Preventing breakouts by cleaning your make-up brushes

Dear WOFTW,

I have acne, but I rarely break out as bad as I did the other day. About two weeks ago, the area around my cheeks broke out terribly with a rash and very small pimples. I believe that my make-up brush has contributed to it, because both sides of my face where I usually apply my blush and bronzer were the only affected areas. {{more}}I have since cleaned the brush with water and liquid hand soap, but I’m concerned that I may break out again. What products do you recommend for cleaning makeup brushes?

Lizelle

Dear Lizelle,

Make-up brushes accumulate old make-up, oil, dead skin and bacteria, so when you neglect the task of cleaning your brushes, you run the risk of suffering from breakouts when these things are transferred from your brush to your face.

To clean my make-up brushes, I use regular hair shampoo. Firstly, I run the brushes under lukewarm water to rinse all residual make-up. Then, in a container, I mix water and the shampoo together and swirl the brush around until all the make-up is removed. You may have to repeat this step a couple of times with fresh water and shampoo to make sure that the brush is clean. Be sure to reshape the brush with your fingers as you go along.

Thoroughly rinse the brush under running water, until the water from the brush runs clean and finish the cleaning process by placing the brushes on lint-free cloth or paper towels to dry.

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