Makeup and Beauty FAQ / Washing Brushes, Dry Shampoo, Midday Makeup Refresh
I wanted to focus a little bit more on makeup and beauty outside of skincare and received quite a bit of questions that I was excited to dive into. First off, we’ll go on a little guilt trip about how grossly seldom you wash your brushes and how you’re too lazy to wash your hair (but, same) and then how to cover up all your worries with makeup touchups.
How often should I wash my makeup brushes and do you have any tips for keeping up?
Honestly, literature points to washing brushes after every single use. A brush, which comes in contact with skin, which comes in contact with products, is a lot of cross contamination and all of the above are perfect breeding grounds for bacteria. And when you think about it, there’s no benefit of not washing brushes (aside from saved time on your end). I don’t think not washing brushes necessarily keeps brushes in better shape (fun fact, it can make them less effective). So yeah, you should clean your brushes at least once a week and definitely more often if you are acne prone or suffer from clogged pores.
You don’t have you buy fancy products. Household items include antibacterial dish soap, baby shampoo, olive oil.
For brushes, run the brush under water and swirl the wet brush in a palm full of cleanser + water. Once everything is super lathery, rinse with water. Repeat as needed.
For beauty blenders, I submerge in a little tub of water and soap and squeeze until things start running clear.
Some people demand that brushes hang to dry, but honestly, laying flat is fine. I like to let mine dry in the sunlight.
I’ve started cleaning my brushes whenever I clean my bathroom on Sunday afternoons— I usually don’t wear makeup on Sundays so I just hang out while those dry. And yes, it takes a long time.
Is dry shampoo bad for my hair?
I personally didn’t start dabbling in dry shampoo until a few years ago when I learned it isn’t always great to wash your hair every day. I just love showers and don’t like products in my hair, but I hadn’t found the right dry shampoo at that point. However, after my research, I’m going to rethink of often I’m using it.
Essentially dry shampoo absorbs the necessary oils your hair produces (just like how your skin produces necessary oils) and then kind of suffocates the hair follicle. While you think dry shampoo is just preventing oil build up (which it is, because your follicle is suffocating) the powder also attracts more dirt and grime based on its properties. The extra weight of buildup can be pretty bad for your overall hair growth and hair health.
So, what should you do? Use minimal quantities and not too often. Comb the product through your hair instead of letting it sit at the roots as well. This article has a few good options for other products to use instead of a traditional dry shampoo.
Do you refresh your makeup midday?
No, no I don’t. I think I primarily don’t care enough about what I look like in my office to take something into the bathroom and physically touch something up. Also, as I’ve mentioned before, more product on my face makes me look and feel grosser than if I just let the products be, falling off of my face and all.
Some products (liquid foundations, concealers, lipstick) generally don’t last long and need to be touched up as the day goes on. Or, perhaps you have very oily skin that needs extra assistance. When I’m traveling to see clients, I’d prefer to have a fresher face than an “I’ve been running around midtown all day how are you” face. So, I prepare for this in how I’m getting ready in the morning.
First, I make sure I have a very clean and moisturized (and exfoliated) face, but all of that happens the night before. Dry skin is where my skin most frequently hoards makeup throughout the day. I don’t use a primer regularly, but if you’re someone who likes to, I personally enjoy this one by The Ordinary. I don’t use heavy foundations and keep product application super light, especially in my problem areas (break outs) as they can look much worse very quickly. I also make sure I set or bake my under eye area with any type of translucent powder I can get my hands on. I spray my whole face with MAC Fix+ which makes me look glowy but also keeps everything in check. If I need to “refresh,” I’ll spritz again, but that’s more likely when I’m running from work to a night out and stop by home first— I rarely redo an entire face. I still wouldn’t take this with me to work.
Until next time!
LS
Sources:
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-20040/why-dry-shampoos-are-bad-for-your-hair-what-to-do-instead.html