Brush Cleaning

Hi all,

I've developed a wonderful case of conjunctivitas in my right eye so I am currently unable to do tutorials. I'm using eye drops for it and I am hoping it will clear in about three days with any luck but if it doesn't I'll have to see my doctor. Until then I am not allowed to wear eye makeup or put anything in my eyes (like my lenses) so I'm unable to make tutorials at the moment since they involve me putting eye make up on. It's very annoying because I have three I wanted to be put up but I don't want to risk my eyesight so instead I thought I'd do a blog about how to care for your make up brushes.

What you will need:

(If you have sensitive skin) Some very mild baby shampoo or unscented, unfragranced soap. Basically the most natural soap you can find. Tesco have their own brand soap which is cheap and I've used it on my brushes and it has been fine. If you use any kind of cleanser or face wash beware that you will use your brushes on your eyes afterward so make sure whatever you use has a gentle formula.

Latex gloves (If you're allergic to latex you can buy non-latex gloves): It might sound silly but repeatedly washing your brushes in your hands with soap can cause rashes or dryness so these are purely to protect your skin. If you have lots of brushes to wash these will most definitely come in helpful!

A sink or bowl full of luke warm/cool water


How To Wash Your Brushes

First take a little baby shampoo or soap in the palm of your hand (gloved or not - it's up to you) and mix it into a little bit of a lather with some water.

Then take your brush, wet it with the water and then gently sweep the bristles of your brush into the soap back and forth without too much pressure. Try not to be too rough because this can cause the bristles on your brush to fall out/fray over time. You may have to rinse your hand and use a little more soap. Once no more colour shows in the soap, rinse the bristles in clean water (being careful to keep only the bristles under the water as excess water can seep into the brush handle and cause the glue to break down over time) and then squeeze the bristles to remove excess water.


Drying your brushes

After washing my brushes I gently sweep the bristles of my brush back and forth on an old towel to help remove excess water/dampness.

Lay your brushes flat to dry. Try not to leave them near a radiator as the heat from a hot radiator can melt the glue inside the brush. Place them in a warm, dry place. Larger brushes may need a whole day to dry whilst smaller ones will take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours.

Drying your brushes flat ensures they will keep their shape. Don't dry them in an upright position. Always lay them out flat because if you dry them upright the water will run into the glue that attaches the bristles to the handle and it will eventually cause your brushes to shed or break.


How Often Should I Wash My Makeup Tools?

Washing your brushes is important because your skin builds up dirt and grease during the day and this leads to bacteria build up. Everytime your brush touches your skin it picks up some of this bacteria so it's important to keep your makeup tools clean so that you don't end up with any nasty rashes or eye infections.

The makeup on your brushes will eventually start drying up or going off within the bristles so it is important to get rid of the makeup that is stuck to your brushes as soon as you possibly can. If you don't the bacteria in the dried makeup will eventually start giving you spots or nasty infections.



Alternative Brush Cleaning Methods

You can buy jars with special scouring sponges in the bottom either from cosmetic stores or arts and crafts stores and what you do is add some brush cleaning formula (this you can buy from cosmetic counters) to them and clean them that way. Brush cleaners often have conditioners in them to help your brush bristles last longer. They will also clean them thoroughly. This saves you having to get soap and water on your hands at all but the pain in the arse part is having to clean the sponge regularly!


How To Clean Mascara Wands

You might not think it's very important to clean your mascara wands but trust me, it is. Your mascara wand touches the one part of your eye that is specifically there to catch dirt so you can imagine how it will build up over time on your mascara wand.

To do this you can use a little mild soap and basically follow the same procedure of dipping the wand into the soap and then rinsing with clean water. As long as the dried excess mascara is off then it'll be fine. You can go ahead and dry the wand off with a paper towel and put it back into the tube right away because you don't want your mascara to dry out.

Tips

I always keep some babywipes nearby for when I have finished applying eye shadow or when I want to use another colour on the same brush/applicator. Just clean the bristles over with the wipe a couple of times. This will help keep the colours from mixing and it will help keep your brushes cleaner until you are ready to wash them. I got 80 babywipes for about £2 at Superdrug but you can get them at any drug store or supermarket equally as cheap.