Overtime, my education behind make-up and makeup brushes have grown exponentially. A very important skill I have learned, is to successfully take care of my makeup brushes. It is important to take care and clean makeup brushes because as makeup applications pass, brushes used for applications can accumulate dead skin and oil. The leftover dead skin and oil can clog your pores which lead to dull and broken skin. This means, when dirty brushes are constantly rubbed onto the skin to apply makeup, one is more likely to experience irritation, uncomfortable redness, and many infected pores. Clean makeup brushes apply makeup better and leave for a smoother application. Regular cleaning will keep the bristles soft and are less likely to irritate the skin.
What You'll Need:
A Hand Towel
Lukewarm Water
Soap of Your Choosing
MakeUp Brushes
My Routine:
When it comes to actually cleaning my brushes, I like to clean my everyday makeup brushes once a week. Other brushes that are not used as frequently get washed twice a month.
Step 1: Roll Up a Clean Hand Towel
Before I start cleaning my brushes, it is important to have a place for them to dry. I like to roll up a hand towel halfway to allow my brushes to dry on. The purpose of having the towel rolled is to allow the brush to dry on an inclined angle with the bristles pointing down. It is important to let any of the standing water drain from the brush. This is because of the glue that holds the brush and bristles together. Leftover water that is not properly removed can not only contaminate the brush but ruin the bristles and the lifespan of the brush as well.
Step 2: Wet the Brush with Lukewarm Water
It is important that the water is not too hot as it can ruin the brush. Another keypoint when wetting the brush is to thoroughly wet the brush. It will allow for the soap to clean/sanitize the brush more efficiently.
Step 3: Add Soap
This is going to sound and look crazy, but when it comes to cleaning my brushes, my favorite soap to use is Dawn Dish Soap! It cleans my brushes so well and leaves them so soft! I have never had any problems with the soap reacting to my skin or my makeup. I like to place a drop of the soap directly onto the brush and gently massage the bristles for 2-3 minutes depending on how big the brush is and how often it is used. After I have thoroughly massaged the bristles I then rinse the brush off.
Step 4: Grab Your Cup!
I like to fill a glass about 1/4 of the way full with more lukewarm water. Once the glass is full to my estimated liking, I will then add a good-amount-drop of dish soap to the cup of water. I then gently swirl the same brush around the cup for another 2-3 minutes. This will remove any of the leftover dirt and excess oil that was not rinsed the first time.
Step 5: Rinse, Reshape, Repeat!
Once the brush has been swishing and swirling around the cup for a good period of time, I will rinse out the cup and my brush. After the brush has been rinsed, I reshape the brush and lay it bristles down to dry. Now it's time to repeat these 5 simple steps with the rest of my brushes.
Having clean brushes is not only the best feeling on my skin, but it is also a good therapeutic mechanism as well. It gives me the chance to play music and take a step back for a few minutes without fully relaxing.
Stay stylish
xoxo,
Jen Stack
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