Cleaning Your Make-Up Brushes

If you LOVE makeup, chances are very high that you own some makeup brushes. So – today we are going to talk about cleaning them. I realize that making the time to clean your brushes isn’t on a top  priority, but it really should be. Not only does cleaning your brushes on a regular basis help them last longer (nice brushes can be a BIG investment), but regular cleaning also helps YOUR makeup application look GREAT every time! And yes! In case you are wondering, cleaning your brushes really does make a HUGE difference! Cleaning your brushes will aid in breakout reduction  by keeping bacteria off of your skin as discussed in an earlier post.  Now, we come to the hard part. How should you do it? Is there a right way or a wrong way? And just how often should you clean your brushes? 

A Quick Technique

• Use a proffessional brush cleaner to allow your brushes to dry quicker.
• Be careful of the alcohol content in the professional brush cleaner solution. The least amount  of  alcohol the better.
• Spray your burshes and wipe them off  on a non-lint producing cloth.
• Or you can pour the cleansing solution into a bowl or other container and dip the bursh into the brush cleanser. Again you wipe them off on a non-lint producing cloth using a back and forth motion.
• When cleaning smaller brushes, like your eye brushes, you want to put the cleanser on the cloth and apply the brush to the cloth in a swirling motion. When a spot gets “dirty” simply re-fold the cloth or flip it over to continue the cleansing process.
• Then use a gentle back and forth motion by going with the grain of your brush.

Another Technique

• You can use a blended light shampoo/conditioner product to clean your larger brushes.
• Thouroughly soak your brush with luke warm water running downward.
• You do not want the water to get in the area where the bristles are glued together.
• Work the blended shampoo product into the brush. You will notice the lather changing colors. You are getting the makeup out of the brush.
• Rinse the brush, with the water running down away from the bristle base to get the product out.
• Re-shampoo a second time if you feel it necessary.
• Squeesze the water tightly out of the bristles to get your brush into shape.
• Remember, the tighter you squeeze your brushes, the tighter the bristles will dry together. This is better for your brush.
• Then lay your brush down to let it dry flat on a non-lint producing cloth.  

Other Considerations

Clean Your Make-up Brushes Regularly

• Clean your bigger brushes powder/cheek/blush at a minimum, 2 times a month. Optimally, you want to clean them once a week.
• Clean your smaller eye brushes at a minimum, f 2 times a week. Optimally, you should clean them after each use.
• Keep the eye brushes from cross contaminating color if you are cleaning them less often.
• Keep a highlight, contour and midtone brush for thoses colors only.

I find that cleaning my brushes in a timely fashion helps me keep them “healthy” for me and in good condition. So… I ask you… Are you going to clean your make-up burshes? And if so, how often?

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