1. Its important to clean your brushes and tools especially the ones we use on the face because the skin on our face is delicate. Its always exposed to sunlight, pollution, and many other pollutants that harm the skin. Would you still want to add more to that?
2. If you clean your tools, you will be able to get the growing bacteria out of them instead of spreading it not only all over your face but it will risk your products to be contaminated as well. YES! BACTERIA and GERMS and all the nasty things that come with it.
3. Contaminated products/tools will be nothing but a waste and will be dangerous if used again.
4. It may cause normal to terrible breakouts depending on skin type and how long the brushes were unclean.
5. Dirt and product build up will decrease the capabilities of your tools.
6. You wont be able to get the real colors of the product if the brush you used still contains residue from other products/colors.
7. Cleaning your tools/brushes will lengthen their lives and will help maximize their effectiveness.
Heres how I clean my Makeup tools and Brushes
*incomplete brushes. these are just some of the brushes I use daily.
Baby Wipes
I use baby wipes for spot cleaning/emergency cleaning. I make sure i always have it because i also use this to wipe my makeup.
My Human Nature 100% Natural Cleansing Oil
I use this for brushes with stubborn makeup and glues prior to washing them with water.
A few pumps of this cleanser goes a long way. I swirl the brushes with soaked oil over wet wipes or tissue paper.
Johnson's Baby Shampoo or Facial Wash
I usually go for facial wash. Even though it claims to be gentle baby shampoo, I still think its packed with a lot of chemicals specifically for the hair. While, facial wash/cleansers have special chemicals designed for the delicate area. Im still kinda stuck with this idea but seeing almost everyone do it with shampoo and say its okay and all, i might as well give it a try.
*For emergencies like accidentally running out of these 2. I use any available body wash or Dove soap bar. Im not the type that would wait till i get my allowance or have time to rush to the mall.Im such a neat freak, if i have to clean them, i will. I make the most of what's available.
Plastic container (recycled ice cream tub)
I put enough water and soap mixture into this tub depending on the dirtiness and size of the brushes then I swirl the brushes individually to remove all the product.
Then run them with water to rinse.
I repeat this step for each and every brush until im satisfied.
I do this process twice and for the third time i swirl the brushes individually on the palm of my hands to remove remaining products.
Then I rinse them again.
After all of them are clean, I gently squeeze all the remaining water from the brushes and use the same tub to contain all the brushes upside down.
Cloth Diaper Inserts
I use Diaper inserts....wait what?
Here's the story: I bought cloth diapers online supposedly for my baby. It was out of impulse and they offered a great deal. Im such a sucker for cute things! I never really used them as diapers (where the baby poops and you take the inserts and wash them and use them again) I thought it was gonna be such a waste of time and effort, and when you come to think of it, its more expensive than a disposable diaper. Now, I i just use them as a garment to cover the disposable diaper with style! ;]
Going back,
I swirl the brushes into clean-brand new-never been used diaper inserts to soak up any excess water from the brushes then I let them rest on another diaper insert to dry.
* I still don't have brush guards yet, so what I do to retain the shape of the brush is I mold them into their usual shape when they're still damp and just let them dry. It works for me, and my brushes don't seem to mind. But Im going to buy brush guards soon!
Alcohol (preferably with spray)
After placing them to dry, I spray some alcohol over the brushes including the handles to sanitize them.
Right after washing.
When dried.
The drying usually takes an overnight process even if you cleaned them early in the morning. If you badly need to use them immediately, I suggest using a blowdryer for 10-20 minutes. Make sure the blower is not too close to the brushes to prevent burning the bristles and destroying the design of the handles.
* don't forget to clean also the handles
* make sure to rinse your tools well, double check by running them through a white cloth or tissue
* squeeze/pinch the bristles to see if theres still soap
* dense and fluffy brushes are usually hard to clean
* patience is a must! cleaning process is so tedious but much more worth it.
* better done while your in the shower\taking a bath as well so you don't have to worry about splashing water all over your clothes.
There you have it! I hope you learned something from me today.
Please share your suggestions and experiences with me too and leave your comments below.
- Julienne
xx
