How and when do I clean my makeup brushes?
Posted: Wednesday, November 30, 2005
by NYC Makeup Artist
"What's up with cleaning makeup brushes? How do I do that?"
Good for you! It's extremely important to clean your makeup brushes as often as you can every other day is ideal, but do try to get to it at least once a week.
Washing your brushes removes the inevitable buildup of makeup as well as the oils and skin particles that are picked up every time a brush touches your face. You certainly don't want any breakout-causing bacteria transferred back onto your skin, and cleaning makeup brushes is actually good for them! Like a good pair of jeans, a high-quality brush will get softer and better with repeated washings – without this frequent maintenance, a crusty layer of old makeup will embed into the pores of your brush's bristles and cause them to become stiff and unyielding. Boo.
The moral of the story is this: Keep your fine brushes in tip-top shape by cleaning them regularly.
- Add about a teaspoon of baby shampoo to a bowl of lukewarm water.
- Stir the head of the brush around in the bowl and follow with a thorough rinsing in cold water. (Why cold, you ask? As with the pores on your face, a splash of cold water will make the itty-bitty brush fibers tighten up, which will make the bristles lie smoothly when dry.)
- When you're done, make sure you place your brushes flat to air-dry. If you leave a wet brush standing, water will collect at the base of the bristles and compromise the strength of the fastening, leading to the brush's premature death.
Follow these simple instructions and your brushes and skin will have a long, happy relationship.
More makeup tips are just a click away.
Very helpful. I didn't even know I was supposed to clean my brushes, and whenI found out that I was, this told me how. Now my brushes apply makeup smoother, and easier.
