How to care for your makeup brushes ?
Makeup brushes get stuffed with old makeup, oil, and bacteria after only a couple of weeks of use. Investing in high quality and expensive makeup brushes amounts to nothing if you do not take good care of them. While you may know the science of putting on your makeup to sheer perfection, knowing how to wash makeup brushes at home on your own is just as useful and necessary. You can always buy a professional makeup cleaning spray to get the job done, there are three painless alternatives found right inside your home. Here are three methods on how to clean makeup brushes at home.
Method 1- How to wash makeup brushes with Shampoo:
What you need:
- Baby shampoo or any regular, mild shampoo
- A washbowl
- Warm water
1. Rinse the bristles under warm, running water. This loosens up oil and old, caked makeup residue. Dirty makeup brushes are often hard and flakey. Rinse them thoroughly until the bristles are soft to touch.
2. Put some shampoo on the bristles. For big brushes, such as those used for putting blush or foundation, put as many drops as necessary to soak the bristles entirely. Put a small blob of shampoo for concealer and eyeliner makeup brushes.
3. Lather up the brushes. Fill half of a washbowl with lukewarm water and swirl the brush tips gently in the water to work up nice soapsuds. Be careful not to dip the ferrule or the metal part of the brush, where the brush handle and the bristles meet. The glue that holds the two together might come loose.
4. Rinse the bristles under running water again. Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 until the running water is clear.
5. Use a clean cloth to squeeze excess water gently from the brush head.
6. Lay the makeup brushes flat on a cloth or standing up on a container to air dry.
Extra tip: Some professionals recommend applying the smallest amount of conditioner to your makeup brushes after you have washed them with baby shampoo and rinsed them well. This helps maintain the softness of the bristles.
Method 2- How to clean makeup brushes with Vinegar:
What you need:
- Vinegar
- Water
- Washbowl
1. Mix two parts of warm water and 1 part of vinegar in a small washbowl. The mixture should be enough to submerge the bristles entirely without reach the ferrule.
2. Soak your makeup brushes into the bowl. Swirl the brushes into the mixture for at least a minute. Soak them for as long as it takes to loosen makeup residue.
3. Rinse the bristles under lukewarm water. Make sure you rinse them thoroughly to get rid of the smell of vinegar from the bristles. Nobody likes the smell of vinegar mixed with makeup.
4. Use a clean cloth to squeeze excess water gently from the brush head. Do not rub the brush heads dry. This can make some of the bristles snap.
5. Reshape the bristles and then lay the makeup brushes flat on a cloth or standing up on a container to air dry.
6. The down side of using vinegar to clean your makeup brushes is the smell, but it is a much faster cleansing agent. You do not need to rinse the bristles for too long because the vinegar gets rid of the entire residue in minutes.
Method 3- How to wash makeup brushes with Alcohol:
What you need:
- Alcohol
- Cotton balls
- Spray bottle
- Washbowl
1. Fill a washbowl with enough alcohol to soak the brush heads entirely. Make sure that the alcohol does not reach the ferrule and the handle of each makeup brush. The handle will swell and crack when the alcohol dries out.
2. Soak the bristles into the bowl and swirl them gently into the alcohol. Soak them as long as necessary to loosen all makeup residues. You will know that you have soaked them long enough when the clear alcohol turns into a curious collection of colors, which depend on all kinds of makeup you have used with the brushes.
3. Rinse the bristles under lukewarm water. This is not a necessary step, but if you’re the type who does not like the smell of alcohol
4. Remove the makeup brushes from the washbowl. With a clean cloth, blot out the excess alcohol from the bristles. Again, do not rub the bristles dry.
5. Reshape the bristles and then lay the makeup brushes flat on a cloth or standing up on a container to air dry.
The advantage of washing makeup brush with alcohol is that you sanitize the bristles while cleaning them. The disadvantage of cleaning makeup brushes with alcohol is too much soaking can dry up the bristles. Make sure you do not soak them too long.
