


Step 3: Rinse out the soap and makeup under warm water, squeezing it to get everything out of the middle, until your sponge looks clean and free from any patches. This may take some time until you feel as though the soap has fully lifted away all of the excess makeup and dirt. Step 2: Apply your chosen soap or cleanser onto your makeup sponge and massage it in. Step 1: Rinse your sponge under warm water until it is completely soaked and has expanded slightly. Follow this easy step by step guide to leave your makeup sponge looking brand new: An oil based cleanser or balm such as the Clinique Take the Day off Balm is also a good option for cleansing a makeup brush as the oil penetrates deeper into the sponge, picking up more makeup. One of the most obvious ways to wash your Makeup sponge is with soap or a makeup sponge cleanser such as the ISOCLEAN Makeup Brush Cleaner with Spray Top that can be gentler on the sponge. I'd be concerned that it might alter the chemical composition." (And on that note: Look for clean sponges that are made with ingredients you trust.How to clean your makeup sponge using cleanser "And many sponges are treated with stuff like flame retardants, and I certainly can't recommend cooking them up with microwave rays. "Most sponges are made from antibacterial foams, so the idea that heating them up will make them more sterile is not accurate," she says. Patinkin notes that it's not just that it's unnecessary, but there might be real reasons you don't want to use it. "The first time I tried this, I set my blender on fire. And I have tried them all myself, just to see if I was missing anything," says Silva. "I have seen and heard of so many different, crazy ways that people have tried in order to clean their blenders. But nearly all the experts say to skip this hack, as it doesn't hold up to scrutiny-plus, good old-fashioned soap and water does just fine. There seems to be an endless number of articles and posts about how you can use the microwave to zap away germs and bacteria. Silva agrees, noting that some soaps run the risk of shortening the life span of the sponge: "If you are using anything that isn't alcohol-free and gentle and was not formulated for makeup tools, you risk breaking down the foam." "If you don't fully rinse, your sponge can get kind of hard and dense. Liquid dish soap and shampoos do get sponges clean, but there are so many foaming agents in them, they can be really challenging to fully rinse." She goes on to explain that more severe or harsher soaps (like traditional shampoos or dish detergents) may cause issues in another way: "One of the most important steps is you must fully rinse out the soap," says Patinkin. "I personally prefer to stay away from sodium lauryl sulfates because that's a detergent that runs off into our waterways, and I avoid fragrances because they can damage the sponge foam." "Any fragrance-free cleanser will do," says Patinkin. You've done your job when the water is back to transparent and there's no more lather left.Īs for the soap, there are plenty of sponge-specific washes on the market, but any gentle option will do in a pinch.
CLEANING MAKEUP SPONGE FULL
At first rinse, the water will likely look pretty full of makeup, but with diligent work, it will start to clear up. Wet the sponge, apply a small amount of your soap, and start working up the lather between your hands. It's pretty simple: Grab your sponge and soap and head to the sink. "And this is really gross very dirty sponges will start to smell weird. Please, please wash your sponges before that happens!" "So just like washing your face or brushing your teeth every day, this will help keep your makeup tools in tiptop shape."īut in case you just know you're not going to be that diligent, makeup artists Jenny Patinkin-who boasts her own collection of sponges, brushes, and tools-says every three to four uses is OK, or "at least once a week!"Īnd in case you want some sensorial cues it's time for a rinse, Patinkin looks for these: "There's the obvious visual cue of how dirty the sponge looks. If you use your sponge damp, you'll also start to feel it squish differently when there's too much product built up on the inside," she says.
CLEANING MAKEUP SPONGE SKIN
With daily use, any makeup tool can accumulate dead skin cells, dirt, oil, pollution and bacteria," says makeup artists Rea Ann Silva, founder of Beautyblender. "I highly recommend cleaning your sponge daily. In a perfect world, experts say to wash them with every use. There's what we know we should be doing and what's, ahem, realistic.
