Basic Brush Care - Deep Clean

 Makeup brushes can harbor lots of dirt and bacteria, which can result in breakouts - but frequent washing of your makeup brushes can keep them - and your face - clean and healthy.Cleaning your makeup brushes will also make them last longer, but there is no need to be forking out ££ for a harsh brush cleaner that contains hard abrasive chemicals that can damage skin. Below I'll take you through step by step what I think is a really effective brush cleaner that you can make using house hold products.

You should be looking to deeply cleanse your brushes every month, and I lighting clean mine every other day. This below is a deep clean and you could do this twice monthly if you have the time or keep this mixture in the fridge and use weekly to save time.

You Will Need:

Tall Glass or Cup

Tea Towel

Washing up Liquid

Sunflower or Vegetable Oil

1/4 of a Lemon

Bicarbonate of Soda

1 Plate

Clean running water

 I've used a range of brushes to show this method isnt just for newer brushs. The kabuki brush is from no.7 I've had it around 4 years and its made from natural fibres/hair. The thin brush is 2 weeks old from ELF and its a non synthetic crease/blending brush. The blusher brush, 2nd from the left is from The body shop also natural fibres/hair and I've had this for 2 years and lastly my favorite brush I featured in my last post - ELF complxion brush made from synthetic anti bacterial materials. None have been washed in over 2 weeks (dont hate!) So here what you do!

Step 1 - Making the cleanser -

Pour equal parts washing up liquid and vegetable oil, 1 tea spoon of Bicarb and squeeze quarter of a lemon onto the plate. If you can buy anti bacterial washing liquid you wont need the lemon. The reason I'm using lemon in this cleanser is because its a natural disinfectant, you could use tea tree oil or vinegar if you don't have lemon juice. The bicarbonate of soda is great for dissolving dirt and oil, this is really vital for foundation brushes as most foundations are oil based, but its good to use it on all make up brushes as the natural facial oils will also harbor on the brushes which will cause break outs and 'grayer' looking skin, so its great for tackling oil & dirt build up. And finally the sunflower/veg oil is to re condition the brushes, using soap on its own will strip synthetic brushes of their anti bacterial coat and will cause natural hair brushes to dry out - so the oil combats this, conditioning the brushes so they will remain in top condition.

Brush your make up brushes forward and back through this mixture, careful not to 'swirl' to much as this will loosen the bristles.

Step 2 - Rinse

Rinse in warm water, trying not to tug at the bristles. Brush them forward and back like before in your palm for a good 2 minutes or until the water runs clear.

Gently squeeze of excess water once rinsed. Then use the tea towel and gently squeeze again. (You could use a normal towel but I wouldn't recommend tissue or kitchen towel as it can flake of into the bristles.)

Step 3 - Re-shape

This is the result, shiny, new looking brushes! There is no horrible scent or icky residue left they are simply clean and soft. To reshape place brush in palm of hand and squeeze, then with out tugging pull hand down the length of the bristles till they're all laying flat and straight.

Step 4 - Drying

To dry your brushes, place up right in a glass or cup. Do not lay them flat as any excess water will run to the root of the bristle and loosen the glue eventually making the bristles fall out. So always store upright, bristles downward facing, when wet. You may find a plastic brush protector will keep them in better shape but I find if you rest them gently in the glass with out ruining the reshape they'll look just as good!

So that's it! I will post a picture of them once they are dry in the morning or later tonight- I recommend doing this over night so they're ready to use the next morning. To dry them a little quicker leave the glass near a radiator but never on top/directly underneath as it'll make the bristles dry out and brittle.

I hope you've enjoyed this! Please do try this brush cleaner and let me know how you get on! I've used this method since I can remember and its worked wonders every time! I will eventually get round to doing a light cleaner for every day use but for now I hope this has helped.

Merry Christmas!

Katie x