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| Nasty, dirty things. |
Would you sleep on the same pillow case every night for 3 months? No way, that’s gross. So why are you repeatedly putting something on your face without washing it regularly? Your makeup brushes need a bath, right now.
I’m a bit of a germ freak when it comes to my makeup brushes for my business. All clients get their own set of clean brushes, washed with anti-bacterial soap and water. Why am I so vigilant about this? I don’t want disgusting dirty stuff put on my face, so I don’t put it on my client’s faces.
Washing makeup brushes is easy and should be done on a regular basis. The brushes will feel softer and work better without all the layers of gunk on them. Washing brushes will not make the hairs fall out, but some shedding occurs with all brushes, especially less expensive ones.
Start by gathering your dirty brushes. Get a fresh towel and spread it out to give the clean brushes a place to lay flat and dry.
The best soap to use for natural hair brushes (blush, powder, eye shadow) is a mild shampoo. Baby shampoo works well or any regular shampoo that you have in the house. For synthetic brushes (foundation, concealer, eye liner, lip) use a liquid dish soap that you would use to hand wash dishes, not the stuff for the dishwasher. I usually try to find one that says something about dissolving grease.
Using warm water, wet the brush then work a little soap into it. Swirl the brush around in the palm of your hand gently, never pushing too hard which will damage the hairs. Let the brush lather up to get rid of all the makeup.
Hold the brush under the running water and work out the soap, gently spreading the hairs. Try not to get any water into the ferrule, which is the part that attaches the hairs to the handle, the silver thing on this brush. If too much water gets into the ferrule right where it is attached to the brush handle, your brush may get damaged and fall apart. For very soiled brushes, the process may need to be repeated until all the makeup is dissolved. Do not use any hair conditioner. Do not leave them to soak.
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| Fresh and clean |
Squeeze out the excess water and smooth the hairs out. Lay flat to dry.
Do this on a weekly basis (at least) to keep your brushes clean and bacteria free. Brushes will last for many years if treated with love. Happy washing!
All photos: Tracy Sotirakis
