Which Facial Cleansing Brush is Right for You?

The beauty world has been buzzing about facial cleansing brushes and they have become a skincare staple for loads of us. I use mine every single day! Now there is so much choice on the market, it can be hard to know which one to go for. We thought we would put together a guide so you can work out which brush is best for you before you take the plunge into the world of skincare systems.

What does a Cleansing Brush Do?

Cleansing brushes, cleansing systems, sonic brushes... there are lots of different names for these brushes but they are all aimed at the same thing; cleansing the skin. Put simply, cleansing brushes are a different way to remove makeup and cleanse the skin. They have been proven to cleanse the skin more deeply and effectively than hands and cloths alone, making them a must-have beauty gadget for most skincare lovers.

There is a lot of complicated terminology surrounding cleansing brushes that can make it hard to know what the difference is between the different types, how they work and how they effect the skin.

Why Go for Sonic?

When we say 'Sonic', this refers to cleansing brushes which use oscillation (that's vibration to most of us) to cleanse the skin. Cheaper versions often involve rotating brushes, which spin rather than vibrate. This drags the skin and can exfoliate much too harshly for everyday use. You can also buy static facial brushes that you use to manually scrub the face, which again is more about exfoliation than deep cleansing.

Sonic cleansing brushes work differently, with the oscillations helping to push dirt and grim out of the pores, for deep cleansing without harsh exfoliation. All of the brushes we are talking about today class as sonic brushes, with pulsations that start from 9,000 oscillations per minute.

How Do You Use It?

Whilst each brush will have slightly different guidelines for use, there are some basic instructions which will work with all of them, so you can get the most out of whichever one you choose. The key thing is to make sure you aren't too harsh on your skin by using them wrongly. Our tips are:

• Hold the brush against the skin and move it in small circular motions. Don't press it into the skin. This will allow your brush to gently exfoliate without dragging the skin.
• Start on your forehead, then move down onto the nose and finish on the cheeks. Avoid the delicate skin around the eyes and stick to eye makeup remover and cotton pads to remove eyeshadow and mascara.
• Most brushes now have some kind of timing reminder so that you don't use them too long. Ideally, you want to use your brush for 1 minute, morning and evening (although more sensitive skin might prefer using just once a day).
• If you are using a cleansing brush with replaceable heads, these should be changed at least every 3 months, to prevent bacteria build up or bristles becoming damaged.
• Those who suffer from sensitive skin conditions like Rosacea should avoid cleansing brushes as they may exacerbate inflammation on delicate skin.
• Only use a cleansing brush with non-abrasive cleansers. Avoid any cleansers with exfoliating beads or scrubs, as your cleansing brush will offer you just the right amount of exfoliation.

Which One Should You Choose?

Here on Lookfantastic we stock a number of leading brand cleansing brushes and systems. Whilst they will all give you beautiful, clean and bright skin, we have summarised the differences between 5 of the best cleansing brushes so you can work out which one suits you.