Alright, let's get real here. How many of you ladies actually clean your makeup brushes? I mean, really clean them and not just wipe them on some paper towel and say they are clean. I bet not many, myself included. Well, until recently that is.
You see, I was living blissfully ignorantly, not knowing how much bacteria can live in your makeup brushes when I made the mistake of watching a segment on tv that showed infographics of just how dirty your makeup brushes can really get.
I was blown away. And then it clicked. Since I had never cleaned my makeup brushes, I could only assume that was one of the main reasons why I consistently suffered from those nasty jawline acne breakouts.
So I decided to do something about it. I experimented, researched, and tried different recipes to find which natural-ingredient-based recipe worked best on my brushes.
So without further adieu, here is the only brush cleaning recipe you will ever need. And the best part? It costs less than $2 per cleaning. fist pump
The Recipe
Some makeup artists or cosmetologists may try to convince you that you need to buy a specific makeup brush cleaning spray, don't listen to them.
Instead, hit your local grocery or natural foods store and pick up extra-virgin olive oil, liquid castille soap, and some vinegar. That's it. That is all you need.
Now that you have your ingredients list, what the heck are you supposed to do with them? Well, I'm so glad you asked.
The Process: Step One
Start by grabbing a clean washcloth and pouring about a teaspoon of olive oil onto the cloth. Then just simply dab your makeup brush into your olive oil and wipe your cloth with your brush.
Make sure you don't dip more than the top half of your brush into the olive oil as you don't want the root of the bristle to get wet or oily, that way you can avoid shedding.
As you gently wipe your cloth with your brush you should notice a LOT of old makeup coming out of your brush and onto your cloth. So much so you may think your brush is clean. It is not.
Essentially what you are doing with this step is helping to condition the fibres of your bristles and pre-clean your brush.
Step Two
Next, grab yourself a small bowl and mix a teaspoon of liquid castille soap with a little bit of warm water so that it covers the bottom of your bowl but isn't too deep.
Then just rub your fingers around your bristles while keeping the brush in the soapy water. Remember not to get the top, or root, of your brush wet. Squeeze the water out of your bristles and repeat one or two more times until you feel as though you have gotten all the makeup out of your brushes.
Step Three
By this step you are pretty much done, which means step 3 is optional but I like it because it helps to ensure all the oil is out of my brushes. Simply dip the tips of your brushes into your vinegar, squeeze it out, and then rinse with hot water.
After your brushes are thoroughly rinsed lay them flat on a paper towel and leave them in a sunny area in your house so they can air dry for a few hours.
Et voila! Clean makeup brushes that uses natural ingredients, will keep your brushes clean for a couple of months, and should help clear up any annoying problem acne you may notice you get when you use dirty brushes.
It's a clean, and natural, way to give your makeup brushes a little DIY TLC. And let's be honest, who doesn't love an easy, affordable, and organic skin and beauty solution?
