Dermatologist reveals simple hack for cleaning makeup sponges

A California dermatologist is revealing her simple secret to successfully cleaning makeup sponges.

“Let’s check out the best way to clean your Beautyblenders, which should be cleansed after every use,” Dr. Azadeh Shirazi said in a TikTok over the summer that has attracted over 5.1 million views.

The board-certified dermatologist, who founded the beauty line AziMD Skincare, first rinses the sponge with water before washing it with soap and water.

“Let’s try water and soap, which has a lot of surfactants to help dissolve the makeup and clean it,” she explained.

As she showed the sponge to the camera, she noted that the soap and water “doesn’t do a great job,” pointing out that “the makeup is still on there.”

“So what’s the secret sauce?” she asked her 1.9 million TikTok followers.

The skincare expert revealed that mixing hot water, soap and olive oil is the most effective way to thoroughly clean and disinfect a makeup sponge.

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She explained that hot water helps to loosen everything, soap disinfects, and olive oil pulls the oils left behind from skin and makeup products, for a deeper clean.

While some viewers expressed surprise at this blend, olive oil has long been praised for its health benefits.

Shirazi also endorsed using an oil-based cleanser or throwing the sponges into the laundry machine.

She shocked viewers with her claim that makeup sponges should be cleaned after every use.

Several TikTokers were stunned by the frequency, with some chiming in with their own cleaning methods.

One woman recommended microwaving the Beautyblender for 30 seconds after cleaning to remove any soap that didn’t rinse off.