Tips for washing the Beauty Blender

I really love my Beauty Blender, but washing the darn thing is the most trying experience. I find it really quite difficult to wash, and then it takes about 3 days for it to return to its proper size. I use a lot of long-wearing foundations, so it never comes completely clean. Does anyone have any pro tips to get this thing cleaner, or should I just get new ones and start over? I have to admit that I don't wash it nearly as frequently as I should. Thanks!

Ideally you need to wash them every day with their proprietary cleaner, or at the very least once a week. On shows we have a 10 hr actor turn around from their wrap time, and in 10 hrs, the beauty blenders are mostly dried.

If it's not drying fast enough you're not squeezing the water out enough. So my tips.

1. Use a liquid soap. I have Beautyblenders soap but I typically use Mona Lisa's Pink Soap (found at craft stores like Hobby Lobby, Michaels and it use to be carried by some Walmarts). You can use shampoo, dish soap or hand soap but those products may not remove all cosmetic residue. If you have a liquid face cleansing product you can use that (depending on what it is of course) - Philosophy's Purity, 3 Labs foaming cleansing gel, etc.
    
2. Squeeze it out and squeeze it out some more. Use a towel and squeeze it again until it feels more dry then you can use alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol or surgical spirits) to pour onto the sponge then squeeze it again. The alcohol will help evaporate the water in your sponge and disinfect the sponge if you're worried that squeezing it normally and allowing to dry normally isn't working for you. Squeezing it and using a towel to squeeze out water should suffice.
    
3. Use a hair dryer on it. After you squeeze out as much water as possible use a hair dryer - get a small towel and hold the sponge in your hand with the towel so the towel is a barrier between your hand and the hot air from the dryer and squeeze it, turning it at the same time as you blow dry it. Squeeze, turn, squeeze, turn. Your sponge should be dry in a few minutes. The downside is that this may cause the sponge not to last as long as it would if you allow to air dry normally but if you're in a hurry a hair dryer will work.

Originally Posted by silverlocusts /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I really love my Beauty Blender, but washing the darn thing is the most trying experience. I find it really quite difficult to wash, and then it takes about 3 days for it to return to its proper size. I use a lot of long-wearing foundations, so it never comes completely clean. Does anyone have any pro tips to get this thing cleaner, or should I just get new ones and start over? I have to admit that I don't wash it nearly as frequently as I should. Thanks!

Click to expand...

I have found that while the beauty blender cleanser is ok, it doesn't work as well as bar soap. I've tried the Erno Laszlo Phelytyl Soap (got a sample from their site) & Marianella soap (received in pppsugar) with great results. After I clean my beauty blender, I wrap it in a clean wash cloth and squeeze it some more. It's completely dry by the next morning.

I didn't think of trying to blow dry it! I'll probably try a different soap next time too. Thanks everyone.

Originally Posted by zadidoll /img/forum/go_quote.gif

If it's not drying fast enough you're not squeezing the water out enough. So my tips.

1. Use a liquid soap. I have Beautyblenders soap but I typically use Mona Lisa's Pink Soap (found at craft stores like Hobby Lobby, Michaels and it use to be carried by some Walmarts). You can use shampoo, dish soap or hand soap but those products may not remove all cosmetic residue. If you have a liquid face cleansing product you can use that (depending on what it is of course) - Philosophy's Purity, 3 Labs foaming cleansing gel, etc.
   
2. Squeeze it out and squeeze it out some more. Use a towel and squeeze it again until it feels more dry then you can use alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol or surgical spirits) to pour onto the sponge then squeeze it again. The alcohol will help evaporate the water in your sponge and disinfect the sponge if you're worried that squeezing it normally and allowing to dry normally isn't working for you. Squeezing it and using a towel to squeeze out water should suffice.
   
3. Use a hair dryer on it. After you squeeze out as much water as possible use a hair dryer - get a small towel and hold the sponge in your hand with the towel so the towel is a barrier between your hand and the hot air from the dryer and squeeze it, turning it at the same time as you blow dry it. Squeeze, turn, squeeze, turn. Your sponge should be dry in a few minutes. The downside is that this may cause the sponge not to last as long as it would if you allow to air dry normally but if you're in a hurry a hair dryer will work.

Click to expand...

Thank you for these tips!

Originally Posted by zadidoll /img/forum/go_quote.gif

If it's not drying fast enough you're not squeezing the water out enough. So my tips.

1. Use a liquid soap. I have Beautyblenders soap but I typically use Mona Lisa's Pink Soap (found at craft stores like Hobby Lobby, Michaels and it use to be carried by some Walmarts). You can use shampoo, dish soap or hand soap but those products may not remove all cosmetic residue. If you have a liquid face cleansing product you can use that (depending on what it is of course) - Philosophy's Purity, 3 Labs foaming cleansing gel, etc.
   
