Text by: Gabriela del Fueyo (Pharmacist specialized in dermo-cosmetics). IG: @gabidelfueyo
These days, when we’ve become extremely cautious about keeping everything clean and disinfected, it could be a great opportunity to clean our makeup brushes! You may ask, how can I thoroughly clean my brushes? We tend to believe that the key to perfect skin lies in the skincare products we use, but most of the time, the secret is just constantly cleaning our makeup brushes clean to keep our skin healthy.
The surface of our skin is composed of a series of microorganisms or microbiota, which help protect the skin barrier. Cleaning our brushes can help have an optimate immune system and prevent the settlement of microorganisms that can irritate and damage the skin. When we use a dirty brush we are exposing our skin to:
All of these can damage our microbiota and cause infections. In people with an altered skin barrier, and reactive skin, using dirty brushes can cause further irritation.
So we must keep them clean, and how should we wash them? We have two options:
1. Disinfect them with 70% isopropyl alcohol
Put alcohol in a spray bottle and apply directly to the bristles of the brush. Rub the wet brush on a towel to take out the dirt. If your brush is round, rub it in circular motions; if it’s flat, just make some strokes on the towel. This will help maintain the quality of the bristles while taking the dirt out of them.
The alcohol will evaporate little by little and will eliminate all microorganisms. Remember that 100% isopropyl alcohol does not kill bacteria, so a higher concentration doesn’t necessarily mean a more disinfectant capacity.
2. Use water with liquid hand soap or shampoo
You can mix a bit of soap or shampoo with water in a bowl and soak your brushes. If you don’t want to use a bowl, you can get it wet directly from the faucet and add a small amount of soap to the brush.
Massage the bristles gently with your fingers until you form a foam. Rinse with water and repeat until no more makeup comes out of the brush. Try to do this with the bristles facing down to avoid water getting into the handle. Dry them with a paper towel or a piece of clean cloth and leave them for a few hours in a horizontal position until they are fully dry.
How often should you wash them?
At least once a week, especially if you store them in the open. So now mask Sundays can also be to brush-cleaning Funday! Remember not to share brushes or makeup to avoid infections, and try not to touch your face!
Photos from:
Unsplash: Daria Gordova
Pexels: Karen Laårk Boshoff
