HOW TO CLEAN YOUR MAKEUP BRUSHES - TUTORIAL

First of all, I have to admit I don't clean my makeup brushes nearly enough. It is a job I like to postpone as much as possible. Every time I'm going to put makeup on, I make myself believe I will clean my brushes after. But well, every time there also seems to get something more important or more fun in between that makes me delay it one more day. The worst part of this procrastinating behavior is that it is completely unnecessary. Cleaning makeup brushes only takes about ten minutes of your time, depending on how many you need to wash.

Besides that it is also a job that needs to be done. Dirty brushes transfer old makeup and bacteria each time you use them on your face. This can lead to pimples and clocked up pores. And honestly, it feels so much more fun to apply makeup with a clean brush!

To avoid dirty brushes and keep the hairs soft it is recommended to give them a biweekly wash.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

A bowl

A towel

Baby shampoo or mild hand soap (or olive oil) 

Water

8 EASY STEPS

1. Fill your bowl with warm water (not hot water).

2. Pick out the brush you want to wash.

3. Dip the brush in the warm water, making sure all the hairs are wet. Avoid getting water on the handle (some handles can discolor or get damaged when they get in contact with water). 

4. Put some drops of the baby shampoo (or mild soap/olive oil) onto the hairs of your brush. Use 1 -2 drops for small eyeshadow brushes and 3-4 drops for blush and foundation brushes. 

5. Rub the shampoo through the brush, making sure all the leftover makeup gets off the hairs. 

All the makeup will leak into your bowl. You can now see how much leftover makeup there was stuck in your brush. 

6. Rinse out your brush gently. Make sure to treat the hairs carefully so they won't fall out or change form. 

7. Push out all the water using your fingers. Again, do this gently to avoid any damage to the brush. 

8. Lay your brush(es) out on a towel and leave them there to dry. Turn them a couple of times so all sides can dry equally. This process will take up some hours, so it is smart to do this right before bedtime, then you can use your brush(es) when you wake up in the morning! 

SOME EXTRA TIPS

• You can also use a jar instead of a towel to let your brushes dry
• DO NOT use a blow dryer to speed up the drying process. This will change the shape of your brush. 
• If you have brushes with real hair, you can put some conditioner on them after the wash. This will make the bristles extra soft. 
• Instead of using baby shampoo or mild soaps, you can also buy brush cleanser. Brands like MAC, L'Oréal and Clinique sell these types of cleansers. 

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