It's important to cleanse, sanitize and sometimes condition your tools for hygienic and maintenance reasons. Properly maintained tools will give great service and will last a long time.
Those tools are whatever you use to apply your makeup: brushes, sponges, tweezers, eyelash curlers, applicators, etc.
You can't use dirty tools on your skin. That's a recipe for disaster.
That said, let's get into it.
Brushes
Depending on how often you use your brushes, you should be able to determine how often you wash your brushes. If you use brushes to apply makeup everyday, I suggest sanitizing after each use and a wash with conditioning every week or two weeks.
To sanitize your brushes daily, you can buy a brush cleaner or you can make a product at home.
To make a product at home, mix a cup of water with a tablespoon of vinegar or witch hazel, a tablespoon of alcohol, a tablespoon of dish liquid (and a tiny bit of conditioner if you wish) in a spray bottle.
When you're done with your brushes for the day, spray some product on the bristles and rub them into a towel until the makeup stops running. Then reshape the bristles and lay them bristles down to dry.
At deep cleaning time, you want to use baby shampoo, dish soap, Castile soap or a gentle cleanser with a tiny bit of olive oil or conditioner to thoroughly but gently work out every bit of makeup from the innermost depths of the brush.
Rinse and repeat until the lather is white. Then reshape the bristles and dry top down. Try not to soak the brushes in water or get too much water into the ferrule. That could cause shedding and damage to your brush. This is why drying bristles down is recommended.
This can be a real process of you have a lot of dirty brushes. I recommend regular washes to avoid having too many dirty brushes at a time.
For brushes which may be stained or seem impossible to clean, Castile soap is a wonder! I often use a facial cleanser with Castile soap and tea tree oil. Magic.
Sponges
Sponges can be quite difficult to clean especially based on how they are used. Sponges used dry are even harder.
They can be cleaned in much the same way as brushes minus the conditioning. Sponges can't be sanitized the way brushes can. I just use my sponge in one spot at a time so that everyday I have a clean spot to work with. Or I go wild and wash it the same day. Sponge is known for its ability to store germs.
To remove sponge stains, soak in oil, massage and then wash out the oil with soap.
Sponges must dry very well or they can get mouldy. Dry your sponges in sunlight if you can, otherwise is dry open spaces. Do not store when damp.I let my sponges dry completely for about 2 or three days before I store them.
That includes your compact and travel sponges.
Other
All other makeup applicators and tools must also be sanitized if not washed. It's a good idea to rub down your cases, compacts, bottles, tubes, etc with alcohol every now and then. Everything may not be able to withstand soap and water but alcohol with kill those germs that can weak havoc on your skin.
Wipe down your tweezers, the rubber in the eyelash curlers, brush holders, sharpeners, pumps...you get the point.
You may be able to sanitize your cosmetics depending on what they are by:
Scraping off the top layer.
Dipping them in high percentage alcohol.
Placing them in the freezer overnight.
Proper hygiene also includes throwing out products which have expired. No matter how much you love them and how hard it is (believe me, I know) you can't risk it. You never know, the next terrible story on the internet could be about you.
Keep track of how long you have had your products and whether the formula looks, smells or acts the same.
If in doubt, throw it out.
According to Huffington Post, products should be thrown out after:
Liquid Foundation and Concealer, Lipstick and Lip gloss, powder products 2 years
Mascara 3-6 months
Eye and Lip Pencils 5 years
Eye shadows 2 years
It's pointless, collecting stuff to look pretty if you're harming your skin at the same time.
NB: Never share eye products or tools
