My old boss told me I was washing brushes wrong and it saved me $40 a month on replacement sponges

I used to just rinse my makeup brushes under warm water and call it done. My boss at the Sephora counter back in 2019 pulled me aside and showed me how the bristles actually trap soap if you don't swirl them in a specific direction. She said "you're basically just moving dirt around not lifting it out." Now I do the 3 step swirl and rinse routine. My brushes last about 4 months longer each. Anyone else get a simple trick from someone that totally changed their daily habit?

3 comments

3 Comments

angela_harris27d ago

Oh man, I actually have to disagree a bit here. I mean, I get what she was saying about technique mattering, but I've been rinsing my brushes under warm water with a gentle soap for years and they hold up totally fine. Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather save the extra couple minutes and just replace a brush every year or so instead of doing a whole 3 step swirl thing.

the_jana27d ago

Hang on, I gotta push back on that. If you're just rinsing with warm water and not actually cleaning the bristles properly, you're basically just moving the makeup around, not removing it. The glue bond thing is real - I had a Morphe brush literally split in half after like 4 months of my "lazy" cleaning method. The 3 step swirl takes maybe 45 seconds total and keeps the bristles from getting all matted and frayed. Plus, a good brush costs $20-$30, why would you want to toss it every year when you could keep it for 3-4 years with a little extra effort? And don't even get me started on how gross a "rinsed only" brush gets - you're just painting bacteria back on your face.

wood.faith27d ago

Starting with $40. That's like what, two trips to Starbucks? I did the math on my brushes once. Replacing 4 brushes a year at quality price vs 6 months of extra minutes cleaning. You're paying for convenience, not value. @angela_harris if you're just rinsing with warm water you're leaving residue that breaks down the glue bond faster. My boss showed me a brush she cleaned "the old way" for 6 months. Foam backing was literally separating from the handle. The swirl thing takes 30 extra seconds. I'd rather have tools that work right than save a couple minutes a week.