Srsly, You NEED To Replace These Beauty Tools Regularly

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Remember the last time you replaced your hairbrush? Or shopped for a new pair of tweezers? Makeup sponge, maybe? Besties, it’s time for a reality check: beauty tools, like the coconut milk in your fridge RN, have an expiration date. Before you roll your eyes, picture all the itty-bitty bacteria lurking in the ride-or-dies that have served you well since Year 8. See why we’re concerned? DW, here’s how to tell when good tools go bad.

1. Beauty Sponges

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Expiration Date: Three to six months after first use.

The Tea on the Tool: Our makeup sponge is legit our bestie, and we try our best to keep her in tip-top shape. That includes showering her with love (read: soap) to rinse out any leftover product after every use. Yet, we know that she picks (and holds on to) all the dead skin cells, dirt, and bacteria on our faces – if we don’t give her a thorough cleanse – and slaps it back onto our face the next time we build our base. Yikes.

When she smells funky, looks beat – tiny tears or a wonky appearance – or just doesn’t feel as squishy after a deep cleanse, it’s time to say bye-bye.

2. Makeup Brushes

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Expiration Date: Depends on the brush’s health status.

The Tea on the Tool: Brushes, like makeup sponges, also get quality time with the minuscule bacteria chilling on your face. The more you use them, the more they need a good ol’ rinse with soap and water – we recommend making it a weekly ritual tho. However, many factors determine their expiration date – overall cleanliness, wear on the handle, and fullness and softness of the bristles. Ideally, a standard brush set can last you anytime between one to five years, *provided* you take good care of it. But we’d suggest adding a new set to your cart once the above qualities decline.

3. Tweezers 

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Expiration Date: Whenever they don’t get the job done.

The Tea on the Tool: Ok, tweezers are made from stainless steel, which doesn’t exactly expire… But you’ll notice a steep drop in quality over time. Like every tool on the block, pluckers experience the regular “wear and tear” phenomenon. In other words, they gradually lose their ability to grab those teensy stray strands with the utmost precision – not exactly what you wanna hear, right? When this happens, follow the relationship rule: if they’re slacking, dump ’em.

4. Face and Body Razors

Expiration Date: After five to seven shaves.

The Tea on the Tool: The American Academy of Dermatology confirms our worst teen nightmare; razor blades and disposable razors have a lifespan of approx five to seven shaves (gulp). Your razors tend to pick up a lot while journeying across your body – hair, shaving cream, and dead skin cells, to be precise. This buildup of accumulated gunk gets caught between the blades and should be rinsed off after every swipe.

Unfortunately, water can only do so much – there are still going to be bits lurking, which can spread and infect any nicked areas. Blades also lose their “sharpness” over time, so a super close shave is out of the question. Send your six-month-old razor to the trash, bestie; she’s only going to give you an uneven shave, redness, or worse, razor burn!

5. Hair Brushes

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Expiration date: After six months of use (yup).

The Tea on the Tool: Your hairbrush (or fork, if you’re Princess Ariel) is a hub for not-so-great things like bacteria, dirt, and dust. These invisible bits build up with every swipe and cling onto the brush’s bristles for dear life, often becoming impossible to remove without regular cleaning. If that wasn’t enough, your brush also swoops up any excess hair, scalp debris, and lingering product, which it dumps back onto your strands during the next brush-through.

Make it a habit to clean your hairbrush every two weeks or so – remove any loose hair, then soak the brush in a mixture of hot water and a clarifying shampoo for about four minutes. If you notice any missing bristles or spikes in the process, it’s time to say goodbye because these loose ends could get caught in your stands, causing breakage.

Okay, so now you know their expiration dates, here are some amazing beauty dupes you need on your radar.