Thought I'd do a quick how to on Makeup Brush Hygiene.
I promise a video makeup tutorial coming this week!!
My brushes were in dire need of a good thorough cleaning, so I thought I'd share how I clean my brushes. I try to thoroughly clean them every 2 weeks, depending on how much use they're getting. If I have clients then, they get cleaned before & after each person. Weekly on my own, I clean them with paper towel & spray cleaner. I'll post a photo tutorial on that later. But bi-weekly I clean them with baby wash & luke warm water.
1. First, I gather all my brushes, a couple paper towels, a fresh/clean hand towel, & Mustela baby wash. I also gather a couple more paper towels, windex, and Honest multi-purpose spray cleaner, to wipe down the bathroom sink area & brush jar when finished.
2. I fill the sink with a shallow amount of lukewarm water & squirt a touch of baby wash to get the water bubbly. I put two doubled-up paper towels to one end of the sink & clean hand towel folded once, on the other side.
3. I tend to gather brushes by handle & bristle size. I get the brush hair damp with the bubbly water then work them into the palm of my hand that has a bit of baby wash. I swirl the brushes gently yet thoroughly to ensure good cleaning yet preserve the delicate brush hair. I set these to the side on the paper towel & move onto the next few brushes. Follow the same directions & move on to your other brushes.
4. When I have cleaned all the brushes, I then completely dunk them into the sink of warm bubbly water. Swish them in the water a few times & then promptly remove. Note: Leaving the brushes in the water can lead to major brush damage!!! This can cause the handle to separate from the brush head. **I have had most of my brushes for over 13 years & they are still in amazing condition because of good care while cleansing.
I then drain the water & rinse the brushes, gently ringing them dry. I then lay them on the clean hand towel.
5. Take your brushes in the hand towel to a flat surface for them to dry for 24 hours. I shape the brush hair according to brush & stagger on the towel. See last photo.
6. Return to the bathroom & clean up your mess. I wipe the entire sink down & everything around the sink. I also clean the bathroom mirror because it usually could use a wipe down anyway. I always, always clean the brush jar or any container you normally store your brushes in.
Note: If you use a foundation brush or sponge daily, you may want to clean this item more frequently!!!! I tend to use a tinted moisturizer or BB cream daily & apply with my fingers. When I do apply foundation I either use my fingers or a damp sponge. The sponge gets cleaned either immediately after makeup application or the following day before the next use. I do not leave a dirty makeup covered sponge near any tools due to contamination. : )
You can get the Mustela Baby Hair & Body Wash at giggle.com or bluemercury.com
You can use any gentle shampoo or baby shampoo for this purpose. I would NOT recommend dish soap, standard shampoo, or hand soap. These can either be way too harsh & damaging or not clean them thoroughly.
Also, most of my makeup brushes are Trish McEvoy. These can be a bit of an investment but SO WORTH IT!!! These are my all time fav brushes!!!! Some seen are Bobbi Brown, Mary Kay, Estee Lauder & Benefit Cosmetics. I also use Trish McEvoy's Eyelash Curler. I love this lash curler soo much, an old friend sniped it from me, I never got it back & had to go out & buy another!! I do have powder poofs although I don't use them very often so they're not seen here. My fav powder poofs are Trish McEvoy & Laura Mercier. My makeup sponge preference is Laura Mercier. Also, my brush jar is a recycled candle jar by Lafco Candles.
