“Dirty makeup brushes can irritate your skin and cause an infection, such as fungal infections, E. coli, or a staph infection—the latter of which can be very serious,” says board-certified dermatologist Annie Chiu, MD, FAAD, who maintains a private practice in Redondo Beach, California.
“To protect your skin and kill any harmful bacteria that lingers in your makeup brushes, it’s a good idea to wash your brushes every 7 to 10 days.”
To clean your makeup brushes, Dr. Chiu recommends the following tips:
Rinse the tips of your brushes under lukewarm, running water to remove residual makeup. Only rinse the tip, as submerging the whole brush head will eventually dissolve the glue that connects the brush head to the handle.
Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and a tablespoon of either gentle shampoo or clarifying shampoo. Using plain soap and water can dry out the bristles.
Swirl each brush tip in the bowl. For a good