As children many of us watch grown-ups put on their makeup and long for the day when we are old enough to have a wonderful collection of our own and of course the correct makeup brushes to complete the collection. And what fun it was when we did reach this rite of passage and were finally able to use and own as many colours of lipsticks, eyeshadows blushers etc
But what many of us may not have been told is the importance of keeping our make-up tools clean, and that some of the breakouts we experienced throughout our teen years may not have just been due to hormones but due to bacteria that were breeding on our unwashed brushes. Or that hormonal breakouts could have been a little more easily dealt with had we not been making matters worse by using dirty brushes on our already traumatised skin.
Make-up brushes can hold a lot of dirt and grime that builds up over time. This can lead to clogging pores, allowing infections to develop or making small breakouts much worse.
Ideally, my personal recommendation is to have two sets of brushes, one that is always clean, dry and ready to use. It is recommended that brushes get cleaned weekly, but if you have never cleaned your brushes then getting into a routine of cleaning them at least once a month would be a good starting point.
Today there are many types of brush cleaners available on the market to enable quick cleans between uses and for deeper cleans. But if you prefer to make your own at home here is a quick and easy recipe.
4 tablespoons of unscented alcohol, witch hazel or water
1 teaspoon of liquid castile soap
1 drop of tea tree essential oil
1 drop of lavender essential oil
How to use
Combine all of the above ingredients in a small bowl and blend together with a spatula or a spoon.
To clean the brushes wet them under warm water making sure to keep the bristles pointed down under running water.
Once wet dip the brushes into the bowl of brush cleaning solution and rub them in a circular motion on a silicon make-up brush scrubber or in the palm of your hand. Rinse and repeat these steps till the makeup has been properly removed from your brushes. Now gently squeeze excess water from your brushes and lay them flat on a clean dry towel to dry.
