Cleaning your makeup brushes is important to both your health and your products. Dirty brushes can lead to pimples, black heads, and even bacterial skin infections. When you put dirty brushes into your makeup products it can contaminate them. Sponges and your hands should also be clean before you put them in any makeup products.

There are two methods of cleaning makeup tools, spot cleaning and deep cleaning. Spot cleaning is when you clean a tool every time you use it. For example, after you apply your makeup, you clean each brush you used. Spot cleaning helps to prevent products from staining light colored brushes and sponges. It also makes it easier to deep clean your brushes later.

Deep cleaning is when you thoroughly wash your tools with warm water and some kind of soap. Your brushes should be deep cleaned once a week if you wear makeup everyday. If you have sensitive skin, you should clean your brushes with your favorite facial cleanser. Some brush cleaners have very harsh chemicals and can cause allergic reactions. Good brush cleaners for deep cleansing are Beauty Blender’s solid sponge cleaner and MAC Brush Cleanser. For spot cleaning, the best product is Sonia Kashuk Brush and Sponge Cleaning Spray.

Another way to prevent the spreading of germs is to sanitize your makeup. All makeup can’t be cleaned but lipstick, pressed powders, pencil liners, and cream gel products can. Lipstick can be submerged in alcohol to remove germs and the other previously mentioned products can be sprayed with alcohol. Standard rubbing alcohol is the best to use when sanitizing your makeup.

For more information on spot cleaning, check out this video: