The Dangers of Dirty Make-Up Brushes

Are you in the 72% of women who admit to never washing your makeup brushes? If so you might want to rethink things after reading this.

The perfect breeding ground for bacteria (including nasties like E. coli and MRSA by the way), unclean makeup brushes can not only aggravate acne but also spread all sorts of viral, fungal and bacterial infections. EWW.

There are endless easy options for scrubbing up your brushes; from using brush cleansing sprays to solid soaps and a luxury washing machine-like devise for your tools – but you could cut the corners completely with self-cleaning makeup brushes.

Here are the dangers of dirty brushes that you should know about to reduce risks of sorry skin and infections:

1. Your pores can get clogged up

It's great that you're not touching your face so much with your fingers when you apply makeup, but if your tools are filthy, you could still wind up breaking out.

2. You could get a staph infection

Through daily use, makeup brushes can accumulate dead skin cells, dirt, oil, pollution, and bacteria. These can include staphylococcus, streptococcus, and E. Coli, fungus, and viruses. Think this sounds far-fetched? An Australian woman contracted a staph infection after sharing makeup brushes with a friend, leaving her paralysed in the legs and arms.

3. You could get conjunctivitis

Sharing cosmetics and makeup brushes can spread conjunctivitis. Whilst it's a common and easily treatable infection, it's definitely probably something you want to avoid.

5. Your skin can get irritated

When all that bacteria and grime builds up, you can be left with stiffer bristles that can aggravate your skin.

6. You'll waste your money

Brushes that are looked after last longer. So don't let your hard-earned cash go to waste — keep your tools clean!

7. You can pull your eyelashes out

Curling your lashes can make a big difference to your look but when your eyelash curler is already full of sticky mascara it can pull at your lashes and pull them out. Leftover bits of mascara can also create clumps on your eyelashes.

8. You risk accelerating wrinkles

Dirty makeup brushes can expose the skin to oxidative stress from free radicals, which causes a breakdown of collagen and elastin and can result in premature aging.