It seems as if everyone and their mother is using a new-fangled facial brush – and for good reason, too. These cool cleansing contraptions claim to calm your complexion and purge pores like no other, with minimal elbow grease on your part to boot: Slap on cleanser, activate your appliance, press to face, rinse off, done.
But here’s the thing. These “electric toothbrushes” for your face are incredibly intuitive to use … until they’re not. Are you absolutely positive you’re using your gadget properly? Run through this checklist of boo-boos and see if you’re getting the most bang for your beauty buck!
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Using a scrub with your device? Stop! I picked the beauty brains of Mildred Lee, assistant manager for Clarisonic Singapore, and this is the most frequent faux pas by far. Take it from the expert herself: “The microbeads in an exfoliant may damage the bristles of your brush, which translates to diminished efficacy all round.” So no, more isn’t more in this instance.
Scrimping on the amount of cleanser you’re using? A Porsche’s worth peanuts without its engine fuel. So yes, standard operating procedure applies, cutting-edge device or no. That means a largish coin-sized dollop of your (scrub-free) face wash, which when spread ought to be enough to cover the entire circumference of your brush-head.
Scared of getting your gadget wet? Lube up, baby. You need to douse your brush-head (note: just the head, not the entire body, obvy) with warm water for maximum whirring action. Wee caveat: Water resistance varies across the board, so check the tech specs of the particular model of facial brush you’re using
Doubling up by using the same brush as your BF? Sharing is most emphatically not caring in this instance: You’ll be swapping spit, among other suspect substances. Here’s how to keep your effluvia to yourself and save some pennies in the process: Use the same gadget with your individually marked detachable brush-heads. Easy!
Using dishwashing liquid to “sterilise” your equipment? Mildred cautions against deploying detergents to disinfect your device, as overly strong solvents can strip the bristles of their protective outer layering. Using a mild shampoo every week or so should suffice in keeping your thingamajig in tip-top condition.
Using the same brush since 2012? Here’s the hard truth: Like tossing your toothbrushes, you need to swap out your brush-head every three months or so, as the bristles tend to stiffen and diminish in polishing power. When you notice the fibres starting to clump together, replacement is required!
Swearing off your device because you started breaking out? Vigourous scouring on virgin skin may induce lurking spots to spring to the surface, even if you have dry skin. This pimple purging should pass, so be patient and stick with it. What you can do is to dial back on the frequency of use to once a day, and only at the mildest setting. If (touch wood!) your zits aren’t zapped after a fortnight, fast-track the process by scheduling a tune-up at your regular skin doctor.
So yes, with careful curating and adherence to these best practices, your grooming gadget ought to stand you in good stead for many pore-free, flake-free years to come. Good luck!
Because cleanliness is next to gorgeousness: Pleased as punch with my new beauty babies, all lined up and pretty in pink. Here's the covetable Clarisonic Sonic Radiance Aria and its accompanying skincare sidekicks comprising a Skin Illuminating Cleanser, Skin Renewing Essence Boost and Brightening Activator Serum ($355 in total). The pitch? Brighter skin after just one use. Instant gratification! Yes, please, that will do. Out April 2015!