And by “gunk,” I mean all of that nasty stuff that builds up between the teeth of your lash comb — the mascara, eye liner, eyeshadow, cat hair (don’t judge)…
I used to clean my lash comb with makeup wipes. I’d run them up and down the teeth of the comb to whisk away any gunky leftover makeup, and it worked well enough, I guess…because it got out most of the gunk, but I’d still see bits and bobs way down in there between the teeth.
I don’t do that anymore, though, because I’ve found a better solution.
A toothbrush!
It hit me (the idea, not the toothbrush) after this post about kitchen tools. I was wondering how the heck I was going to clean the tiny little teeth on my new julienne tool, and Sandra, one of the gals who comments on MBB (hi, Sandra!), mentioned that toothbrushes are great for getting in between tiny spaces.
Hmm…
If they’re good enough to clean julienne tools, why not lash combs?
So I grabbed a crusty lash comb (ewww… TMI, I know), an extra toothbrush that I had in my bathroom cabinet and some eye makeup remover. Then I wet the toothbrush head with the makeup remover and brushed my lash comb with it, just like I brush my teeth. Up and down, left and right, and around in little circles.
Voila! It removed every last morsel of leftover makeup — including the stuff stuck between the teeth.
Note: if you try this at home, I recommend using a toothbrush with stiff bristles.
And, obvs, please don’t reuse the same toothbrush to brush your teeth (gross, dude!).
Oh! This also works well with gnarly brow combs. 😉
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Happy Thursday, my friend. How are things going today?
I’ll have to try this! Like you, I was using my makeup wipes to scrub down my lash comb but it never seems to get it totally clean. Thanks for the tip!
You’re welcome. 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
It seems like such an obvious solution, yet I had never even thought of it! Thank you so much for the tips! I will definitely be trying this out tonight. Happy Thursday!
Happy Thursday to you, too, Colleen! I hope you had a nice day.
girl, you are brilliant. Thanks for sharing this with us! I’ve had this problem but never took the time to put any thought into it. Thanks for doing the mental weight-lifting for me 🙂
You’re welcome, LOL! 🙂
Lash comb? Dear me, I’m not using one. Maybe I should be! Usually I stick with mascaras that don’t clump & I work hard at unsticking any lashes that do stick together on rare occasion. I used to have an old mascara wand that I washed to help with unsticking but I haven’t done that in a while. But should I get a lash comb, I will remember this wonderful tip!
They’re wonderful! Sonia Kashuk has one that’s great. Not too expensive and it works well.
I am too lazy to use a lash comb. I just use the mascara wand.
I find that they help a ton! I’m kind of obsessed with lashes though. I could easily spend 15 minutes on them.
Interesting technique! I might try it 😉
Let me know if you do!
I haven’t used a lash comb in a while, I don’t even think I own one these days. If the mascara is making clumps, it goes to the trash, no time for an extra step!
I loooove my lash comb. I can’t live without it!
Duh! This seems so obvious. So why didn’t I think of it? Especially, since I used a soft toothbrush to clean the stone settings in my rings. Thanks for the brain nudge. Don’t laugh, but I’d been trying to slide the edge of a tissue between the teeth on my lash comb to clean it.
Totally not laughing because it sounds like something I would do! 🙂
Just found a spare toothbrush and some makeup remover and cleaned my eyelash comb. I don’t think it’s been this clean since it was brand new. Thanks again.
Awesome tip! It is true that sometimes we have the best tools in front of our eyes and we can’t see them!
Happy to help. 🙂
I’ve been using toothbrushes for years to clean a sundry of things. THank God I never joined the army or I probably would have a story about cleaning a latrine. LOL
They’re good for cleaning bathrooms — especially around the sink! LOL
Hey Karen do you have any recommendations for cleaning eyebrow spoolies???
Hi Angela,
Use a toothbrush! It works for spoolies too.
Thanks for the tip, Karen! Brilliant! Will try it soon!
I didn’t have extra toothbrushes to use at the moment but I used a spoolie and cleansing oil to clean the lash comb. It looks like new. I had to go in with a water based cleanser to remove the leftover oil on the spoolie and the lash comb. But wow! My lash comb hasn’t looked this clean since I bought it. Haha! Thanks for the tip!