A recent survey conducted by Harris Poll for Anisa International showed that 61 % of women paint their face with a foundation brush covered in bacteria, old make up and bugs. Yes, that’s correct – even bugs. These microorganisms are natural and healthy, but only up to a certain point.
Of the women that do clean their beauty tools and brushes, 39% do so less than one time per month, and 22% admitted to never cleaning them at all. Anisa Telwar-Kaicker, founder and CEO of Anisa International, suggests that cleaning brushes should happen at least once per month. However, two times per month or more is ideal.
So why is it so important to clean your makeup brushes and other beauty tools? It’s not just to protect your investments, but also your health. The build up of bacteria, dust, germs, old makeup and other debris can cause health issues, skin irritations, infections, allergies and even hair loss. You may have annoying and reoccurring breakouts, or a possibly a pink eye episode you really could have done without, all because you failed to clean your tools.
- BREAKOUTS – Breakouts can happen to the cleanest of people. Cleanliness of the skin is not the only thing to cause a breakout; hormones, diet and other factors often affect them as well. You can avoid nasty and unwanted breakouts by keeping your tools and brushes clean.
- BACTERIA – All of this nasty bacterium can cause breakouts and then some. The dust and germs that float around your bathroom and makeup mirrors can easily seep into your products and makeup. This can spoil products or make a perfect breeding ground for even more bacteria. A healthy amount of bacteria is one thing; creating a space full of months and months of bacteria build up is a completely different (and extremely unhealthy) atmosphere.
- INFECTIONS – You have most likely borrowed your friend or family’s makeup, brushes and clothes at some point in your life. However, one woman who borrowed her best friend’s makeup brush did not realize that the act had such devastating potential. Her name is Jo, she’s a young mother, and she is now paralyzed due to a staph infection contracted from her friends makeup brush. The microbes entered her system through a pimple on her face! (Medical Daily). Be safe and always use your own clean tools.
- HAIR LOSS – Your eyelashes are attached to your eyelids to block flying debris and dust from getting into your eyes. It’s normal and healthy for your eyelashes to also have little bugs (called mites) that live on them. These mites feed on various substances that are secreted from the eyes, and normally the number of them is minimal. However, failure to properly clean your tools can cause hundreds of these tiny bugs to multiply. Millions of mites later and your eyes can become red and puffy, itchy and flaky, and you might even start losing lashes.
- ALLERGIES – If you’ve never had allergies or sensitive skin in the past, then you probably won’t be randomly developing these issues any time soon. Allergies shift as the human body grows, but sensitive skin is most often a lifelong condition. If you start finding “mystery” allergies that seem abnormal, medicine may not be the proper solution. Simply clean your makeup and tools and these “mystery” allergies should subside.
It’s often impossible to find time in the day to get everything accomplished. Life is busy, and messes happen. However, cleaning your beauty tools and brushes can lead to an overall healthier life, and of course much healthier skin. It’s something you need to make time for. Some pros choose to use special brush cleanser products like Eminence Organics Natural Brush Cleanser, and many suggest performing a deep cleaning process at least once per week (inthegloss.com). Other options include washing brushes with warm water and Johnson’s Baby Shampoo.
Regardless of what method and product you decide is best for you, do not hesitate to start cleaning your brushes at least bi-monthly. Once you get into the practice, it will easily become part of your routine. And your fresh and clean skin will be thanking you daily!
