Source: flickr.com user jazzylolo

One of the most important pieces of beauty advice to remember is to regularly shampoo your makeup brushes. Keeping your brushes clean is essential to a long, happy brush life. Plus, a clean brush provides better results than a dirty brush.

Why? There are many reasons for keeping your cosmetic brushes clean. First off, while your brushes are applying pigment to your skin, they’re also picking up oil, dirt and bacteria. This means that next time you go to use your brush, you’re re-applying the oil, dirt and bacteria that was picked up the last time you used your brush! This can lead to eye irritation (including pink eye!), skin irritation, blemishes and so much more. Keeping your brushes clean helps minimize these risks, allowing you to achieve healthier and more beautiful skin.

On top of that, regular shampooing of your make up brushes keeps them extra soft and helps prolong their usability. If you fail to clean your brushes regularly, they will become stiff, harsh and brittle, and the hairs or synthetic fibers will begin to fall out.

How? Shampooing your brushes is super easy, as well as oddly satisfying. All you need is a gentle brush shampoo or regular hair shampoo and a sink! I like to squirt a dollop of the shampoo (I use Jane Iredale’s Truly Shampoo) into the palm of my hand, dampen the brush a bit and then swirl the brush into the shampoo. Then, I just lather it up and rinse until the water coming from the brush runs clear. If this is the first time you’ve washed your brushes, you may need to shampoo twice to get the built-up makeup, dirt and oil out of the brush. Lay your brushes flat to dry. NEVER dry them with a blow dryer or try to comb them.

How often? Clean your brushes once every one to two weeks. If you keep a fairly strict schedule, washing your brushes will only take a few minutes of your time. It is also wise to spritz your brushes with an antibacterial face spray, like Sonya Dakar’s Aromasol Maintenance Mist, after each use. This will help minimize the bacteria present on the brush surface, plus it’ll leave your brushes smelling fresh and clean.