When was the last time you gave your makeup brushes some tender loving care? Today? Yesterday? Last week? Last month? Last year? Never?” :0
Cleaning your brushes is a vital practise, not only good for your skin but keeping unwanted bacteria and / or mould (depending on where you live) growing in your beautiful makeup brushes that you are using, in most cases, daily.
How often should we wash our makeup brushes?
That really depends on how often you are using your brushes. If you are using your brushes daily, it is important to wash your brushes thoroughly each week. If you are using your brushes a couple of times a week, a three to four weekly wash would be OK.
Did you know we have our very own colony of microbiome living on our skin’s surface, and loose raw natural minerals, in other words, powder used for makeup, doesn’t grow or harbour bacteria or algae at all? This is mainly due to the fact there is nothing added to the minerals that are blended to make your mineral powder foundation.
As the week progresses, you will find that you need to use less and less of your powder foundations to gain your desired coverage due to the the build-up of minerals already in your brush. By the end of the week, I can pick up my brush, zip it over my face and have the desired coverage. However, our skin is a living community of bugs, dirt, grease and oil, which can also exist on our brushes at the end of each week and can create the perfect environment for unwanted bacteria or mould growth. Don’t be putting that back onto your beautiful skin love! This is why it is a very good reason to give our brushes the weekly maintenance they deserve. Your skin (and brushes) will thank you for it
Shop exculsive Mineral Powder Foundation
How to wash your Brushes
Step 1. Put your brushes under warm water making sure the brushes are thoroughly wet. Add to the palm of your hand your favourite natural shampoo. Gently massage your brushes into the palm of your hand with the shampoo to create a beautiful foam. Do this for a minute or two.
Step 2. If your brushes are particularly soiled, you may need to repeat the shampooing process.
Massage your brushes under running warm water. Until the water runs clear. Squeezing your brushes gently from the base of the bristles to the top.
Step 3. Once you have washed, rinsed, and squeezed your brushes, give them a gentle shake. Lay them on a clean towel on a flat surface to dry.
Tip; To preserve your wooden handles and dry the base of your brush properly, prop the brush handle on a pencil or chop stick. By doing this, the handle can dry without the risk of it rotting, which can also cause bacteria growth in the wood. Dry your brush properly somewhere out of direct sunlight. Overnight is perfect. If you are washing your brushes during the day, consider leaving them out in the sunlight for a very quick 10-minute sun bake. Sunlight is a quick dry but also kills bacteria. The key is … don’t leave them out too long.
Is there a difference between caring for sable haired brushes and vegan brushes?
We don’t care for a sable brush (animal haired) differently to a vegan brush (synthetic brush). Both types of brushes respond very well to a natural shampoo avoiding silicones and sulphates, parabens, and other nasties.
Tip: When removing wax or oil-based products from your brushes we recommend you add a little organic dish soap to the mix. This assists removing very stubborn pigments, waxes and oils.
How to sanitise your makeup brushes
Sanitising your makeup brushes is a little different to cleaning your makeup brushes. Every month or two it is very easy to give your brushes that extra treatment of cleansing and caring and sanitising them in a natural way.
Step 1. Get a mason jar from your kitchen. Depending on the number of brushes you are washing, allow your jar to support the bristles standing. If you are cleaning and sanitising a Kabuki Brush, I recommend doing this in a smaller jar and doing it on its own for the best outcome.
Step 2. In the jar, mix a blend of 1-part shampoo, 2-parts vinegar and 10 parts room temperature water . Shake the jar before putting your brushes in. Stand your brushes in this mixture for a few hours or overnight.
Step 4. Remove your brushes from the vinegar and shampoo mix and rinse well under warm running water. Gently squeeze and shake the brushes, removing all the excess water. Leave brushes to dry with the handle bottom sitting upright on a pencil or chop stick, as a mentioned practise above. Being slightly tilted, it helps to remove all the water out of the brush. Leave the brushes to dry overnight.
Tip: Using a hairdryer can be good to dry extra moisture in the base of your brush for longevity.
This practise of cleaning your makeup brushes is totally worth doing. Quality brushes are not cheap, and your brushes will repay you as they become softer with age and will last for a long time. After doing this practise with your brushes you will have the cleanest, softest, sanitised beautiful makeup tools ready to go. BB BLENDING BRUSH
How do you #wonderwomen clean your makeup brushes? Let us know in the comments.
With love
#KIBI
