What's Lurking in your Makeup Brush?

(2½ minute read)

Do you wear makeup? Do you use makeup brushes? If you answered 'yes' to those two questions, here's another one: how often do you wash your makeup brushes? Dirty makeup brushes can lead to problems with your skin and are, quite frankly, just plain 'icky'.

What's in your makeup brush?

Think about it. Your makeup brushes are being constantly used on your face, your lips and your eyes. This means they pick up all manner of things – the natural oils in your skin, product residues like your moisturiser, as well as dead skin cells. And, if you leave your brushes sitting on your dressing table or bathroom vanity, uncovered, they also pick up general dust and dirt. Those things are bad enough but all of this matter accumulating in your brushes creates the perfect environment for bacteria to grow – that’s right, bacteria! So, if you don’t clean your brushes regularly, you’re potentially applying and spreading bacteria onto your face every time you use your brushes. Pretty disgusting, right? And if you share your lip brushes or eye liner brushes with other people, you also run the risk of contracting viruses like conjunctivitis. The bottom line is, if you’re not careful about sharing your makeup brushes and keeping them clean, then you’re just inviting a whole world of trouble for your face. (By the way, synthetic nylon brushes – apart from being cruelty free – also tend to harbour less bacteria than those made with animal hair.)

How often should you clean your makeup brushes?

It is a personal choice but, in my opinion, at the very minimum, your brushes should be washed once a month. For  powder foundation brushes, once a fortnight is more preferable as the foundation tends to build up in the brush, making even application of your makeup more difficult and causing the brush to feel rough and prickly against your skin – another source of irritation. Of course, if you use any liquid or cream formulations with your brushes, then you should clean them immediately after each use.

Makeup brushes should be cleaned regularly. (Image source: Canva)

How to Clean your Makeup Brushes

So how do you clean your brushes? The method for washing your brushes, like washing your hair, is a personal preference – just remember to use a quality, chemical-free shampoo or soap. Here is my preferred methods:

1. Liquid soap or shampoo - mix tepid water with a little shampoo or liquid hand soap in a shallow container. Swirl the bristles of your brushes around in the mixture for a minute or so. If the water becomes too dirty, you may want to change it, as necessary. After washing, rinse your brushes under running water until the water runs clear. Gently squeeze out the excess water and lay the brushes flat on a clean, dry towel to air dry. Tip: some people also like to swirl their brushes in a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar before doing a final rinse.
2. Bar soap - wet your soap bar and brush. Swirl the brush directly on the soap bar and rinse as the makeup is released from the brush. Keep repeating until the brush is clean. Rinse the soap bar and the brush. Then squeeze out the excess water from the brush and leave to dry as per method above.

Not only will using clean, soft and fluffy brushes help to prevent the spread of bacteria, but it will result in a better, more even, application of your makeup. By regularly cleaning your brushes, you will also prolong their life, saving you money. After all, some brushes can be quite expensive.

The bottom line? Clean makeup brushes are better for your skin, your health and your hip-pocket!