Electronic brushes are becoming increasingly popular, with more and more people adding them into their skin care routine. 

Wondering what they are, how they work and if you need one?

Here is everything you need to know…

What Is An Electronic Brush?

An electronic skin care brush is designed to cleanse and exfoliate the skin, and can often do this much more effectively than the usual manual method. 

They usually feature a battery-powered motor that enables the brush head to rotate or move back and forth, and this repetitive motion is how the brush is able to cleanse the skin. 

The Benefits of Using An Electronic Brush

For many, an electronic cleansing brush may seem like an unnecessary luxury, especially when your hands are able to do the job too. 

However, these brushes do actually bring with them a number of different benefits…

Consistent Cleansing

You may think that you are giving your skin an even and consistent cleanse when you use your hands, but chances are that you end up focussing more on certain parts of your skin. 

No matter how hard you try, you will no doubt end up running over certain areas more than others, and the thickness of the cleansing product you use will vary too. 

This is one of the ways in which an electronic brush beats the manual method, because it provides such a consistent and standardized cleanse each and every time you use it. This is not only thanks to the constant pressure the brushes apply, but many of them also feature timers, so that you know exactly how long you have been cleansing for. 

Gentle Exfoliation

Thanks to the way in which the bristles on an electronic brush are able to work their way deeper into your skin, electronic brushes are fantastic for exfoliation as well as cleansing. 

They provide a method of mechanical exfoliation, meaning that they physically dislodge any dead skin cells, dirt and oil that have settled into your skin, allowing them to then be washed away. 

Does every cleansing brush exfoliate too? 

Pretty much, which is why you shouldn’t use an electronic brush every day. This will be discussed in more detail further on. 

Increased Product Absorption

When applying products to your skin, you obviously want them to be absorbed as much as possible, so that your skin can gain the maximum benefits from them. 

However, cleansing manually does often mean that certain particles are left behind on the skin, and these then block products from properly penetrating into the skin. 

Using a cleansing brush prevents this from happening, due to the way in which they are so effective at clearing away any impurities that are sitting on the skin or in your pores. 

Increased Circulation

The way in which an electronic brush feels on the skin is often compared to a mini facial massage. 

The brush stimulates the surface of the skin, which has the effect of boosting circulation. 

Why is this important? 

Because your blood flow plays a couple of key roles when it comes to the health of your skin: 

• Delivers oxygen and nutrients to skin cells 
• Clears toxic waste and carbon dioxide away from skin cells

By speeding this process up, you increase the rate at which the above two functions occur. This means that not only does your skin receive more oxygen and nutrients, but it also has its waste cleared away faster. As you can imagine, this really helps your skin to flourish and thrive, giving you a healthy and rosy glow in return. 

How Often Should You Use It?

As mentioned above, electronic brushes don’t only cleanse the skin, but they exfoliate it too. 

While some people may be tempted to use their brushes every day, this just means that you will likely end up over-exfoliating your skin. 

This can then lead to:

• Inflammation and redness
• Sensitivities and irritation 
• Increased breakouts
• Peeling and flaking skin 
• A dry and tight sensation in the skin 
• Dehydrated skin

Unfortunately, once these symptoms appear, it means that your skin has already been quite damaged. You will need to stop exfoliating for a while in order to let your skin heal, and may also need to switch to a gentler cleanser, so as not to aggravate your skin any more. 

So, back to the main question…

How often can you use an electronic brush on your skin?

Once or twice a week is really all you need, although this does depend on your skin type. Those with sensitive skin are best off sticking to weekly usage, while those with oily skin could probably get away with using their brush twice a week. 

Of course, this also varies depending on the brush heads that you use…

Some are extremely delicate, designed for the most sensitive of skin, while others give you quite a deep and intense cleanse. It goes without saying that the gentle brush heads can be used more often. 

When it comes down to it, everybody’s skin is different, meaning that the way in which your skin tolerates the brush head you are using may be completely different from how someone else’s skin does. 

The only way to really figure out the answer to this is by starting off with using your brush once or twice a week. If your skin seems able to tolerate it just fine, you could consider slowly increasing your frequency of use. 

How to Incorporate It Into Your Skincare Routine

Convinced that an electronic cleansing brush is exactly what your skin needs?

If so, you need to make sure that you use it at the right part of your skin care routine. 

