Makeup 101: Cleaning Your Beauty Essentials

Admit it, you've definitely left some makeup tools sit too long without cleaning them at one point or another. You might have some right now that haven't been bathed and pampered like they should be! I always tell my clients that hygiene is very important when it comes to makeup because it's very easy to spread infections, bacteria, or viruses through items that you use directly on your face! (You might want to read my Sin Series blog and find out why it's preferable to never share lipstick)

So ladies, time to give your tools the attention and they need, as a thank you for their service!

Cleaning Your Sponges

1. Wet: get the sponge wet first by running it under warm water
2. Rub: get a trusty bar of soap and begin rubbing the dirtied part of the sponge against it.
3. Rinse and Repeat: keep rinsing and then rubbing again, until the water runs clear
4. Dry: Squeeze the sponge really hard to make sure you've wring out all the water, and you can use it when it's still wet.

Tip. Sponges should be cleaned after every few uses, or when they no longer have any clean, usable sections. I also recommend you rinse it with warm water after every use.

Cleaning Your Brushes

I always mention that it's very important to invest in good, heavy duty brushes, even if they're a bit expensive. This is mainly because brushes get worn out over time - especially because they have to endure cleaning. Low-quality brushes will get worn out by water very quickly.

1. Rinse: you need to start off by rinsing the bristles of your brush. You should avoid getting the water to run over the base. That's very important because you don't want weaken the glue in the brush and shorten its lifespan.
2. Cleanse: using a little bit of baby shampoo, lather up the bristles, then rinse them. Repeat this until the water that runs down from the brush is crystal clear.
3. Disinfect: get a small, shallow bowl and create your mixture for disinfection. Two parts water, one part vinegar is a good combo - or you can use a Cetaphil cleanser. Dip your brush's bristles in the mixture and swoosh it around. Rinse it when done.
4. Dry: shape your bristles back to their original form and lay the brushes out on a clean towel overnight to dry.

Tip. I recommend you clean those brushes every other week to make sure they're germ-free. I also recommend you don't share brushes with other people.

Clean Out Your Hairbrush!

It sounds more relevant to clean out your makeup tip - but few people actually consider cleaning their hairbrushes. Well, it's another tool that's getting in close contact with your body, not to mention that it's constantly running through your hair, so we need to always make sure its hygiene is top notch.

1. Prep: first off, you need to remove as much hair from the brush as possible. You can use a comb to make sure you get the job done.
2. Soak: next up, soak the brush in a bowl with water and clarifying shampoo. If it's a plastic brush, you can soak it for 3-5 minutes, but if its head is made of fabric, just dip the bristles in the mixture a couple times.
3. Scrub: got an unused toothbrush lying around? Wet it with the soapy mix and scrub the hairbrush clean! Rinse it with water.
4. Dry: bristles down, lay the brush on a clean towel and allow to dry overnight.

Tip. I recommend you clean out your brush at least once a month to makes sure you avoid any buildup that could damage the quality of your hair!

Cleaning Up Your Metal Tools

It's very important to make sure your metal tools are always intact. These include your eyelash curlers, tweezers, brow trimmers, cuticle nippers, and nail clippers. These tools get too close to the skin and need a lot of disinfection before they can be used again!

1. Wash: start off by washing the tools with water and antibacterial soap. Pat dry with a towel.
2. Sanitize: wipe down the tool with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball. If it's a tool that comes in direct contact with your face such as the tweezers or curlers, rinse that with water after the alcohol dries up.

Tip. These tools need to be cleaned and sanitized after every single use. As I mentioned, they get in super-close contact with your skin, so they need to be spotless. Make sure you store them in an enclosed environment like a little case or bag!

So ladies, admit it, will you be cleaning your beauty essentials?