How To: Clean Your Makeup Brushes

I have absolutely no issue spending money on my makeup brushes because I know that if it's a good quality brush, and if I take care of it properly..then it will last forever. There are a few tips and tricks to properly cleaning your makeup brushes to make them last forever.

The first thing I have to say is that it is not necessary to purchase "Brush Cleanser" to properly clean your brushes. I find it to be a waste, because I go through it so fast and MAC's brush cleanser is $17.00 here. It's totally unnecessary, in my opinion. It's still an option, just not one I choose to use! :)

My number one tip to washing makeup brushes:

BABY SHAMPOO!

Baby shampoo is about $3-$4 for 444 mL and lasts me about a year and it cleans the brushes just as well as any brush cleanser I have used. Once the brushes are dry, I feel absolutely no difference between them.

First thing I do is set a cloth or towel down on my counter top to place my brushes for drying once they've been washed.

Second, I pour a tiny amount of baby shampoo into the palm of my hand and add a few drops of water. I begin to swirl my brush around in the palm of my hand to lather up the baby shampoo really well, adding drops of water as necessary. Continue this until the water begins to run clear of foundation and makeup.

Third, rinse your brush to be sure that all the baby shampoo has been completely rinsed. Usually, I run it under the tap for a few minutes and then swirl it in my palm until it the water is clear of soap and bubbles.

You always want to be sure whenever you are washing your brushes that you keep them bristles down, so that the water doesn't drip down into the ferrule (aka the metal that fastens your bristles to your brush handle) because the moisture will weaken the glue that is holding your brush together...if that happens, sadly your brush will probably fall apart.

For the same reason, when drying brushes, you always want to lay them flat. NEVER, I cannot stress that enough, never place brushes bristles up to dry.

After washing them, you will want to reshape them back to their original shape and lay them flat. Tip: Lay your brushes so that the bristles are hanging just over the edge of your countertop so that as they dry, one side won't dry completely flat!

Once my brushes are completely dry, I swirl them around in my palm a few times to separate all the bristles and make sure they're reshaped properly.

Usually it only takes a few hours to dry, I tend to leave them overnight just so I know they are completely dry. I try to wash my brushes at least once a week, every 2 or 3 weeks when I'm busy (I know, I'm horrible!).

Unfortunately, if you`re like me and have a CRAZY ton of brushes, this can be a tedious task. I feel like my spine begins to curve from leaning over the sink for so long (who needs to stand up straight anyways?).

Let me know in the comments below if you have any tips for cleaning your makeup brushes!

xoxo Rae