A third of Brits have never cleaned their beauty tools
New research by Champneys revealed 31% of people in the UK have never cleaned their beauty tools, despite the fact that 48% have used the same beauty tools for years.
The spa brand partnered with microbiologist Amy-May Pointer to uncover the dirty truths about the nation’s beauty tool habits, discovering that harmful fungus can be found on unclean hairbrushes and tanning mitts. Champneys also surveyed 1,500 Brits to find out about how often people are cleaning their tools.
Beauty tools like eyelash curlers were found to be particularly dirty, with Pointer’s research revealing lash curlers can potentially contain mites which could lead to hair loss.
Earlier this year it was revealed that make-up brushes house more bacteria than mobile phones.
What can we do to keep our tools clean?
Surprisingly, 25% of the nation said that they would rather buy a new beauty tool than clean their current one, which could be due to the fact that 26% said that they didn’t know how to clean their tools properly. Alice Lightfoot, spa manager at Champneys, shares some insight into how to keep your beauty bag as clean as possible.
For tanning mitts, Lightfoot says that the best way to keep them clean and fresh for your next application is to put them in the washing machine after use and then let it air dry, remembering not to put anything else in the wash with the mitt.
Metal beauty tools such as tweezers must be kept clean otherwise there is a risk of bacteria build up where bodily fluid is released when the hair is removed.
“Our tweezers (at Champneys Spas) are soaked in a Barbacide and put through an autoclave sterilising unit at the end of the day,” says Lightfoot. For home use, putting them through a dishwasher or soaking them in hot soapy water for 5-10 minutes after every use helps keep your tweezers clean.
“To avoid your skin or haircare products having the opposite effect, it’s incredibly important to know how and when to clean your tools,” says Lightfoot. “An effective cleaning routine, similar to how we might professionally clean our tools at Champneys, will not only save your skin, hair and nails, but it will also help prolong the life of your beauty equipment- hopefully reducing the quarter of Brits who would rather throw their tools out than clean them.”
How often do you clean your beauty tools? Let us know in the comments…