How To Clean Your Makeup Brushes The Right Way
Yea, this is one of the chores people really like to put off. However, it really isn’t in your best interest. Did you know that a 2016 study found that 100% of skin and eye products are contaminated with bacteria? This includes everything, from fungus to yeast. Yay! But it wasn’t only found on the products, a big part was also on makeup brushes. So, what’s the takeaway? It’s very important to know how to clean your brushes properly in order to minimize contamination, bacteria and virus spreading and save your makeup looks from looking crusty. So, let’s see what the right way to clean your makeup brushes, how often you should wash them and why.
It’s very important to know how to clean your brushes properly
What Happens if You Don’t Wash Your Makeup Brushes?
There are a lot of unpleasant things that can result of not cleaning your makeup brushes. Some may not be so scary, while others can cause long term damage to your skin (yep, that’s right). And the longer you leave them dirty, the more problems are cause. Here are some issues that can occur from dirty brushes:
There are a lot of unpleasant things that can result of not cleaning your makeup brushes
- Bad Makeup Application: One of the less serious issues. Your makeup application will be much poorer if your brushes are harboring weeks of powders, creams and so on.
- Loss of Lashes: Using a dirty eyelash curler with weeks worth of mascara on it, is bound to take a few lashes with it when you use it.
- Ruined Brushes: By neglecting the cleanliness of your brushes, you are making them more prone to damage. Makeup residue does way down on them, and it can cause them to weaken and break.
- Long Term Skin Issues: Using dirty brushes often can lead to premature wrinkles. This is because the skin gets stressed out from all the dirt and bacteria and will start to lose collagen and elastin.
- Breakouts: If you’re in the mood for constant breakouts, dirty pores with blackheads and scarring, then just continue using dirty brushes.
- Infections and Viruses: Using dirty brushes can lead to some serious problems. Besides clogged pores, you can get skin irritation (from redness to bumps and flakes), skin infections like impetigo (weeping, red, crusty skin patches), viruses (like herpes, if you are sharing brushes) and eye infections (such as pink eye).
You can get some serious skin issues from using dirty brushes
How Often Should You Wash Your Makeup Brushes?
Okay, so while you don’t need to clean your brushes on the daily (phew), there are some general-recommended guidelines when it comes to how often you should wash your brushes. However, it really depends on how often you use them and what you use them for. Technically, you can wash them once a month (but it really isn’t recommended). Here are some general guidelines to help you.
There are some recommended guidelines on how often you should wash your brushes
- For brushes that you use regularly and use for foundations and concealers – once a week.
- For brushes that you use for powdered makeup, such as eyeshadows and blush – once every two weeks.
- Makeup sponges – once a week.
Different brushes need different washing schedules
How To Clean Your Makeup Brushes
Now that you know how often you should clean your makeup brushes and why, let’s dive into how to clean them. The process really isn’t too tedious, actually dare we say, it’s pretty simple, and it’s very much worth it. So, let’s see what you have to do.
The process is pretty simple, and it’s very much worth it
What You’ll Need:
- Your dirty makeup brushes
- A bowl or glass
- Gentle shampoo
- Silicone Cleaning Mat (optional)
- Makeup brush cleaner (optional)
Cleaning Steps:
- Take some gentle shampoo (or makeup cleaner) and squeeze a dollop into the bowl or glass. Fill the dish with warm water.
- Take your brushes and swirl them in the water.
- Gently massage the brushes bristles to help remove the gunk away. You can use a silicone cleaning mat if you have one.
- Rinse the brushes with some clean water and very gently squeeze out any remaining water.
- Leave the brush somewhere flat to air dry.
Clean brushes leave you with a happy face
This was how to clean your makeup brushes the right way. We hope you found this article useful. Now you know how often to clean your brushes and how to effectively get all the gunk out. Your face and makeup looks will thank you for the effort, trust us!
Cleaning your brushes is a chore you shouldn’t skip
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