How to Properly Clean Your Beloved Beautyblender
beautyblender/instagram
A Beautyblender isn’t a regular sponge — it’s a cool sponge.
Despite its fame among celebrity makeup artists, its hot pink outfit, and its popularity on Instagram, at the end of the day it’s still a beauty tool you wipe all over your face, and one that needs to be regularly cleaned. So, because we’re not about throwing away a $20 sponge every time we need to apply foundation, we reached out to a few pros — one of which exclusively uses Beautyblenders as her sponge of choice — to find out exactly how to give it a good scrub down.
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"Beautyblenders have a unique ability to absorb water, which expands their shape,” says editorial makeup artist Lindsey Williams. "When the sponge is at its fullest absorption, it soaks up far less product, allowing the foundation to be applied to the skin and not soaked into the sponge.” Good news: This also means it’s easier to clean than the average sponge.
What Technique Should I Follow to Wash my Beautyblender?
"Whether your Beautyblender is covered with foundation or concealer, or is just dirty in some areas, you should wash it before every use," says Rea Ann Silva CEO and founder of Beautyblender.
When you're ready, Williams says it’s important to find the right cleanser. She recommends solids like the Blendercleanser Solid, or Laino Savon De Marseille Soap, since they're both gentle and effective, and Silva agrees. But you can also use liquid brush cleansers, or the same cleanser you use on your face.
"What I love about Blendercleansers is that they are all natural and protect all of my makeup tools from 99.7% of all harmful germs and bacteria for a full 24hrs after washing even if stains are left behind," Silva says.
To begin, Williams recommends fully immersing the sponge in warm water under the tap. “If I have a lot of sponges from a full day of multiple models, then I’ll use a bowl with warm water and drop my sponges to soak.”
Next, she gently “swirls and lathers” the sponges on the aforementioned soaps and massages the tool into the sponges.
"A word of advice: Lather, massage, repeat!" the makeup artist says. "One lather, massage, and rinse usually isn’t enough. Allow the soap to break apart product buildup within the sponge. You’ll know you have a clean sponge when the suds you squeeze out are clear from foundation tones."
If your Beautyblender is extra dirty, Silva offers another solution. "We recommend using our keep.it.clean scrubbing mitt. It will not only get stubborn stains out but will protect your blender from any tears."
VIDEO: How To Use (and Clean) a Beautyblender
How To Use a Beautyblender
How To Use a Beautyblender
How Do I Dry My Beautyblender?
Williams starts by squeezing out as much water as possible because it will allow your sponges to dry faster. "Let the sponges fully air dry as well before placing them back into a closed container, or you may find your half damp, sealed sponges have decided to mold," she says.
However, if you're in a rush, no worries.
"If you aren’t able to [air dry] and you want to take your blender with you, make sure to grab our Blenderdefender, it has ventilated holes so your blender can breathe when on the go!" Silva recommends.
How Often Should I Clean My Beautyblender?
Silva and Williams both recommend washing this tool every day.
"With daily use, any makeup tool can accumulate dead skin cells, dirt, oil, pollution and bacteria," Silva explains. "Using dirty makeup tools can cause clogged pores, skin irritation, risk of staph infection, and the risk of getting more wrinkles — yes, more wrinkles. This is due to the oxidative stress from free radicals trapped in makeup tools, which causes breakdown of collagen and elastin."
"Think of your makeup tools like your eating utensils,” Williams adds. "Would you eat dinner, set your fork on the counter, and pick it back up the next morning for breakfast without fulling cleaning it? Ew! Bacteria is bacteria no matter what tool we use.”
As for when it’s time to toss your sponge and buy a new one, Williams says you’ll know. If your Beautyblender starts to break apart, feels flimsy, or fades from excessive washing, it's time to let it go.
