Cleaning your cosmetic brushes is more important than you might think. A makeup brush’s regular contact with your skin affords it countless opportunities to pick up and deposit all kinds of things, pore-clogging bacteria included. Scarier still, a story published in Medical Daily recounts the terrifying and life-threatening staph infection one Texas woman picked up from an eyebrow brush. If the occasional breakout from dirty makeup brushes isn’t enough to inspire regular washings, the threat of blindness and death should do the trick.

Luckily, getting those brushes clean is relatively simple. Research published by The University Of Nevada found that commercially available makeup cleansing pads reduced potentially harmful microbes up to 98 percent on large makeup brushes. The study compared the effectiveness of over-the-counter products designed specifically for cleaning cosmetic brushes to the use of cleansing the brushes with shampoo. The shampoo reduced the microbial contamination up to 90 percent, almost a full 10 percent less than the cosmetic brush cleansers.

Professional makeup academies recommend washing brushes with shampoo followed by disinfecting with antiseptic. Based on the research, using a makeup brush cleanser than contains antiseptic, like this tea tree oil infused brush shampoo from orglamix, delivers the best of both worlds. For the most effective results, wash the bristles of the brush in the solution and rinse with warm water. It’s important not to get the base of the brush wet, to avoid weakening the glue that holds the bristles in place. Use a clean, lint-free cloth to gently dry the bristles while keeping them in their natural shape. Squeezing the bristles with your fingers or nails can deform them while also re-introducing bacteria. Allow the brushes to fully dry upside down. Any water that remains in the base could cause your brush’s metal to rust and wood to crack.

And while other cleansers, like rinse-free sprays, may be effective at killing unwanted bacteria, they don’t always remove particles that can clog pores, making them less effective overall unless rinsed and dried first. So, how often should you be giving your brushes a thorough scrub? Makeup brushes should be cleansed at least once every two weeks for optimal sanitation. And now that you know how to keep your cosmetic tools clean, it’s time to Simplify Your Life With These 20 Multitasking Beauty Products.

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