Here is a basic routine to follow when you want to use an electronic cleansing brush:

• Remove makeup – leaving your makeup on your skin while using a cleansing brush will only result in these particles being spread all over your skin, as well as deeper into your pores, leading to skin irritations and breakouts 
• Prepare the brush – before using your electronic brush, you will need to soak it first. This will soften the bristles and ensure that they aren’t too harsh when they come into contact with your skin. You will then need to apply a liquid cleanser to your brush 

• Use the brush – your brush is now ready to be used on your face. Once you are done, make sure that you clean the brush head 
• Apply a serum – once you are done with your brush, make sure to immediately follow this up with a serum
• Apply a moisturizer – after your serum comes a moisturizer. This will not only provide your skin with moisture and nutrients, but will also form a protective seal over the surface of your skin. This extra protection is crucial after exfoliating, since removing that top layer of dead skin cells will leave your skin vulnerable to damage 

It goes without saying that the cleanser you choose is so important. Electronic brushes tend to work best when used with foaming or cream cleansers, so try to find one of those that work with your skin type too. 

Wondering if you should be following this routine in the morning or at night? 

Night is the best option, as this enables the brush to really clear away all of the impurities that have built up on your skin over the course of the day. The extra absorption of your skin care products will also be more beneficial at night, since this is the time when your skin works to heal and regenerate itself, and an extra dose of moisture and nutrients will support all of these nightly functions. 

Want to know if your brush can be used on your body too, in addition to your face?

Yes, most definitely! The skin on your body will benefit from the brush just as much as the skin on your face will. However, make sure that you never use the same brush head on both your body and your face. 

Why? 

Firstly because this will only lead to you spreading bacteria from your face to your body and vice versa. This can really throw your skin off balance and result in many skin problems. 

The skin on your body is also much thicker than the skin on your face. While your face requires quite a delicate brush, your body would benefit more from something a little stronger. If you want to use your brush on both, it may be worth setting aside two brush heads – one for your face and one for your body. 

How to Clean and Maintain Your Electronic Brush

Just like with any other tool you use on your skin, your electronic brush needs to be cleaned and kept well-maintained. 

How do you do this? 

It depends on the model you choose. Some brush heads can be cleaned with just water and an antibacterial wash, while others may require more specific methods, so be sure to check the instruction manual that came with your brush. 

You will also need to replace the brush heads used on a regular basis. 

How often will you need to do this?

It depends on how often you use your brush, but the heads will usually need to be changed every three to four months.

How do you know if you need to change your brush head?

You will notice signs of wear and tear on the bristles, and the brush won’t feel quite as gentle on your skin anymore. It is so important that you change brush heads at this stage rather than continuing on with the same one, as this will only end up causing problems for your skin. 

Can Your Brush Help with Acne?

This is one of the most common questions asked about electronic brushes. Cleansing is so important for those who have acne-prone skin, as it removes any of the pore build-up that contributes to breakouts, while also killing any acne-causing bacteria on the surface of your skin. 

A cleansing brush works extremely well for acne-prone skin. 

However, if you are in the midst of a breakout, you may want to wait for this to clear before using an electronic brush. 

Why? 

Because it may end up exacerbating your acne due to the friction caused on your skin, and could also spread the acne-causing bacteria further around your face, resulting in even more breakouts. 

How to Choose An Electronic Brush

Thanks to their rapid increase in popularity, there are now so many models of electronic brushes available, making it difficult to choose the best one. 

The first thing to keep in mind is your skin type…

If you have sensitive skin, you will need an extremely delicate brush, whereas those with oily skin will need a brush that is able to work deep into the pores. If your skin is mature and showing visible signs of aging, there are brushes for that too, so take a good look the many options out there. 

You will also need to consider the brush heads that come with each brush. 

They can each work in different ways – some rotate, some pulse and some move back and forth. Different speeds can also be involved in this too. 

Don’t forget to also look at what the bristles of the brush are made from. There are both natural and synthetic options available, so choose the material that you know will work best for your skin. 

It is easy to see why electronic brushes have become the latest skin care trend. Not only are they so easy and convenient to use, but they are incredibly effective, giving your skin a much deeper and more thorough cleanse than your fingers would have been able to do. So long as you pick the right brush, along with the right brush heads for your skin type, this is a skin care investment that you will likely use for the rest of your life.