I often get messages and comments on how clear my skin looks; I mainly put this down to good diet and plenty of exercise, but there are other little things that I do that make all the difference. One of these things is making sure I have clean makeup brushes. I admit I don’t wash them every day… I know I should, however I give them a good deep clean once a week. Everyone is guilty of piling the makeup on daily, and we all take the time to wash it off at the end of the day to ensure no nasty bacteria is lying around. However, how many of us wash the same dirt and bacteria off our brushes? I bet there isn’t many! It is essential that you deep clean your brushes once a week, as they can end up clogged full of old makeup, dirt and debris, bacteria, oils and dead skin cells… pretty gross!
So how do you wash your makeup brushes? There are many different ways and many different brush cleaning products you can use. The tools I use are hot water, Johnsons Baby Shampoo and a scrappy towel. I use the Baby Shampoo as it is a gentle shampoo with little chemicals so there is minimal, if any, damage to your brushes. The method I use is as follows;
1- Prepare yourself by choosing the brushes you need to clean, the towel you are going to use and your Baby Shampoo.
2- Wet the hairs and pour a small amount of the Baby Shampoo onto your brush and rub in into your brush. Use some force but not too much, just enough to create a lather. I create a lather by wiping the brush in small circles in the palm of my hand.
3- Next rinse out the shampoo, still wiping your brush in small circles so you are sure to rinse out all the shampoo. Be careful not to get any water on the handle or the ferrule of the brush (the part that holds the brush bristles together), as this can damage the brush fibres and make you brush moult.. not what you need! If the brush is still not clean repeat steps 2 and 3 until your brush rinses clean.
4- Once you brush rinses clean you can now dry it. To do this gently wipe it across your towel. Then leave your brush to air dry for a couple of hours.
Depending upon how many brushes you need to clean, the process only takes around 10 minutes. So 10 minutes of your time to ensure you have a bacteria free, and clean face is definitely worth it! Ideally you should also use an instant brush cleaner for a quick cleanse after every use. Another bonus to having clean brushes is keeping them soft! How lovely and soft are your new makeup brushes? If you clean you brushes regularly they will be kept soft and supple for longer!
How do you clean your brushes? And how often do you do it? Do you recommend any instant brush cleaners that aren’t too pricy?
