushes are loaded with oily makeup residue, dead skin cells, and bacteria. These are not a good combination if you’re looking to avoid breakouts and have healthy skin.

If you’re a makeup artist or just someone who wears a significant amount of makeup regularly, we suggest that you clean your makeup brushes after every use. If you wash your makeup brushes correctly and care for them, the bristles should not dry out, the glue should not be loosened and your makeup brushes should last you for a while.

The best way to clean your brushes is to slightly dampen the bristles with lukewarm water, squeeze out the excess and then apply a proper makeup brush cleanser to the brush head. However, if you don’t have a brush cleaner you can use dishwashing soap or shampoo mixed with some olive oil which is just as great.

Face Brushes

These are the brushes that you should be wary of as they’re the biggest culprits of transferring bacteria to your face. Therefore, brushes that are used on the face should be thoroughly washed once a week to avoid bacteria build-up that may cause acne and skin irritation.

Eye Brushes

Just as you are careful with your face brushes, you have to be equally careful with your eye-shadow brushes. Your eyes are very sensitive. You don’t want to play around with them and any possible eye infections you could get.

To ensure this doesn’t happen, gently rub off any products left on the brushes after every use on a paper towel. This minimizes product build-up. After two weeks go ahead and wash your brushes the same way you would your face brushes.

Photo c/o @nanciemwai

Makeup Tools

Beauty blenders and sponges are a staple in almost every woman’s makeup bag which is pretty awesome. However, if they’re not washed, cleaned and dried well they can acquire lots of bacteria which are harmful to your skin.

The best ways to wash them thoroughly is first, to soak them in warm water with the soap or cleansing liquid of your choice. You’ll then gently squeeze out the liquid till the water runs dry. Be gentle with the squeezing as you don’t want to damage your sponge. Lay it out to dry on a paper towel while occasionally turning it to get all sides dry.

If you’ve noticed that all the wetting, scrubbing, and squeezing has altered the shape of your brush bristles, you’ll need to reshape them before setting them out to dry. Use the palm of your hand and your fingers to shape the wet brush hairs back to their original form. Once they’re completely dry, run the bristles over your hand to gently loosen the shape. Your brushes should look brand new.

Now that you’re in the know, how often will you be washing your makeup brushes?