How often should we be cleaning our makeup brushes? Chances are, most people (including myself) are not doing it enough.Â
The cosmetics company, “Spectrum Collections,” conducted a survey of their customers and found that 40% cleaned their brushes every two weeks and 20% only washed them every one to three months. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, we should be washing our brushes every 7 to 10 days.Â
There is some leniency depending on the type of brush or tool. For instance, powder brushes for finishing powder or eyeshadow can be washed every two weeks, while foundation brushes or sponges should be washed once a week. Foundations or even concealers are much thicker products that can easily build up on the bristles if not washed properly. Brushes and sponges can build up and harbor bacteria which can then spread to your face when using them. As someone with acne who started regularly wearing medium to full coverage makeup, this is something I wanted to be mindful of. As long as you are wearing non-comedogenic makeup, then wearing makeup over acne should not cause additional breakouts.Â
To avoid having your makeup products become a bacteria breeding ground there are several makeup brush cleaners on the market. But, you can easily do this at home for much cheaper. If you are starting with saturated makeup brushes, using Dawn liquid soap is a great way to give them a deep clean. Add a few drops of soap onto the brush, run it under or soak it in water for a few minutes, then scrub the bristles up against your hand. Run both the brush and your hand under water and repeat if needed. Once you’re done, squeeze out any water and lay to dry on a towel.Â
If you’d like to try out some tools specifically made for cleaning makeup, check out Glamour’s best makeup brush cleaners list. They sell scrubbing pads specifically made for makeup brushes that may provide a better surface to clean than your hand. If you’re looking for a tool that does it for you, they have tools that will spin your brushes in a makeup cleaner solution in a of seconds and dry them just as quickly. Waiting for brushes to dry is the worst part because there is a chance they may even feel wet when leaving them overnight to dry.
Now, while cleaning your makeup tools is essential to keeping your skin safe and healthy, paying attention to the expiration dates on your products matters equally so. These expirations dates are often placed at the bottom of a product in small print that may look like “6M” which would mean six months after first. If you are having trouble locating an expiration date refer to this general list for products.
I am guilty of using products past their expiration out of convenience and not wanting to spend more money. But, this is putting yourself at risk of skin irritation or exposing yourself to more bacteria. If you are wearing something like tinted sunscreens, my favorite being ColorScience Face Shield Flex, once the expiration date passes it can no longer reliably be used for sun protection. The golden rule for sunscreens is they are effective for three years after purchase.Â
While it can seem like a hassle to follow all these rules or carve out time to clean your brushes, this can ultimately help your skin and makeup look even better. And hopefully for makeup users with acne prone skin they’ll find an improvement in their skin and feel more confident when applying makeup.