Washing Brushes Is More Crucial Than You Thought: Here’s How Often You Should Do It

Skin CareOctober 23, 2020

How often do you wash your makeup brushes? Although it may not seem like it, this task is crucial not just for the beauty tools’ integrity but for our skin as well.

This is one of the biggest mistakes of beauty junkies, which could lead to serious effects. Celebrity makeup artist Jillian Dempsey, whose clients range from Emilia Clarke to Julia Roberts, explained that brushes could harbor oil, dead skin cells, and bacteria that could put you at risk of getting E. Coli and staph.

Moreover, these gross things could lead to breakouts and clogged pores. Leaving brushes, whether cleaned or not, in bad form can also affect their performance.

How Often Should You Do It

Washing brushes has always been advocated by beauty experts who know what is lurking behind the colorful bristles. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who have never even cleaned their tools!

Trismegist San/Shutterstock If you don’t have a mat, your palm may help you clean your brushes

Elizabeth Tanzi, George Washington University Medical Center department of dermatology associate professor, advises washing your set of brushes at least once a month and if you can, clean it every week.

Opt for a day in a week when you don’t have much to do. It will only take a few minutes of your time so there’s no excuse.

However, for brushes that you use on wet products like concealer or foundation, you may want to wash them after every use. This is also applicable to Beautyblenders and makeup sponges.

How To Do It

If you can’t find the time to do a lot of scrubbing, you can use spray brush cleaners that are widely available in the market. You can also use liquid or bar soap and shampoo with warm water to excrete the dirt and oil from the tool.

GillianVann/Shutterstock You can use a mat to clean brushes

Massage the bristles in your palm or on the mat and make sure that it suds. You’ll notice that the foam’s color will change into gray or brown – the remaining cosmetics!

Rinse the bristles and slowly squeeze out the water with a towel or handkerchief. The next step is important: shape the hair to the desired form so that the brush retains its shape when it gets dry.

Drying Process

How you position your brush after washing is quite essential, too, if you want your tools to live longer. Never put wet brushes standing up in a glass or container because water will seep into the metal that holds the strands and the handle, which is called the ferrule.

Junjira Limcharoen/Shutterstock Brushes and sponges used in liquid cosmetics should be cleaned after use

If water penetrates the ferrule, it could soften the glue binding the bristles and the handle and therefore damage the tool. As such, point your wet brushes downward.