How Often Should I Clean Makeup Brushes?
Be honest here! When was the last time you cleaned your makeup brushes
and/or beauty blenders?
I am serious about taking good care of my skin (see my skincare routine here) and washing my makeup brushes is a huge part of me keeping my acne at bay. Since they can get pretty nasty, I HIGHLY recommend cleaning your brushes, at least, one time per month. Without further ado, I’m sharing how I clean my makeup brushes and how often! It takes 5 minutes MAX and believe me if I can do it, you can too. It’s not hard — other than remembering to do it. I have a little tip on how I remember this as well - keep reading!
How I wash my Brushes:
This is so important to note, when we use our brushes and/or beauty blender, they can become FULL of bacteria from your skin, makeup bag, house and air. What happens, is it builds up over time as some bacteria is actually healthy for us! Then what happens is you stick that stuff on your face and then back on your makeup and then back to your face. That’s an icky cycle.
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If you are like me and have super sensitive skin and suffer from breakouts, this could be one of the causes, or even a reason your breakouts are not clearing as quickly as you want them to.
Another reason to wash your brushes is that the more product build-up on the brush, the more likely you are to cause damage to your skin. Skin is super sensitive, especially on your face! If your brush is caked with makeup and not soft, you can cause more damage than you think, which can lead to irritation and dryness. It can also make your powders look nasty when you transfer oil from your skin to your makeup.
How often should I clean my makeup brushes?
I try to do this once per month, but I am breaking out more frequently than normal, I always clean them more. Here are my general guidelines, and food for thought, I always think of when washing in terms of liquids vs powders:
Foundation & concealer brushes: once a week - think about this, we apply this the liquid every day or at least 2-3 times per week that’s a lot of use. I try to wash my foundation brush and beauty blender at least once per week.
Eyeshadow, blush, and bronzer brushes (this is drier and feel I can get away with washing) 1-2 times a month.
Liquid products you will find build up on brushes more easily, which is why you should wash them more. If you feel inclined and washing anyway, maybe just wash them all at once - it seriously takes a few minutes!
How should I clean my makeup brushes
I use the Beautycounter Charcoal Bar as the cleanser, which I also use weekly to detox my armpits and face a little more, especially if my natural deodorant isn’t working (more on this later) as well and/or I am breaking out more with acne.
Fool Proof 5-Step Process under 5 Minutes:
Wet your brush with warm water and rinse as much product out as you can with water. If your handles are wood, try not to get water on them, as they can swell over time.
Swirl the brush head all over the bar of soap gently, and then take the brush to swirl it in the palm of your hand until it starts to lather.
Rinse and repeat this process until the water runs clear, and the soap is no longer the color of the residue from my makeup. See how easy this is?!
Squeeze the excess water out of the brushes and let air dry.
Lay FLAT to dry.
Isn’t this super simple and easy to follow?!
You might ask why the Beautycounter Charcoal Bar?
Well, it’s simple, really.
Beautycounter’s Charcoal Bar has so many uses, and here are a few of my top favs:
I use it to wash my entire body, facial cleanser (especially when I’m breaking out more), detox my pits and use it as a daily cleanser (this is key when using a natural deodorant)
It’s affordable and lasts forever — like 6-7 months for me (a little goes a looooong way), even keeping it in the shower like I do. TIP: I do place this in a separate container so as not to get mushy and waste it!
Charcoal products in particular are great for detoxing the skin, removing toxins, excess oil, and bacteria. It allows the skin to feel clean without the use of harsh chemicals, and precisely why we want to clean our makeup brushes with it!
With it being from Beautycounter, I know I’m not putting something icky ingredients on my brush and then applying on my skin. No, thank you!
Happy brush cleansing! Now, go wash your brushes and report back to me just how easy it was!
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P.S. Any product you use on a regular basis should be cleaned often (psst: your beauty cabinet will look and feel much nicer when you’re finished, too). So, grab the soap, a little water, and get cleansing. As you clean, be sure to check each period-after-opening (PAO) symbol while you’re at it. Beautycounter products specify the number of months that you can expect them to be safe for use. Look for a tiny period-after-opening (PAO) symbol of an open lid pot with a note like “12M”, which means the product’s lifespan is 12 months from the time you open it if it’s been stored and used properly. You may be due to replace some of your old #betterbeauty—which will make it, well, even better.
