Photo: Best Health Canada
If you were asked about the last time you took out your time to wash or clean your makeup brushes, it is assumably that most women would keep silent in order to avoid shame. Now, we aren’t here to tell you that everyone is perfect or everyone does the cleaning as often as possible, but we are here to inform you how significant it is to keep your makeup brushes clean. Because according to Cristina Monaco — a Certified Physician Assistant of Schweiger Dermatology Group in New York, using a dirt and oils buildup brushes can result in contacting skin diseases such as dermatitis.
“Buildup of dirt and oils on your makeup brushes can cause acne breakouts and possibly rashes called dermatitis,” Monaco told Elle.
Meanwhile, there’s no denying the fact that applying makeup is a daily routine for every woman and cleaning your brushes once, twice or thrice a year isn’t a good idea, as the dermatologist recommends ‘brush cleaning after each use.’ But while the residual dirt and oils may not be completely removed through this casual process, makeup artist Ashleigh B. Ciucci added that washing your brushes monthly is very ideal. “So there’s CLEANING your brushes and there’s WASHING your brushes,” Ashleigh said.
Photo: Karla Ticas
What’s more interesting is how Monaco also revealed the type of soap she uses to remove touch dirt and oils from her makeup brushes as well as sponges. Here, the New York dermatologist suggests Dawn dishwashing soap, as ‘it literally removes everything and anything.’
“In a makeup cleaner emergency I will fill a small cup with warm water and add a few drops of Dawn. Swish it around and voila,” she explained. “Let it sit in the glass submerged for a few minutes, then rinse with warm water, dab on a paper towel, and repeat. Lastly, place it in the microwave for a few seconds (while watching, of course) to get rid of bacteria.”
As for when to replace your old brushes, Monaco suggests that based on the general rule, every three months is enough to get new replacements. “As a general rule, every three months you should be buying a few new brushes to replace the old ones,” she added.
