— April 26, 2019

I want to talk to you today about a beauty habit that a lot of people neglect…

And while it may seem like a small thing, it’s actually incredibly important to the health of your skin.

Because if you’re NOT doing it regularly, you could be spreading bacteria all over your face. And as we all know, bacteria = breakouts.

As you might have guessed — it’s cleaning your makeup brushes.

Now, while it can be time consuming to clean your brushes, it is so important to do it at least once a week. (That can vary depending on how often you wear makeup.)

You see, not only will regularly cleaning your brushes make them last longer, but it will also help you apply your makeup easily for a flawless look every time.

Plus, that super soft feeling of brand new brushes will last even longer with proper cleaning. And, of course, you’ll limit the spread of acne-causing bacteria on your skin.

So, now that you know the importance of cleaning your makeup brushes, you need to know the best ways to clean them.

You might see things online that say to clean your makeup brushes with dish soap. Don’t do this.

While the people who came up with this idea were on the right track as far as the anti-bacterial properties go, this isn’t the best material to use on makeup brushes.

The fibers in your brushes can be damaged by the sulfates in dish soap, especially if you’re using natural brushes.

Instead, I recommend a mixture of witch hazel, gentle soap, olive oil, and water.

Here’s the ingredient breakdown:

  • ½ cup witch hazel
  • 2 tsp mild castile soap
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 cup distilled water

The soap and witch hazel will sanitize the brushes, and the olive oil will condition the fibers for squeaky-clean brushes that work just like the day you bought them.

Once you’ve got your homemade brush cleanser mixed up, it’s time to clean your brushes!

Here’s how to make it:

  1. Wet your brushes in warm water. (Be careful not to get the barrel wet — water can damage the core, causing the brush fibers to fall out)
  2. Pour your soap into a dish and swirl your brush around until it’s saturated with soap.
  3. Rinse and repeat until you can’t see makeup coming out of the brush when you rinse it. You can also get silicone brush cleaners that will help provide a little friction to work stubborn makeup out of your brushes.
  4. To dry your brushes, roll up part of a towel and prop the ends of your brushes up against it so they sit bristle-side down. This will prevent water from getting into the center of the brush.

I usually like to reserve Sunday mornings to clean my brushes, since I don’t usually wear makeup that day.

Then my brushes have all day to dry out, and I’m all ready for the week with a squeaky-clean set.

So why not give it a try this weekend? You’ll be ready to face the week with a fresh, clean look.