6 Important Reasons To Clean Your Brushes
If You Are Using Makeup Brushes Daily, Or Even Every So Often, You Need To Keep Them Clean.
It Is Very Un-hygienic To Not Clean Your Brushes
Makeup Brushes Accumulate Bacteria When They Are Not Cleaned
Over time, as brushes are used, they are picking up bacteria and face oils that naturally sit on our skin and in our products. Bearing this in mind, you need to be mindful of how old the products you are using are. As a quick reference point, take a look at the packaging, and you will notice a picture of a jar with a number in it, which represents how long the makeup is good for once opened.
If you do not take the time to give your brushes a fortnightly clean, then the bacteria is just going to manifest and keep growing.
This will lead to problems with your skin and, of course, cross-contaminating makeup. Dirty brushes can lead to skin infections.
2. A Dirty Brush Is Much More Likely To Irritate Your Skin
As makeup accumulates in the bristles and dries, the brush will start to feel rough on the skin. You will begin to notice that your makeup is not applying very well and doesn’t look great.
This may be an extreme example, but think of how a paintbrush turns out when you do not rinse through the residue of the paint from the bristles. It turns tough and practically solid. Well, after time, this is what happens to our makeup brushes when we do not clean off the residue makeup.
As the bristles become dry and rough, they may start causing your skin to be irritated.
3. Clogged Pores And Blemishes
Have you ever noticed you are getting more spots and blemishes compared to what you used to in the past?
Of course, there could be multiple reasons why spots are occurring but one of the factors could be dirty brushes especially if you have never cleaned them so try it out and see if it makes a difference.
4. Dirty Brushes Make It Difficult To Achieve Your Desired Makeup Look
Have you ever noticed how lovely your makeup applies when you first buy a new brush, particularly a foundation brush? You get a nice smooth application that blends beautifully but as time goes on you notice your foundation is starting to look streaky and does not blend as nicely into the skin.
Spoiler Alert!
This is where you are not cleaning off the residue makeup that is building and building on the brush causing an uneven application. Clean your brushes often and you will notice a massive difference in the way your makeup applies and looks.
5. Dirty Brushes Can Contaminate Your Makeup
The last thing you want is to have a dirty eye brush anywhere near your eyes as you are at risk of causing an eye infection. If this happens you need to throw away every single product and brush that has ever gone near your eyes so you do not risk spreading the infection further through your makeup bag.
If you have been using a dirty brush on multiple items of makeup you will be unknowingly cross-contaminating all of your makeup and spreading bacteria, germs and worst-case scenario infections.
6. Cleaning Brushes Will Help Them Last Longer
If you take the time to care for your brushes they will last a very long time.
You will find yourself having to replace the brushes every few months as the bristles may splay. The condition of the bristles will be terrible, you may find them starting to fall apart and look very sorry for themselves.
I have had brushes for years that have so far stood the test of time.
Step-By-Step On How To Clean Your Brushes
To give your brushes a deep clean I recommend first taking a cleansing oil and adding a pump to the palm of your hand. Swirl your brush into the oil and squeeze out the bristles to disturb the build-up of makeup.
Rinse the bristles in warm water, being careful not to get the ferrule (metal part) wet, over time water will break down the glue and loosen the brush.
Pump a brush cleaner, or an antibacterial hand wash, into the palm of your hand and swirl the brush again which will pick up any excess makeup in the bristles.
Rinse again in warm water until it runs clear. If there is still makeup coming out repeat step 3.
Gently squeeze the bristles to get rid of the excess water.
Reshape the brush and lay it flat on a towel to allow the bristles to dry. This can take up to 48 hours.
To clean the remainder of the brush, use 70% rubbing alcohol, decanted into a spray bottle, and spritz the handle. Wipe clean with a tissue.
Depending on how often you use your brushes, aim to deep clean them once every two weeks. In between washes, you can use 70% alcohol rubbing spray to clean the bacteria and pigment build-up. Spray onto a tissue and swirl the bristles until the makeup comes out, the brush will dry within 60 seconds and will be ready to be used again.
