Fashion and Beauty 20th April 2016 by Victoria Stokes

4 Seriously Gross Things Dirty Make-Up Brushes Can Do To Your Face

It's not just about breakouts, y'know. Those bacteria-ridden brushes play host to a whole lotta other issues.

Make-Up Brushes

Few things in our beauty routine are more laborious or time-consuming than cleaning our make-up brushes. Yet, according to the experts that’s something we should be doing at least once a week, if we want our fave-o beauty tools to be in optimum condition.

The effects of not cleaning them on the reg? Well, here’s just a few of the gross things they can do to your face…

They can break you out

It might seem obvious, but have you ever thought about why dirty make-up brushes break you out? It’s because every time you use a brush you’re collecting oil, dust and dead skin cells, which you’re then transfering onto your products and back onto your skin. Basically you’re just swirling breakout-causing germs all over your face and allowing them to multiple. Add to that, dirty brushes will also make your foundation look duller and will affect the colour pay-off of your eyeshadow. Get ye to the sink with those brushes, STAT!

They can cover your face in poo

Keep your brushes in the bathroom? Expect particles of fecal matter to be lurking all over them. You see, every time you flush the toilet it sprays a fine mist of toilet water (eww) in every direction, covering everything within its radius in nasty bacteria, including those brushes you’ve left lying out on top of the cabinet. Store them away for a cleaner application in the future.

They can give you herpes

Now here’s a scary thought. The herpes virus loves a moist environment, making the inside of your lipstick tube or your damp make-up sponge the perfect place for it to breed. Keep those brushes squeaky clean and never share them (not even with your bestie) to avoid spreading the nasty infection.

They can cause a serious infection

Herpes isn’t the only infection that can be spread through dirty make-up brushes. Back in 2015, Australian woman Jo Gilchrist was left paralysed after contracting a staph infection from her friend’s dirty make-up brush.

While Jo’s experience is rare (more on her story here) keeping your brushes squeaky clean will further reduce your risk of contracting an infection, not to mention keep your skin clear and your make-up flawless.

We’re off to the bathroom to wash ours right now.

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