2. Squeeze it out and squeeze it out some more. Use a towel and squeeze it again until it feels more dry then you can use alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol or surgical spirits) to pour onto the sponge then squeeze it again. The alcohol will help evaporate the water in your sponge and disinfect the sponge if you're worried that squeezing it normally and allowing to dry normally isn't working for you. Squeezing it and using a towel to squeeze out water should suffice.
   
3. Use a hair dryer on it. After you squeeze out as much water as possible use a hair dryer - get a small towel and hold the sponge in your hand with the towel so the towel is a barrier between your hand and the hot air from the dryer and squeeze it, turning it at the same time as you blow dry it. Squeeze, turn, squeeze, turn. Your sponge should be dry in a few minutes. The downside is that this may cause the sponge not to last as long as it would if you allow to air dry normally but if you're in a hurry a hair dryer will work.

Click to expand...

wow, totally brilliant!  i love the idea of using alcohol to disinfect AND make it dry faster.  and why did i never think of using a hair dryer before?!  I never take my b.b. on business trips because I don't want a damp sponge hanging around in my luggage breeding bacteria....problem solved!

I have been using my Philosophy Purity cleanser on my b.b. and it works pretty well! I would use my pink soap but I'm on an extended work trip and didn't bring it - living out of a hotel has its spatial challenges.

Good tips... I've been wondering how to clean it good without the beauty blender cleaner.

I wash mine every morning after I use it. I use warm water and hand soap since that's what I have handy. After washing, I squeeze in in a towel to get out more water, then move it to a dry area on the towel squeeze it out again, repeat 3-4 times. I set it on the bathroom counter to dry and it's always dry by the time I get home from work in the late afternoon.

I just asked this question in a haul I just posted about- I just bought the beauty blender today. Then, I found this thread! An instant answer to my question lol.

I just recently gave into purchasing a beautyblender. I just couldn't justify paying £20 for a sponge and so I waited and waited aaaaand waited. I tried the Real Techniques sponge when it first came out and fell in love with it. When I saw the beautyblender on sale on Amazon, i jumped on the bandwagon and love it. 

Any who, I tend to wash all of my brushes (those I don't mind spending on lol) with a Marseille soap bar. This an incredibly mild soap done old style that cleanses my brushes beautifully (not to mention it is super cheap). 

Having read that it is OK to use dish soap, would Dawn be OK to use given that it also anti bacterial? Would it be too drying for the sponge?

Cheers!

Which do you like better? I have the Beauty Blender bar but I felt like it didn't last very long. Has anyone tried the liquid cleanser?

That is a very big problem with the most of us, to remove the foundations off our faces.

One effective way of getting rid of it is to use two drops of argan oil instead of a moisturizer to any foundation, this makes it easy to come off when you want to take it off. The blend of the two also gives the extra glow to to ur skin. i hope this helps you people.

We all face this problem almost everyday and it leaves the skin feeling dry. I used to face the same but then i read this remedy whch helped me alot. Trust me its very effective, use two drops of argan oil instead of a moisturizer to any foundation,this will make the makeup removal process easy without having to worry about the effects on skin. The blend of the two also gives the extra glow to tour skin,which acts as the cherry on the top and works wonders for the skin.

I hope you all get the benefit of this makeup tip. Enjoy.

catherine lindsay said:

That is a very big problem with the most of us, to remove the foundations off our faces.

Click to expand...

She meant getting foundation out of a Beautyblender not off her face.

Esthylove said:

Which do you like better? I have the Beauty Blender bar but I felt like it didn't last very long. Has anyone tried the liquid cleanser?

Click to expand...

I prefer the solid, by far. I don't know why, but it never seems like I can work the liquid cleanser in all the way - it's too thick, or something (if that makes sense). /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

@@zadidoll Thank you for the tip about the alcohol! I've actually been wondering for a while if putting alcohol through my bb would be safe for it. I don't feel like mine is unclean, but I'd like to just take that extra step every now and then!

Shalott said:

I prefer the solid, by far. I don't know why, but it never seems like I can work the liquid cleanser in all the way - it's too thick, or something (if that makes sense). /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

@@zadidoll Thank you for the tip about the alcohol! I've actually been wondering for a while if putting alcohol through my bb would be safe for it. I don't feel like mine is unclean, but I'd like to just take that extra step every now and then!

Click to expand...

Ooooh good, maybe I'll buy some more of the solid one! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Apologies for the blunder. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> 

It's a good tip though. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> You should post it in a new topic. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I just rinse mine with alcohol to kill germies.

Buy some cheap dupes so you won't care about tossing them once in a while /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />