People do this whole process a bunch of different ways but I've always stuck to baby shampoo of any brand or any kind of gentle shampoo would do the job and of course specific brush cleaners are a popular choice as well. For years I've used baby shampoo but recently I bought a new product which I put to use last night and OH MA GAWD life. changing. I know this seems trivial and bla bla but for something like brush cleaning, I'll take whatever I can get to help me fasten the process. This product sent from the angels is the Beauty Blender Solid Cleanser! This little round pot of magic made cleaning my heap of brushes speedier, easier and my hands didn't get as pruney!
A few simple bits and a some time is all you need for this. (To do all these brushes probably took me around 40-45 mins)
2. Put some music on so you can have a dance/sing sesh while you wash to pass the time, cos girl you goin' be here a while.
3. I like to do my face brushes first then my eye brushes so gather your face brushes and just stare at the huge job that's in front of you..
4. Soldier on sista! It's super important to hold your brushes under the tap downwards so that the water doesn't run into the handle of the brush and get into the glue which overtime will lead to the hairs shedding and your brushes falling apart, so be cautious!
5. After running your brushes under warm water for a sec or two, take your cleaner of choice (BB solid cleanser pictured) and swirl your brush around until it lathers. If shampoo is your product of choice, pop a pea size into your palm and do the same- just swirl your brush around until it lathers up and the soap turns a lovely shade of foundation.
6. Repeat until the brush looks clean and/or the soap doesn't change colour (aka stays white) and it runs clear. Make sure you squeeze all the soap out (if more product comes out, then repeat) Rinse the brush to make sure all the soap is out completely .
7. For face brushes I swirl them on a flannel before I stand them to dry just to make sure there's no excess water. Again, standing your brushes up to dry avoids water heading into the handle of the brush and weakening it.
Eye brushes I do a little differently, don't ask me why because I have no answer but I've just always done it this way. So instead of using just soap, I first pour some olive oil onto a paper towel and then swirl each brush in the olive oil until majority of the product is off the brush. Then I give them a quick run under water and swirl in either the shampoo or solid cleanser and voila, eye brushes are done!
Before I lay the brushes down, any of the fluffy eye brushes or even fluffier face brushes like my Sigma and Real Techniques contour brushes and Setting brushes, I cover in a brush guard to maintain the shape of the bristles. When you pay so much for brushes (I'm looking at you MAC 217) the difference a brush guard makes for drying is huge and it's well worth the effort to maintain it for longer. I bought a pack off eBay for under $2 which came with varied sizes, best $2 i ever spent!
Overall this looks like a lengthy process but it's not especially if you have some music going and entertain yourself while you do it! Cleaning your brushes properly is super important so that you're not spreading bacteria over your face everyday from built-up makeup in your brush as well as anything that latches on while your brushes are sitting on your vanity or wherever you store them.
The Beauty Blender Solid Cleanser ($16US) made my brush cleaning a serious dream. Brushes that I found more difficult to clean -ahem Real Techniques Buffing brush- were so much easier with the solid cleanser and really dense brushes that I could never get 100% clean with shampoo and my palm just rinsed out the product. I was literally standing at my sink astounded by the amount of product coming off the brush from the quickest swirl of cleaner. Super impressed and now I think I'll look forward to cleaning my brushes slightly more. I definitely recommend the small investment to save you time and your hands!
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