How To: Clean Your Makeup Brushes

Everyone's New Years resolution should be to clean your makeup brushes more frequently- find out how after the jump!

One of the most important yet overlooked parts of skin care is cleaning your makeup brushes. It's not glamorous, but every beauty enthusiast should be cleaning their brushes regularly (I recommend every 1-2 weeks) in order to avoid a nasty buildup of bacteria on these coveted tools. You know how you aren't supposed to touch your face with your dirty, oily fingers throughout the day? Subjecting your face to dirty makeup brushes basically has the same effect.

Many makeup brands sell brush cleansers, but I've found that you can clean your tools just fine with water, shampoo, and a touch of olive oil. With the exception of a synthetic foundation brush, NEVER clean your brushes with makeup remover! The extremely oily formula will make your brush hairs flat and greasy.

In order to achieve radiant skin like Nina Dobrev, clean makeup brushes are a must-have. 

Step 1: Wash your hands!

It seems self-explanitory, but you can't expect to get clean brushes without freshly sanitized hands.

Step 2: Create Your Cleanser

You can create your own brush cleanser with leftover shampoo (the lighter the formula, the better!) and a few drops of olive oil. Less is more with the olive oil because once again, you want to avoid greasy brushes. I prefer to make my mixture on a clean plate to maximize its use- in a bowl, it's easier to leave leftover cleanser in the crevices. 

Step 3: Clean!

One by one, swirl your brushes in your cleanser. A little bit goes a long way because you need to make sure you rinse the soap completely out of the brushes before laying them to dry. After applying the soap to the brush hairs, run the hairs under a lukewarm faucet. Avoid completely submerging the brushes in water because this weakens the glue that holds the brush together! Also, be very gentle with the bristles to avoid tearing them out of the brush. This step should be a slightly disgusting blast from the past as you see leftover makeup rinsing off your brushes and down the drain. For me, this is the most rewarding step and reminds me exactly why it is so important to clean them often!

Step 4: Dry

After a thorough rinse, lay your brushes to dry flat on a clean towel to air dry. Blow drying your brushes or standing them up straight to dry can weaken the glue holding the bristles to the handle, shortening their lifespan. Laying the towel on a clean surface in front of a low speed fan to speed up drying time, however, is okay.

You're done! Now that wasn't too bad, was it? With regular brush maintenance, you will save money in the long run by increasing the lifespan of your brushes and the condition of your skin, allowing you to continue creating your favorite looks for years to come!

Bright cheeks with soft black eyeliner is one of my go-to makeup looks, made possible by clean brushes!

XO,

Em