Hello my beauts!
its time to clean my brushes so i thought id do a post on the way i clean them! There are a few ways that you can clean your brushes including already formulated cleaning liquids that you can buy from m.a.c and other company's, however i choose to do it the way i am going to show you because i believe its the best way to clean and disinfect your brushes.
A lot of people don't realize how much bacteria, germs and dust settle inside the bristles of make-up brushes! Doing your make-up with dirty brushes can cause breakouts and acne ESPECIALLY if you have done your make-up when you have had spots and used the brush the next day. The bacteria and germs can be spread to other parts of your face causing more breakouts so i advise cleaning your brush straight after using it on breakouts or using your fingers to go over the problem areas instead!
If my skin has been fine that week then i do only do a full clean of my brushes about once a week however i will admit that i do get lazy with it and can leave them for longer than that. When i do make-up on other people i clean my brushes before and after using them or i use sponges and don't take my personal brushes with me.
What i use:
Surgical spirit
Baby shampoo
Kitchen roll
water
Surgical spirit: This is a rubbing alcohol that is usually used to clean cuts and piercings, its germ killing properties are perfect for cleaning brushes as it gets rid of any dirt and bacteria. You can buy it in most places such as: boots, superdrug, amazon, body care and ebay.
baby shampoo: I use baby shampoo as it doesn't contain any harsh cleaning chemicals that can ruin brush hairs, it is also very moisturizing so leaves your brushes soft and smelling like babies haha!
Before starting i put some surgical spirit into a spray bottle to make it easier to get onto the brush.
For a eye make-up brushes i spray about 2 - 3 pumps onto the front and back and then swirl the brush around on a piece of kitchen roll to get rid of any dirt and make-up. I do this until it looks like all the make up has come of the brush and nothing is really coming of the brush onto the kitchen roll anymore.
if i need to clean an eye brush due to being used with a dark colour during the week and needing it the next day i will just do this step until i do the full clean at the weekend.
When doing this with big face brushes just use more surgical spirit and make sure you get inside the brush bristles not just the top and outside.
I then put some baby shampoo into the palm of my hand, swirl the bush around and squeeze the dirt out. I will rinse the brush under the cold water tap while squeezing the bristles..if the water running of the brush is still dirty.. put more shampoo onto your hand and do it again. eye make up brushes usually only need to be washed once but foundation, powder, blusher ect brushes will need this step doing 2 - 3 times to remove all the make-up.
When the water coming off and squeezing out of the brush is clear..you have a nice clean and disinfected brush! YEY!!
** TIP: DO NOT USE HOT WATER ON BRUSHES! Only use cold or lukewarm water as if its too hot it can make the glue in the handle melt and your bristles will start to fall out when doing your make-up!***
To dry my brushes i shape them so they dry in the correct shape and then lay them flat on a towel. I usually put them on my towel rail over the radiator or on my windowsill so again they are near the radiator to dry them! I normally clean my brushes at night and leave them to dry while i sleep so i wake up and can use them in the morning. Some make-up brushes take longer to dry than others such as face brushes! You can use a hair dryer to speed up the drying process but make sure its on the cold setting as like i said before if its hot it will melt the glue!
Thank you for having a read,
love,
