Make-Up Brush Cleaning Tips, Tricks & Horror Stories
[Photo Credit: Ian Gavan/Getty]
Cleaning your makeup brushes isn’t just so you can switch eyeshadow shades neatly- there are hundreds of germs lurking in overused brushes that can have some surprising effects. I’m going to take you though some horror stories that will get you running to the sink, plus share with you the products you’ll need to ensure perfect brush hygiene.
Harmful bacteria such as E.Coli gets onto our makeup brushes from a number of sources- from dirt on our hands, dead skin cells, and from environmental toxins. This bacteria can have serious health consequences- an Australian woman contracted a staph infection after sharing brushes with a friend and her arms and legs were left paralysed as a result.
The fungus, bacteria, dirt, oil and pollution on your brushes can cause you to break out in spots and they can cause wrinkles too- dirty brushes expose the skin to extra stress from free radicals (basically molecules from environmental pollution that are responsible for premature aging and tissue damage) and this can cause a breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin resulting in lines and wrinkles.
Other reasons to keep your makeup brushes and tools clean is that they make good homes for bugs, as Norfolk girl Stevie Miller found out and filmed for your pleasure on YouTube. Dirty brushes will only attract them more, and the ones you have used for wet foundation or cream eyeshadows can be the most germy.
Here are the products you need to keep your brushes hygienic…
Look Good, Feel Better are a fantastic charity that offer hair and beauty advice and workshops for women undergoing cancer treatment, to help them cope with the physical changes they experience and to feel better about themselves by learning new makeup skills.
They’ve also developed a set of unique antibacterial makeup brushes (£34.99 from at Look Fantastic) to prevent the growth and spread of bacteria that are rife on unwashed makeup brushes. These brushes stop bad bacteria from being able to take hold and reduce E.Coli by almost 100% through the hypoallergenic compound they are treated with.
You’ll still need to clean them, but this added protection is definitely worthwhile and buying them helps the charity too. In this set there’s a powder brush, a foundation brush, an eyeshadow brush and a lip brush.
A great cleanser to use is the oil-based organic Dr Bronner Unscented BabyMild Pure Castille Soap (£8.99 from Holland & Barrett). This soap isn’t designed for cleaning makeup brushes, but it’s incredibly effective and gentle on their fibres.
The Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette (£12.99 from Superdrug) is a very handy tool. It has four different surfaces- one for removing makeup from large brushes, one for removing makeup from medium brushes, one for small brushes and a surface for drying your brushes on. Adding your soap then swirling your brushes on top of the textured surface helps them clean quickly and easily, and it extends their life too.
