This is how often you should be cleaning your makeup brushes, according to experts

Dirty makeup brushes can cause breakouts and irritation. Experts share how often to clean your brushes and sponges, plus the best cleaners to get the job done.

With all the content available online these days, it can be hard to figure out what’s real and what’s hype. While we don’t always have the answers, we have a direct line to people who do — which is why we present to you our series The Internet Made Me Ask, where we have experts break down the truth about some of the buzziest trends on our timelines, like how often you should wash jeans. Makeup brushes do a lot of work — namely sweeping foundation, blush, powder and other cosmetics onto your face day after day — yet many people rarely think about cleaning them. It’s an easy chore to put off, especially since freshly washed brushes can take up to 24 hours to dry.

The only problem with that is that skipping regular cleanings can affect both how your makeup looks and the health of your skin. “[Not cleaning makeup brushes] can lead to makeup buildup on the brush hairs, which can negatively affect the softness of the bristles over time and lead to a patchy or streaky application,” says Eric Vosburg, a New York City-based makeup artist. “And due to the high moisture content from liquid and cream products, bacteria can easily form and grow, which can cause the contaminated tools to spread bacteria around the skin,