How To and WHY You Should Clean Your MakeUp Brushes!

Hello darlings, Now I know I usually blog about art, music, or poetry BUT I felt like this is a topic which is necessary to know and that most girls skip out on doing because either they are not aware of the dangers or they just never thought about doing.

Did you know that your foundation brush picks up thousands of bacteria and dirt off your face daily? And if you don't fully clean your brush you are just re-applying that same dirt and bacteria over and over again which causes acne. Bristles that are caked with dust and product can dry out and become brittle, making them more abrasive to your skin.  Not only do you get your face filled with bacteria and dirt if you dip your brush into your expensive MAC or Sephora powder you're making the whole product dirty which can still be transferred to your face even after you decide to clean your brush. So I hope you now realize that cleaning your make up brushes is essential ladies.

 

 

Now you must be wondering, WELL HOW DO I CLEAN MY MAKEUP BRUSHES??!!!

Let me tell you, (This routine is from Michelle Phan, beauty guru)

You Need:

• Basic dish soap (to disinfect and clean)
• Extra virgin olive oil (to recondition the bristle hair after it’s stripped of oils and disinfected by the soap)
• Dinner plate
• A hanger
• Chip clips
• Brush guards

Steps:

1. Pour the dish soap onto the plate – you don’t need too much
2. Add a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. The ratio should be approximately 2 parts dish soap to 1 1/2 parts EVOO and should look something like this:

1. Take your first brush and stir it up in the mixture in a circular motion (you should see some of the makeup start to come off in the mixture).
2. Then wipe the brush pack and forth on your hand to release the makeup from the brush. This removes all the pigments and kills the bacteria.
3. When you’re done, place the brush on a paper towel.
4. Repeat steps 3-5 with the remainder of your brushes.
5. Once you’ve cleaned all your brushes, you’ll need to rinse them off under warm water in the sink. Swirl the brush under the water into the palm of your hand to thoroughly clean it off. (NOTE: do not use hot water, the high temperature will damage your brushes)
6. Continue to do so until the water is clear when you squeeze the brush.
7. Once they are all rinsed clean, gently wipe them dry with a paper towel and blot out the excess water. (Regular paper towels work best because they will not leave lint on the brushes

Important Note: Do NOT let your brushes dry standing up with the bristles facing upwards – this will ruin them!! Water will drip down the bristles into the brush and loosen the glue holding the hairs together. Eventually, the hairs will fall out and the handle will be ruined too.

When I dry my brushes I just put them bristles down in a glass and they're dry by the next morning!

If you're more of a visual person, here's Michelle Phan's video showing you how to clean your brushes :)

If you can't view the video, here's a link to it.

I hope this post inspires you to start cleaning your make up brushes, your skin will thank you!

Phan, Michelle. "MichellePhan.com." MichellePhancom. N.p., 17 Oct. 2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.

 

Williams, Mandie. "10 Terrifying Things Dirty Makeup Brushes Do To Your Face." TheGloss RSS. N.p., 19 Feb. 2014. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.

 

Phan, Michelle. "Squeaky Clean Brushes!" YouTube. YouTube, 04 Feb. 2010. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.

Phan, Michelle. "MichellePhan.com." MichellePhancom. N.p., 17 Oct. 2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.