4 Excellent Reasons You Should Regularly Clean Your Make-up Brushes

VB Make Up
When was the last time you cleaned your makeup brushes?  I cleaned my personal ones this morning!  Yey for me, I am usually a bit slack with my makeup brushes at home.  The main reasons for washing your makeup brushes at least once a week are:
  1. Dirty makeup brushes don’t apply the makeup effectively.  If you haven’t   washed your brushes in a long while, wash them and you will see a massive difference in the way your makeup goes onto your skin.  When brushes are clogged with powders or makeup application can be gluggy, darker or just plain muddy.
  2. You waste makeup when you apply it with dirty brushes, ultimately costing you more in the long run!
  3. Dirty brushes can transfer bacteria from your skin to your makeup products and back again
  4. Caring for your brushes actually makes them last longer.  For those of us that have seen the light and invested in quality makeup brushes you will know that they will last for years.  I have had my current brushes for 3 years now and they are still like brand new!
How and When to Clean Your Brushes
In a perfect world we should wash our brushes once a week, however most of us (including me) don’t get around to it that often.  At minimum wash them once a month, following the guidelines below:
1.   Use warm water to saturate the brush hairs only. Be sure not to soak your brush as this will ruin it.  I make sure that the brush is pointing downwards so that water does not run down into the brush.
2. Place a pea-sized amount of any mild shampoo, or any chemical/parabens etc free hand soap or Truly Pure Shampoo & Conditioner into the palm of your hand and massage the cleanser into the hair. Do this until the cleanser has been completely dispersed among the brush hairs.
3.   Wash with warm water.
4.   Rinse the brush thoroughly with cold water until the water runs clear.
5.   Repeat as necessary.
6.   Create a ring with your index finger and thumb and pull the brush through the fingers while applying gentle pressure to remove excess water and maintain the brushes shape.
7.   Place on a towel and lay flat to dry. Never dry your brush in an upright position as this will loosen the glue that binds the brushes and lead to hair loss.
Never place your brushes in a steriliser because it will permanently damage them.
Originally published Thursday, 30th August 2012 – transferred to new website.