balancing act
Clean BATHROOM BASICS
ISSUE 15 2018
20
www.wecarepharmacy.co.za
Bathrooms are a haven of clean, but when you look a little closer, just how clean is your bathroom? We’re talking about things you use every day: make up brushes, hair brushes and towels. How often do you clean these? We’re betting it’s not enough! Here is how you should be doing it:
MAKEUP BRUSHES AND SPONGES
Whenever you use a brush to apply makeup, some of the makeup product stays on the brush along with bacteria from your skin and dead skin cells. You put the brush in a drawer and this dark environment is the perfect breeding ground for the bacteria. The next morning, you rub that same brush against your face. Makeup brushes and sponges are porous, so they absorb the oils, products and other residue from your skin and, apart from causing breakouts and infections and generally being quite gross, it can also decrease the life of your brushes. Experts recommend deep cleaning your brushes at least once a month and applicators used around the eyes should be cleaned every two weeks. If they are used by more than one person, they should be cleaned with a sanitizing spray after every use as well. To clean your brushes properly, leave them to soak in a bowl of warm water for a minute or two. Don’t leave them too long and keep the bristles down so the water doesn’t run inside the brush and loosen the glue holding the bristles. If the brushes are extra cake-y from old makeup, use a drop of almond or olive
oil to loosen first. Put a small amount of soap on your hand and rub the bristles gently. Rinse under running water and squeeze gently to remove the excess water. Reshape the brush and leave it on a cupboard with the bristles off the edge to air-dry. Don’t leave them on a towel or the bristles can become mildewed.
HAIR BRUSHES
If you’re one of those people who rarely wash their hair brush, don’t feel alone. Most people don’t ever wash their brush properly. Each time you use a product on your hair, it coats each strand and when you brush your hair, the brush picks up scalp residue, strands of loose hair, possibly sweat and some of your product too. The next time you brush your hair, you’re depositing all of that back on top of your clean hair. So how often should you wash your brush? For the average person, every one to two weeks is ideal. If you have long hair or use a lot of product, it should be more often. If you start to see any product build up on your brush, it’s a sure sign that it needs to be cleaned. First remove the strands of hair. If there is quite a thick layer, use a rat-tail comb to lift the hair. For a round brush, use scissors to cut the hair on two sides to make it easier to pull the hair off. Fill a bowl with warm water and add a drop of shampoo. Swish the brush around for a few minutes and use the corner of a cloth to wipe between the bristles. Rinse the brush under running water and place it
bristle side down to dry. To make it easier next time, pull out the loose strands of hair every three to four days. If your brushes are being used by multiple people, a sanitizing spray should be applied between uses. Your brush goes a long way in determining whether you have a good or bad hair day so treat it well!
TOWELS
By their very nature, towels are super absorbent. But not only do they absorb the water from your body after your shower, they also pick up skin cells, soap that may not be rinsed off, and even dirt if you didn’t wash properly. When you leave the towel in your warm and damp bathroom, bacteria has the chance to breed and multiply. That musty smell you get on used or wet towels is bacteria! Towels that are used after bathing should be washed every three to four uses; towels used for working out should be washed after every use and hand towels should be replaced every two to three days because they are probably being used more often and possibly being used to dry hands that are not properly clean. To keep your towels soft and fluffy, machine wash them at as high a temperature as you can (60°C if possible). Use fabric softener occasionally and sparingly. Tumble drying them is the best way to keep them soft, especially if you shake them out before putting them in to loosen the fibres.