Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes: How & How Often

Do you remember the last time that you cleaned your most-used makeup brushes? It is so easy to let brush hygiene fall through the cracks when everyone has such busy schedules. I leave my most-used brushes out in plain sight so that I really can't help but notice when they become dirty. Since harmful bacteria and germs seek refuge in our dirty makeup brushes, it is a good idea to wash them once a week. If you have been sick, it is a good idea to clean them even sooner since you don't want to spread those germs again and again (they are also being spread into your makeup).

Here is how I wash my brushes each week:

1) Select either a gentle and fragrance-free soap or shampoo. Select one that has no color since pigmented soaps can stain light bristles.

2) Wet the bristles and swirl the brush in your soap. Some people use a small bowl of water, and dip the bristles into the water, but I wet the bristles under running water and then use clean hands to lather the soap into the bristles. Rinse thoroughly under running water.

3) I repeat this action until the brush rinses clear, and I only use running water.

4) Gently squeeze excess water from the bristles and either let your brushes dry flat on a clean towel or hang them upside down. If you lay them flat, it is a good idea to allow the heads of the brushes to hang off the edge of a counter or table, and to rotate them periodically so that the brushes can dry uniformly and not remain damp on a the towel that will become saturated. Avoid drying your brushes upright since this can loosen the glue and can cause your bristles to fall out.

5) Once your brushes are completely dry, then return them to where you store them. I prefer to store mine upright in a cup, and therefore it is especially important that they are completely dry before I put them back in their storage cup.

6) I do not share my makeup brushes with anyone since it is a sure way to spread germs.