How Often Should You Clean Your Tools?

by BR Kellie

Much like emptying out the vacuum cleaner or cleaning around the toilet, dealing to my makeup brushes is one of the jobs I put off until I can ignore the problem no longer - which usually happens once I've gone through every sponge and brush I own and the very last ones are on their very last cleanliness legs. It's just that I find makeup brush cleaning so BORING. However, it's necessary if you want to avoid mashing bacteria into your face. It's also just as important to give your other beauty tools, like your tweezers and facial rollers, a clean as well. But how often, and what's the best method for cleaning them and keeping them in tiptop condition? Read on...

Out of all my beauty tools, my brushes and sponges get the biggest work out, being used at least once a day to apply foundation, concealer, eyeshadow, blush, bronzer... pretty much a full face. This means they get dirty really quickly, and being that they sit out in the open, we can add dust particles to the general pool of filth. I'd like to think that once a month would be fine to clean them, but in reality a weekly clean with warm water and a gentle hand soap, shampoo or dedicated makeup brush cleanser is necessary if you don't want to introduce extra greebies to your face. Once you've washed your brushes and the sponges (you'll know they're good when the water runs clear), squeeze out the water, reshape any brushes you've cleaned, then leave them to dry thoroughly on a clean towel.

I'll be honest, not once have I thought to ever clean my tweezers, despite using them regularly. However it turns out tweezers ought to be cleaned after every use. Thankfully, it's not all that much of an onerous task. Simply popping some isopropyl alcohol onto a cotton ball and rubbing it over the tweezers, concentrating on the tips, will get them squeaky clean once more.

Other products you ought to be applying good old isopropyl to on the regular? If you're a fan of the eyelash curler, then give the rubber pads a going over weekly. The same goes for any facial massage tools you use, such as crystal rollers, double-headed rollers and gua sha tools.

Don't have isopropyl on hand? An alcohol-based wipe will also do the trick!

The last thing you need to clean regularly? Your hair brush. These ought to be given a good clean once a week as well, and it's as easy as pulling out any hair caught inbetween the bristles, then taking your shampoo and squirting it into the bristles, massaging it through with a little warm water, rinsing out the suds under running warm water, then leaving it to air dry. Job done.

Right, now that I've an attack of the guilts setting in, I'm off to clean Mt Brushmore and its neighbouring friend, Sponge City...

So, are you a tool cleaning stickler? Or do you get a little lax when it comes to whipping your beauty tools into a sanitised state? And what's your preferred method for cleaning your tools? Get chatting below!