Brushes are inevitable for makeup or the backbone of your beauty procedure. You use brushes from contouring to highlighting, and from foundation to powder application. Makeup brushes play a key role in your glamorous look by performing every trick of makeup with great perfection.
What if your makeup brushes are dirty and filthy? Certainly, you should not use dirty brushes and look for easy ways to clean makeup brushes. Dermatologists recommend cleaning brushes as the dirty brushes become a house of germs. When you use these makeup brushes for makeup, they can cause irritation or skin disease known as Dermatitis. There are numerous ways to clean brushes, but in this post, you will learn authentic and prescribed ways by dermatologists to clean makeup brushes.
What Dirty Brushes Do to Your Skin
Cosmetics surgeon says if you don’t know the cause of rashes and allergy on skin, check for your makeup brushes. Most of the women don’t care for the cleaning of brushes and use them for months without washing or cleaning. These dirty brushes leave a negative effect on the skin. Germs including bacteria on brushes can cause breakouts, skin diseases, or irritation.
If you use dirty brushes, it can clog your pores with dust, filth, and germs. Again reapplication of makeup provides the breeding ground to germs for causing diseases. Constant use of these dirty brushes means you are applying germs, dust, pollution, dead skin cells, and oil to the skin.
Another major mistake that we make in our daily life is sharing of make brushes. It is health hazardous as sharing of brushes transfers germs from one skin to another. Be careful while using makeup brushes: don’t share them with anyone as it can cause serious infection.
Is it Good to Clean Brushes Weekly?
It is a common question: how often you should clean your brushes: once a week or daily? Well, most dermatologists recommend cleaning makeup brushes at least once a week, especially foundation brushes. As we know, the skin is sensitive to mild changes and brushes come in direct contact with skin so any careless attitude of using brushes can lead to severe damage.
Bobbi Brown, a makeup artist says makeup brushes used for eye areas must be cleaned twice a month. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends cleaning brushes every 7-10 days to prevent the skin from diseases.
If you already have skin diseases like eczema, dirty brushes can make the condition severe. But for normal skin, daily cleaning of makeup brushes is not necessary. Clean makeup brushes will provide better blending and keep skin healthy.
How to Clean Makeup Brushes Effectively
There are different ways to clean different types of brushes in many ways like washing or soaking. You can also use disinfectants like alcohol to sanitize and clean the makeup brushes. Besides water, many cleansers are also available in the market to clean brushes. The choice is yours: either to use water or cleansers.
You can use the following ways for cleaning brushes.
Wash Makeup Brushes with Water
Using water is the most simple and easy method of cleaning brushes and can you can easily do it at home. Hold gently your brush in your hand and allow the water to run from the bristle by keeping it in the sink. Don’t allow the water to enter the barrel it can affect the adhesive joining the brush.
Then add a drop of soap to your palm and swirl the brush until it is covered by froth to remove any kind of pigment or dust. Remove extra water from the brush by gently squeezing it. Run 2-3 times water through the brush and make it free of soap and then dry the brush. You can dry the brush on a paper towel or quick-drying with a fan. Water is an effective way to clean the brushes easily at home with no effort.
Clean Makeup Brushes with Alcohol
You can use alcohol to wipe the brush to make it free of dust and germs. Pour some alcohol into the bowl and dip the brush in the alcohol by keeping in mind not to completely dip the brush. You will observe that color of alcohol changes due to the dirt of the brush. Squeeze the brush on the paper towel.
Again pour some oil into the bowl and repeat the same procedure until the color of alcohol remains the same. Then squeeze and reshape the brush with a hand and dry it. For average makeup users, it is necessary to disinfect the brush once a month. It will keep your skin healthy and can increase the age of bristles.
Clean Makeup Brushes with Cleansers
Cleansers are a quick and easy way to clean makeup brushes. Different cleaners are available in the market to clean the brushes. You can use a spray cleaner for this purpose. Spray the brush with a cleanser and dry it on a towel. Or you can use a liquid cleanser, pour some solution into the bowl. Dip the brush into the solution and gently rub it onto the towel until the brush is free of debris.
Clean Makeup Brush with Olive oil
Using olive oil and dish wash is a cheap and easy method. You can do it easily at home without buying costly cleansers. Mix some olive oil and dish soap in a bowl. First, run the clean water through the brush bristle and then dip it in the mixture. Rub the brush to your palm to remove the dirt.
Perform this procedure several times and dry the brush with a towel. Both the olive oil and dish soap make a good homemade cleanser to clean the makeup brushes. Also, many herbalists and dermatologists recommend using olive oil on the face for the removal of excess makeup. It diminishes the side effects of makeup.
Wash Makeup Sponges
Makeup sponges and blenders are the best tools for applying liquid foundations, concealers, or highlighters. Castro says “the beauty blender should be cleaned after every use”. It is your responsibility to clean them at least after a week. Wet the sponge or blender and dip it in a cleanser or shampoo. Massage the sponge to loose dust or debris, and repeat the process several times to ensure the sponge is perfectly clean. Then dry it as you like.
When you should Replace your Makeup Brushes and Sponges
Gower says, “When your beauty blender is cracking or smelling funky, you should replace it”. The age of brushes depends upon how carefully you use the brushes. If you properly clean them and use them with care, they can last for many years.
But if you observe the hairs of the brush are splitting and the sponge is giving foul-smelling, replace these brushes and sponges with new ones.
Monaco says “every three months you should buy a few new brushes to replace the old ones”. Pay proper attention to the cleaning of brushes to keep skin healthy and also replace the brushes when needed.
So that’s it for my guide on How to clean makeup brushes.
Now I’d like to hear from you.
What did you like the most from today’s post?
Which way of cleaning do you like and you are going to try first.
Let me know by leaving a comment below.