The surprising way you’re damaging your skin

You’re smart enough to know it’s a good idea to cleanse and moisturise every morning and night if you want healthy, glowing skin. And I bet you’re also well aware that dirty linen, manky towels and foundation-covered phone screens can wreak havoc on your skin, so you make an effort to regularly clean and wash them.

But what about your make-up brushes? Are you as diligent in washing them as you are with everything else that touches your face? Because you should be – just think of all the dirt and bacteria that’s accumulating on those bristles!

And here’s what happens to your skin when you do use dirty brushes:

BREAKOUTS AND PIMPLES

A dirty make-up brush – whether it’s a foundation brush, blush brush, or even eyeshadow brush – is housing a heap of bacteria, as well as dirt, oil and dead skin cells. So, when you swipe it across your skin, you’re transferring that bacteria and spreading it around. This can lead to congestion, pimples, and breakouts, no matter how diligent you are with your skin care regime. No gracias!

SKIN IRRITATIONS

Do you choose gentle skin care products to avoid flare-ups? Well, you could be undoing all of your hard work by using unwashed brushes. Not only can the dirt and bacteria on the bristles irritate your skin, but the bristles themselves can be aggravating, too. When you don’t regularly wash your brushes, product builds up on the bristles, meaning they aren’t as soft and can be quite abrasive on your skin.

INFECTIONS

A neglected and unwashed eyeliner or eyeshadow brush may not lead to pimples or congestion, but it can result in a nasty eye infection. And if you’ve ever suffered from one of those before, you’ll know it’s the least fun thing ever. As well as dealing with itchy, swollen, or weepy eyes, you need to chuck out every single eye product you own thanks to the speed at which bacteria can spread. And we’re pretty sure you’d prefer to spend your hard-earned dollars on new products, not replacements.

Along with the yucky effects dirty brushes can have on your skin, not caring for brushes actually shortens their life span – which is kinda devastating when you think of the money you’ve wasted.

Plus, brushes that aren’t in peak condition won’t be able to perform their best. So you might find that your foundation is starting to look streaky, your bronzer patchy, and your eyeshadow more smushy than smoky.

So, there you have it. Clean make-up brushes are just as essential to maintaining the health of your skin as your morning and evening routine, your clean linen and towels, and your disinfected phone.

And the good news is that cleaning them doesn’t have to be a time-consuming or inconvenient process.

The Manicare Brush Cleaner, which comes in a handy spray bottle, is formulated to effectively remove all oil-based make-up from synthetic and natural brushes.

Here’s how it works: simply spray some of the cleaner onto a tissue and gently wipe the offending dirty brushes. Then, rinse your brushes with some water, squeeze out the moisture, reshape, and lay on a flat surface to dry. When rinsing, be sure to minimise how much water filters down into the handle of your brush. Let too much water flow down, and you can compromise the glue that’s holding everything together and be left with a shedding brush. Less than ideal.

It’s also a good idea to aim to use the Brush Cleaner weekly, as this prevents the bacteria from building up and improves the longevity of your brush by maintaining its condition for longer. Look, you may think that’s often, but when you look at the cons of using dirty brushes (um, are there even any pros?), it pays to just do it. Treat the task like dirty laundry!

Handy hint: you can also use the Brush Cleaner to sanitise your brushes in between washes. For a quick clean, spray the formulation onto a tissue and gently wipe your brush with it. Leave it to dry and you’re done!

Do you wash your brushes regularly? Have you noticed any side effects from not washing your brushes?