Lately my makeup application hadn’t been looking as nice as usual, and it occurred to me that the culprit wasn’t my skin or the makeup – it was my brushes. Makeup brushes are a very delicate and often neglected part of our beauty regimens. Brushes absorb oils, products, and skin debris, making them the perfect host for bacteria, which can clog pores and caused breaks outs. Brushes caked with layers of makeup and also less effective. Through my research, I found that we should treat our makeup brushes much like our hair: cleaning and conditioning them regularly. Here are the very important do’s and don’ts of taking care of our brushes:

Do’s:

1. Rinse with cold water: it causes the fibers to tighten and lie flat.

2. Use a gentle, non-alcohol-based cleaning product (see list below). 

3. Dry flat or with bristles hanging down. You want water to be able to escape from the brush as it dries. 

4. Clean brushes once a week. 

Don’ts:

1. You wouldn’t boil your hair, so DON’T boil your brushes! It may seem like hot water is a good way to kill bacteria, but hot water loosens the glue and will cause the brush bristles to fall out. 

2. Don’t soak the handle, especially if it is made of wood, as this may cause it to rot or split. 

3. Don’t use alcohol to clean brushes – they dry out and ruin bristles. 

4. Professional sprays and cleaners aren’t necessary when shampoo is available in your home.

5. Never dry your brushes standing bristle side up. Water will gather down into the ferrule, (the metal ring at the base of the bristles) eventually loosening the glue holding your bristles together and shortening the life of your brushes. 

What to Clean Your Brushes With:

• Baby shampoo/gentle shampoo

• Marseille/olive oil soap- real Savon de Marseille is French hard milled using pure olive oil, free of detergents and without animal fats. 

• Vinegar- a disinfectant that is gentle enough to use on your hair. Soak brushes in a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water. 

• Tea tree oil- add a little to your shampoo. The antibacterial and anti-fungal properties will make your brushes like new- and it isn’t drying to the hairs. Tea Tree Oil can be found at most drugstores and has hundreds of uses.

• Conditioner is optional in addition to any of these cleaners: it can moisturize bristles (be sure to wash it out!) but may irritate sensitive skin. 

Feel free to leave comments about your experiences with brush cleaning. Your face and makeup will be happier because of it!

More suggestions can be found from the experienced users at The Beauty Brains.