How and why you should clean your makeup brushes

Despite how tedious cleaning your makeup tools might be, you’ll have to schedule in time to do it if you want to protect your skin from the harmful bacteria that lingers on them. It’s best to start thinking of brush cleaning as an essential part of your beauty routine.

Dirty makeup brushes can wreak havoc with your skin

Daily use accumulates sebum, impurities, pollution, dust, product buildup and dead skin cells that can include harmful bacteria. This can cause much more damage than just a simple breakout or skin irritation.

Clean brushes give you a better finish

Your brushes are dipped into a slew of liquid, cream, and powder products daily, making it harder for the bristles to move freely and seamlessly for each makeup look. Not cleaning regularly affects the quality of your makeup application and blending products. Even if you’ve invested in the best makeup brushes, if they're dirty and full of product buildup, you will not get the results you want. 

Your brushes will last longer

Good brushes are not cheap and keeping them clean will increase their longevity.

How often should you be cleaning your makeup brushes?

There's no one answer for when exactly when you must clean makeup brushes, but makeup artists and dermatologists generally agree that the answer is often! Legendary makeup artist Bobbi Brown chooses to wash her brushes once a week. Because these brushes are used on your face, the cleaner they are the better, she says. She's a little more lenient with eye shadow and liner brushes, however. "Brushes that are used around the eyes should be cleaned at least twice a month," she says.

How to clean your makeup brushes

The best and most thorough method for cleaning your tools requires water and either a gentle soap, shampoo, or brush cleanser. For brushes with a lot of residual products, add a few drops of olive oil to help break down or melt away any stubborn grime before washing them with soap.

1.    Place a drop of your cleanser of choice into the palm of your clean hand.
2.    Gently massage the tips of the bristles in your palm and then rinse the bristles thoroughly.
3.    Squeeze out the excess moisture with a clean towel.
4.    Re-form the brush head back into its original shape and allow the brushes to dry flat over a counter or on a clean surface.

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