Keeping It Clean | How to care for your makeup brushes
Weddings and washing go hand-in-hand!
Let’s face it. There are a million and one things you would prefer to do with your weekend than wash your make-up brushes. Fact. It’s time consuming, messy and a little bit boring. However, it is also incredibly important for one very good reason. Every time you use a brush, you’re picking up bacteria and oils present on your skin which, over time, build up on the brush. The idea of spreading and re-spreading bacteria on your face isn’t too appealing.
For this reason, I use an anti-bacterial spray on all my brushes between clients and have a wide range of make-up brushes available to ensure excellent hygiene standards are maintained. Then, after every wedding or occasion, my brushes will be thoroughly cleaned.
Whilst it is unrealistic to suggest you clean your brushes after every makeup application, I’ve put together some advice for keeping your brushes in tip-top condition whilst making it as painless as possible.
How to care for your makeup brushes...
- Try to give your brushes a deep clean once a week or, at the very least, once per month. A deep clean would mean giving them the VIP treatment and I’ll note how I do this here. Start with an initial rinse under some warm water, followed by a bit of a soak. I use a plastic measuring jug, adding my brush cleanser of choice and some hot water.
- For the cleanser, you don’t need to spend a fortune if the cost is prohibitive. Fairy Platinum washing-up liquid is as good as anything. Just ensure that if you do use washing-up liquid, it has anti-bacterial properties. Anti-bacterial hand washes are also fantastic and often leave brushes lovely and soft. If you feel they aren’t working as you’d like, a few drops of oil will break down the bonds which often cause foundation to stick to brushes, so you could add this in to the mix.
- When soaking your brushes, just bathe the bristles. You only need a few centimetres of water. Any more than this and the water will creep into the bond which attaches the brush hairs to the handle. It can cause cracking of the handle and in some cases, cause the brush to come away.
- Once they are soaked – for around 15 minutes - I then rinse under the tap and give them a little scrub. There are some fantastic rubber tools you can use which are available online or in stores. Give the brushes a very gentle scrub so you can start to see the make-up come off.
- Then, I do a final rinse and give the bristles a little squeeze to remove the excess water before blotting with paper towel, which is usually rolled out on the counter top. I line up my brushes and air dry. This works best when the brush head is creeping just over a counter or windowsill allowing air to circulate through. If you’re in a rush, leaving them in a warm room, by a tumble dryer or in the sun is the best bet.
- Now you’ll have lovely, clean brushes. You could buy an antibacterial spray or rinse-off brush cleanser to maintain the brushes and give them a quick clean on a day-to-day.
Hopefully this post has inspired you to keep it clean ;)
Kirsty x