Dirty makeup brushes can cause a lot of skin problems. They not only gather leftover makeup, dirt, and oil, but also breed bacteria. This can lead to acne and rashes, and even affect your overall health. Using unclean brushes can result in serious infections like fungal infections, E. coli, or staph infections.
To keep your skin safe and eliminate harmful bacteria, it’s important to wash your makeup brushes every 7 to 10 days.
Here are some tips from dermatologists on how to clean your makeup brushes:
- Rinse only the tips of your brushes under lukewarm, running water to get rid of any leftover makeup. Make sure to avoid soaking the entire brush head, as this can cause the glue that holds the brush to the handle to dissolve.
- Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and add a tablespoon of either gentle or clarifying shampoo. Avoid using plain soap and water, as this can dry out the bristles of your brushes.
- Swirl each brush tip in the bowl to clean them. For more suds, you can also gently massage each brush tip in the palm of your hand.
- Rinse the tips of the brushes under running water.
- Keep shampooing and rinsing each brush until the water that rinses out is clear.
- Press the brushes gently with a clean, dry paper towel to squeeze out any excess moisture.
- Lay your brushes flat on a towel to dry, positioning the tips so they hang off the edge of the counter. Avoid drying your brushes upright in a container, as this can cause water to seep into the handles and loosen the glue that holds the brush heads in place.
With skin infections increasing, it’s important not to share your makeup brushes with others and to wash them regularly.
If you think your makeup might be causing acne or other skin irritations, consider seeing a board-certified dermatologist.