5 Reasons Why You Should Clean Your Makeup Tools Regularly

"How to achieve a perfectly winged liner?", "Do I contour according to my face shape?", "Should my concealer be a shade lighter than my skin tone?" When we talk makeup, your attention is instantly drawn towards application.

Considering that most of us heavily rely on makeup—for which we use a range of beauty tools and applicators—it's astonishing as to how we don't consider cleaning out our tools as often as we should. Brushes, blenders, and bacteria? Hell, no. 

If you want all the time that you spend glamming up to be worth it in the end, take note of these tips on how to clean out your makeup tools, and more importantly, why you need to do so. 

A Breeding Ground For Infections

Did you know that your makeup brush can lead to viral infections? The repeated use of unclean makeup brushes or those which you have shared with others, will propel a continuous transfer of germs. One of the many causes of conjunctivitis is sharing beauty products! It's simply because you can never be certain about how well someone else cleans their makeup tools. Hence, stick to using your own sanitized tools.

A Pathway to Breakouts

The brushes that you use to apply makeup on your face also often get rid of dust, bacteria, oil, and dead skin cells in the process. Thereby, the next time you go for the same brush when applying makeup, know that you are exposing your skin to a multitude of germs and toxins. Besides, the residual makeup on your tools can give way to acne eruptions and skin irritations as well. 

Harsh For Sensitive Skin 

Makeup brushes, when used multiple times, can become rough. Therefore, their harsh bristles when brushed against your skin can cause skin redness, irritation, and inflammation. By regularly and effectively cleaning out your brushes, you will ensure that the bristles are soft on your skin. 

Diminished Quality of Makeup 

Avoiding cleaning your makeup tools can also severely impact the quality of makeup application and blending. You will gradually notice that the tools have become ineffective in helping you achieve the desired look! On the other hand, clean makeup tools will help with seamless, flawless application.

Safeguard Your Beauty Products From Bacteria

If you fail to clean your makeup tools, you're not solely exposing your skin to germs, but also your expensive makeup products. The dark, moist environment of makeup storage spaces and the texture of products can pose to be a breeding ground for bacteria. This ends up being unhealthy for your skin, as well as the product which can now break down much more easily. 

Now that we've tackled the 'why', here's 'how' to go about cleaning your makeup tools the correct way. 

1) To clean your makeup brush, wet the bristles of the brush with lukewarm water. However, ensure that the water that you use isn't too hot. Add a mild shampoo to the mug filled with lukewarm water and swirl the brushes, while massaging the tips of the bristles to remove the dirt. Squeeze out the excess water with the help of a clean towel. Allow the brush to self-dry—hanging off of the edge of a counter—which keeps their shape intact. Try following this cleaning process at least once every week. 

2) Alternatively, to thoroughly clean your makeup brushes you could purchase a silicone brush cleaner, available at most cosmetic stores. The cleaner will properly massage the bristles of your brush, leaving no bacteria on its surface.

3) Makeup sponges often accumulate skin cells, leading to bacterial overgrowth. Since blenders and sponges are primarily used to seamlessly apply liquid and cream-based makeup products to your skin—including foundation, concealer, and highlighter—it's essential to clean the tool in an appropriate manner. Begin by dampening the blender and pouring a small amount of cleanser. Massage the cleanser well into the blender to loosen the residual makeup. Rinse and squeeze out the excess water and repeat if necessary. Leave your blender out on a towel to dry, then store it in a cool, dry place.

4) Colorbar offers a 'Clean-On-The-Go Makeup and Tools Sanitizing Mist', that is available on purplle.com. It is an anti-bacterial spray that kills surface germs—on both powder as well as cream-based products—and reduces bacterial growth on your products and tools. It can be used for makeup brushes, tweezers, beauty blenders etc.