Makeup brushes come with hefty price tags, so you should
always ensure to get the most out of them. They are just like our everyday
items, but the only exception is that they are not cleaned nearly enough.
Continuous painting our face with makeup every day, get the
beauty weapons loaded with oils, residues and dead skin that further acts as a
breeding ground for bacteria and other tiny monsters, resulting in breakouts
and clogged pores. And who the hell wants that!
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| Image source: google.com |
Wanna know what dirty brushes can do to your skin and to
your makeup? Say hello to some of their nuisance here:
1. Bacterial Growth:
Makeup brushes come in contact with variety
of surfaces from products to your face, makeup bags and bathroom shelves. Also
when they are resting on your vanity, millions of bacteria get settled on them
through air. A study at Loyola Marymount University revealed that dirty brushes
harbor bacteria in a number that is beyond the reach of researchers to measure!
You now probably got your answers to recurring
acne!
2. Irritation, Clogged pores and Conjunctivitis
Makeup residues make the bristles hard.
When you rub the brushes against your skin, hard bristles causes the wear &
tear of outer epidermis resulting in irritation. This leads to pores opening,
due to which residues from the bristles settle down and clog them. Repeated
process over time forms a vicious cycle resulting in skin issues.
If you share your makeup brushes, there is
an increased chance of conjunctivitis and other skin infections. Hence,
cleaning them should be one of your weekly errands.
3. Damaged Brushes
Continuous product buildup on bristles can
weaken them, resulting in their breakage and fiber loss. Since they cost a
fortune, you would always want them to last a lifetime.
4. Spotty application
Dirty makeup brushes can be a reason out of
many that you never nail a flawless makeup. Why? Products accumulated between
the bristles from past usage, gives a muddy and unfinished look. This can make
your face age faster.
Now that you know the issues with not so clean beauty wands,
you might be wondering about what should be your brushes cleaning routine
and how often they are to be cleaned.
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| Image source: google.com |
Although, there are no rules to it, cleaning makeup brushes
depend upon one’s usage. According to famous Dermatologists and Makeup artists,
you should spend few minutes once in a week to give your brushes a spa
treatment. While it is fine for those who are not into their makeup all day,
every day, beauty buffs *like me* should practice cleaning them twice a week or
more.
This goes compulsory for everyday brushes like foundation,
concealer and lip brushes to prevent any buildup. Take note from Tom Pecheux
(Makeup artist and YSL global beauty director) who swears by hand sanitizer for
disinfecting lip and concealer brushes after every use to maintain hygiene (MUAs
Alert!). For less used tools like eye brushes and eye lash curlers, you can
clean them once in 15 days.
Products I recommend
I like cleaning my makeup brushes like the pros do it, to
ensure proper hygiene. There are tons of Makeup brush cleaners available but I
personally find The Sigmagic Brushampoo Foam by Sigma Beauty and Brush Cleanser by MAC the best cleaning agents by far. However, a gentle clarifying or a baby
shampoo will do the trick just fine, if you do not wish to go the fancy
way.
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| Image source: brownthomas.com |
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| Image source: sigmabeauty.com |
Apart from the Sigmagic Brushampoo Foam and Mac Brush
Cleaner, there are few products that stand out for me. Let’s take a look on all
of them.
1. 2X Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove!
Boy! Where should I start? When it comes to
business, nobody does it better but Sigma. 2X Spa Brush Cleaning Glove is a
patented Sigma product which is a two sided cleaning mat (one for face brushes
& other for eye brushes) in a double thumb glove. The spa glove has
eight cleaning textures to wash, refine and rinse the bristles all at same
time.
Different texture allows the soap to clean
even the densest makeup brushes. With double thumb, you can easily flip over to
any side of the glove. It’s a lot easy to rinse and drain excess water with the
grooves between the thumb and the index finger. What more? You can clean
multiple brushes in one go!
Buy here.
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| Image Source: sigmabeauty.com |
2. Sephora Collection Dry Clean Instant Dry
Brush Cleaner Spray
Like dry shampoo for hair? Well, here is
one for your makeup brushes. It’s a solvent spray for a quick fix. Make it your best buddy while travelling. Although it’s
great for instant cleaning, be sure to do a wet cleansing whenever you get a
chance.
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| Image source: sephora.com |
3. Sigma Dry and Shape Tower
A one of its kind product, Sigma Dry and
Shape tower ensures that the brushes are dried in the right way, keeping their
shape intact. The three storied tower is made of three rims that have multiple
compartments to hold variety of brushes differing in shapes and styles.
The lower most compartments consist of little
stretchable pockets to reshape the bristles. Both face and eye brushes can be
dried in one with this drier-cum-shaper. I would highly recommend this to makeup
professionals.
Buy here.
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| Image source: google.com |
Steps to clean Makeup
brushes
1. Soak the
brush in lukewarm water before cleaning.
2. Pour 2- 3 drops of cleaning agent directly
on the brush or on the cleaning pad/ on your palm.
3. Rub the bristles for 2 -3 minutes.
4. Rinse them with lukewarm water.
5. Squeeze the excess moisture with a clean lint
free towel.
6. Reshape the bristles.
7. Let the brushes dry by hanging them from the edge of a counter in a horizontal position.
7. Let the brushes dry by hanging them from the edge of a counter in a horizontal position.
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| Image source: google.com |
There are two things to take care of mid-wash:
1. Always clean and dry makeup brushes holding them
with bristles facing down. Tilting them can cause water to run down to the base
(where it is joined with the wand) and cause the glue to disintegrate. This can
result in bristle loss.
2. Never rub makeup brushes with a towel to fasten
the drying process, this will make them mildewed and can harm their shape.
And there you have it! Your brushes will be clean a whistle.
So here was a quick and easy insight on what problems can arise from dirty brushes and a guide to clean them properly.
Till next time,
Much Love
Hina Rehan💜
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