Have You Done This for Your Skin Lately?

There is a particular thing we can do to keep our skin healthy that I find myself neglecting way too often…CLEANING MY MAKEUP BRUSHES. This should really be done weekly to remove residual skin oils and any accumulating bacteria (yuck). So, today I decided that Monday would be for cleaning Makeup Brushes!

I need to research the best gentle, natural way to wash my brushes (DO NOT believe the pin on Pinterest that tells you to soak them in vinegar, NEVER soak your brushes, it will ruin them), but I recently purchased e.l.f.’s brush shampoo and daily brush cleaner. They don’t seem to bother my skin and with availability at Target and a price tag of just $3 each, this works for me at the moment. Any mild soap would probably work. I’ve used baby shampoo, but found the strong fragrance too much for my sensitive skin.

If you’re organized about it (and you don’t have too many brushes) it really shouldn’t take too long. I have amassed quite a collection. Most of my brushes came with value sets and I didn’t purchase too many of them separately. I have actually disposed of some lower quality brushes and given away some extras along the way, but still have quite a few. If you care for them properly they’ll last for years, and your skin will thank you for it!

The process. (Took me about 10 minutes for the bunch pictured above.)

• I just get out a hand towel, my brushes, my brush shampoo and a small dish (I used a pyrex custard dish).
• Fold your towel in half and lay it on the counter.
• Squeeze a bit of shampoo into your dish.
• Turn on a stream of lukewarm water.
• Take your first brush (I start with the biggest, but that’s just the way I roll), wet it and dip the bristles in the shampoo.
• “Brush” your non-dominant hand with the soapy brush in a circular and back and forth motion until the bristles get nice and sudsy.
• Rinse thoroughly (giving the brush a squeeze a couple of times until the water runs clear).
• Squeeze the excess water from your brush bristles (I also take this opportunity to re-shape the brush a bit).
• Lay the brush on your towel.
• Lather, rinse, repeat until you’ve got them all clean!
• Let them dry overnight. FRESH – CLEAN – BEAUTIFUL!

(Oh, guess I forgot to mention: I use the daily brush cleaning spray with a paper towel for daily cleaning of my foundation brush – on the days I use liquid foundation, and for cheek & eye brushes when I want to change colors)

Are you better about cleaning your makeup tools/brushes than I have been? Or, maybe you’re just so purty you don’t need makeup!

I’m linking up with Kristen at