Cleaning your makeup brushes can seem like hard work and lots of effort so many just leave them caked in makeup and can not even remember when they last washed them.
Your dirty makeup brushes will be full of layers of oil from your skin mixed with pigments and dead skin cells. This makes them a place for lots of bacteria to grow. It can be the cause of your spots and rashes. The daily use of dirty brushes consequences in breakouts, congestion and skin irritation or even infections (in extreme cases).
Not cleaning your makeup brushes also can affect your makeup outcome. It can mean your makeup will not blend evenly and old product excess can go onto your skin. Unclean brushes are the ultimate sin and virus-spreader including cold sores and conjunctivitis.
Dirt on brushes may also speed up ageing, there is not a published study to confirm but in theory dirty brushes can contribute to collagen and elastin breakdown and oxidate skin stress, these are all factors of ageing.
A study in the UK showed that 72% of women never wash their brushes or sponges. Make sure you wash your brushes at least every week.
Synthetic brushes are the low maintenance choice of brush, they are easy to clean and are long-lasting. You can even get antibacterial protection brushes! Natural bristles are the ones that can be more high maintenance, they can lose their shape and become useless when not washes, as the bristles get dirty it makes blending harder for them leaving your makeup patchy.
Store brushes in a cool, dry place preferably in their own bag. It is important to avoid warm, damp bathrooms where bacteria will grow.
How to clean your brushes…
- Do one brush at a time.
- Take a brush and rinse under lukewarm water.
- Take a small amount of a gentle cleanser, shampoo or makeup brush cleaner and coat the brush in this cleanser. Try using gentle circle motions on the palm of your hand with the brush in the cleanser to get every bristle.
- Once you have applied the cleaning product, rinse under lukewarm water, remember to squeeze the bristles when doing so to get all the cleaner out. Repeat with extra use of product to get all of the dirt off. Do this until the brush looks clean and the cleaner is coming out clean (clear)/ no makeup is still coming off.
- Once fully cleaned squeeze all water out of the brush head and reshape into its natural shape.
- Carry the brush upside down so the bristles are facing the floor to air dry, it is important to do this because then the water does not do into the brush handle and loosen the brush head. It also will stop bristles falling out.
