How I clean my make-up brushes

Cleaning my make-up brushes is a chore that I always put off and should definitely do on a more regular basis.  I aim to clean my brushes every Sunday (if this happens, it's a miracle!).

Clean brushes are really important when it comes to applying make up as dirty brushes will harbour bacteria and germs that won't have any benefits for your skin, especially if you suffer with acne. 

A build of old make-up on your brushes won't help with the application of your make up either; I especially notice this when applying my foundation/CC cream. 

There's lots of different ways to clean your brushes and the method I use is simple and inexpensive. 

All you need is baby shampoo and warm running water. I use Johnson's Baby Shampoo as it is a really gentle formula that leaves no residue and if it's safe for babies then it should be harmless for your brushes. 

When cleaning my brushes, I use a small amount of shampoo in the palm of my hand and swirl the damp brush around until the make-up breaks down and then I rinse the brush and my hand under warm water. It's really important to squeeze the bristles and ensure that all the soapy residue is washed away.

Another option that I have tried and tested is olive oil, used in the same way as the shampoo. The oil will break down the make-up on your brushes but I found it difficult to remove all the oil residue from my brushes (using shampoo) and it extended the time it took to complete the dreaded chore! :( 

Drying the brushes can take a long time; ideally I leave my over night (another reason why I dislike this chore lol). If you're in a rush, you could blow dry the brushes using a hair dryer on cool setting,  however, I wouldn't recommend this as you may find your brushes lose their natural shape. 

I much prefer to leave my own hair to dry naturally so I do the same for my brushes.

I leave my brushes to dry on a towel whilst they stand upright. Leaving your brushes to dry in this position is so important as it allows any water to drain away from the glue inside the barrel holding all the bristles in place. 

Half way through the drying process, I like to swirl the brushes around either on the towel or in my palm, just to 'fluff' them up and reshape them. 

The majority of my brushes are from the Real Techniques range by Sam and Nic Chapman from PixieWoo. You can shop for their range here!  

How do you clean your brushes?! Leave me a comment to let me know?

Emma 

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