1. Acne

Putting bacteria and germs back onto your face with a sticky, dusty makeup brush can aggravate underlying skin conditions like acne. If you have an open sore, pore or cracked skin, bacteria can start an infection. You'll be swapping the infection back and forth creating a never-ending cycle of breakouts. This is the biggest of all the reasons to clean your makeup brushes, but let's continue, shall we?

2. Skin Irritation

Makeup bristles caked with product can dry out, causing them to become brittle, making them abrasive to your skin. Ouch! Scouring your face with scratchy makeup brushes can irritate and roughen the texture of your soft skin. It can even make your skin look dull. Cleaning your brushes on the regular keeps them soft and supple. You want your makeup brushes to feel like a soft cloud on your face, not a Brillo pad.

3. Herpes and Pinkeye

Your lipgloss and mascara containers are a dark and moist environment, where herpes loves to live. You can clean your lipgloss wands and your lipstick with a spritz of rubbing alcohol. Please, never share your lip/eye brushes, mascara or eyeliner with anyone! You'll just be swapping germs with your BFF.

4. Contamination

Cosmetic gels and creams are wet environments waiting for your dirty brush bristles, where bacteria can multiply. Liquid makeup gets older much faster than powder. Have a separate brush for each cosmetic to avoid contamination between them.

5. Changes the Color

If your makeup brushes are dirty, the intended shade will not appear on your skin as its true color. Also, blending and contouring your makeup for those dramatic effects will be difficult. You want your skin to look as smooth as porcelain after you put on your makeup. Dirty makeup brushes with leave you with a spotty face.

6. Destroy Makeup Brushes

Makeup creams left to dry can stiffen the bristles of makeup brushes and destroying them. Quality makeup brushes can be expensive. Cleaning them will maintain their softness and strength keeping them in good shape longer. You can opt to purchase disposable brushes or cheaper brushes to replace more often.

7. No Hands

Dirty makeup brushes are just as bad as using your fingers. Putting foundation, powder, or shadow on your face, even with clean hands, is a no-no. The oils on your hands spread bacteria around your face much more easily than brushes. We don't want bacteria on our faces because it can cause blemishes and other nasty skin irritations. Putting your hands on your face can even spread flu and cold germs. Yuck!

Now you have seven terrifying reasons to clean your makeup brushes. Dirty makeup brushes are just nasty! You wash your clothes, your hair and your dishes. So why not wash your makeup brushes too? Are you rushing to your bathroom sink to clean yours now? Check out the next post on how to clean your makeup brushes.