We have all been guilty of it at one time or another; letting powder and cream cosmetics build up for several weeks. I have even been guilty of using more than one color without cleaning in between. Well grab your brushes and make your way into the kitchen to clean out the gunk.
STEP 1 – Rinse the bristles of your brushes. Avoid getting the water into the handle of the brush as it can loosen the glue over time.
From here you have a few options to choose from to clean your brushes.
A) Place one part soap and one part olive oil on to a sponge. Rub your brush against the surface of the sponge. Rinse with lukewarm water. Then take a towel and rub your brush against the towel to remove any leftover debris. Once done, lay your brushes flat to dry. The dish soap will clean and disinfect the brushes, while the olive oil will help condition the brushes.
B) Choose a sturdy bar of soap and massage the dirty brush bristles deep into the bar of soap. Rinse the brushes with lukewarm water and lay flat to dry.
C) Another choice is to place some baby shampoo in the palm of your hand. Rinse your dirty brush, then massage the tips of the bristles in the palm of your hand. Then rinse the bristles and squeeze out the extra moisture with a clean towel. Lay the brush flat to dry.
Always remember to lay your brushes flat to dry. Allowing your brushes to dry vertically will allow water to leak into the ferrule (the piece which joins the bristles to the wand) which will loosen the glue and lead to bristle loss.
So those are a few inexpensive ways to clean your makeup brushes. You should clean any eye brushes, foundation brushes and concealer brushes at least once a week. The rest of your brushes can be cleaned once a week. Cleaning your makeup brushes will help prevent bacteria buildup, which can ultimately lead to breakouts.