Having a great set of makeup brushes is wonderful. It can be a great gift to yourself or someone else! Once you have your set of brushes you want to make sure you keep them clean! Even though they may look fine, here are problems of not keeping them clean:
- Colors are not as true, because you have them mixed on the brushes.
- Bacteria will accumulate on the brushes and can cause breakouts.
Really, let’s say you are taking time to keep your skin clean, why would you use brushes that are not very clean?
If you use a brush to apply anything that is a liquid, you need to wash it every time. Yes, EVERY TIME. If you use a brush to apply a liquid foundation, wash it after each use. We hear through the grapevine, that is the reason we do not have a foundation brush in our set of brushes — because they do not believe women will wash it every day, and they feel that strongly about it!
So what’s an easy way to clean brushes? Follow these easy steps about once a week for your personal brushes:
- Place a small amount (pea size) of a gentle shampoo (I like baby shampoo!), or a gentle facial cleanser in the palm of your hand.
- Gentle work it into the bristles of the brush by swirling the brush in a circular motion, as well as back and forth in the palm of your hand.
- Rinse in lukewarm water, taking care to not get water into the back area of the brush where the metal and the handle come together. Water can weaken the wood, or cause damage to that area, causing the handle to loosen or come off. Rinse until the water runs clean. If the brushes have a lot of product built up, repeat the cleanser step, and rinse again.
- Gently squeeze the water out in a towel and reshape the bristles.
You may want to go an extra step and sanitize your brushes monthly. There are several brush cleaners available. Be sure to follow these tips:
- Use products recommended for natural hair brushes.
- Look for a brush cleaner that lists alcohol (isopropyl alcohol, SD alcohol 40 or alcohol denat) as either the first of second ingredient.
- Don’t use regular rubbing alcohol, as it is not the same, and will damage your brushes.
- Follow the instructions on the brush cleaner.
For either method you are using:
- Let air day by laying the brushes so that the bristles are extended over the edge of counter or somewhere similar.
- Do NOT stand them up. If you stand them with handles up, the brush will be oddly shaped, and if you stand it up to dry, bristles up, water will be running into the handle.
- Do NOT use a hair dryer to dry them, as it will damage the brush hair.
By taking care of your brushes, they should last for quite some time! Here is my favorite set of brushes.
