Can You Wash A Beauty Blender With Soap?

Our lives changed with the Beauty Blender. True, makeup sponges have always been around and makeup artists have always sworn by them, but it wasn't until the perfectly poofy pink body launched in 2003 that we all experienced the miracle of the BB. If you're anything like me and use yours daily, you may be wondering: Can you wash a Beauty Blender with soap? Here's how to perfectly clean your favorite makeup tool with something you already have in your kitchen cabinet.

Beauty Blenders work best when they're damp, which allows them to expand into a giant, soft sponge. But that damp environment — combined with oils from your fingers and constant, daily handling — is prime breeding ground for bacteria. No matter how much you clean it, a Beauty Blender isn't meant to last forever. According to beautyblender.com, even with routine cleansing, the lifespan of a sponge is only three months. If you use your blender every day, I recommend cleaning it at minimum once a week. You can even clean it every day after use, it's simply up to you. It's easy to clean before use every time; plus, your BB will already be damp and ready for use! As usual, the cleaner your tools are, the less likely you are spreading bacteria.

Beauty Blender, $20, Amazon

While there are tons of sponge cleansers out there, the best and easiest way to clean your sponge is with a gentle, antibacterial soap. I prefer dish soap, like Dawn, when washing my own BB, but any gentle antibacterial soap will do, from BB-specific cleansers to baby shampoo.

Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid, $8, Amazon

When cleaning your BB, first fill a bowl or sink with cold water and four teaspoons of cleanser. Submerge your sponge and start to squeeze your sponge into a lather. You'll soon see the foundation and general gross goo pour from the sponge. Keep lathering and rinsing until all that grossness comes out of the sponge and all that's left is clear water. Next, squeeze out the excess water with a towel. Now, you're ready to use it or store it.

When storing, it's important to keep in open air so mold and bacteria don't keep growing. The Beauty Blender container makes a great pedestal for storing your sponge. One of my favorite beauty bloggers, Kandee Johnson, shows how to perfectly clean and use a Beauty Blender (in the video above).

Beauty Blenders are phenomenal products, and totally worth the extra work to keep them in tip top shape.

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