One of the most important tips I could give for skincare; keeping your skin clear and looking healthy, is to look after and clean your makeup tools. Not only does it benefit your skin, but we spend a hefty amount on brushes and beauty blenders, therefore replacing them is not always a cost-effective option! Looking after your brushes and cleaning them properly allows them to ‘live longer’ and also keeps your makeup looking the best it can whilst not adding any harm to your skin.
Makeup tools are used, and then often left aside where over time they can gather all sorts, such as dust and bacteria. This is then transferred on to your face the next time you use them, and also onto your actual makeup, where it sits. Whereas you can wash your face to remove the impurities, you can’t do that so easily from makeup! The bottom line is that you should be cleaning your makeup tools frequently however much you use them.
Makeup shampoos, sprays and cleansers are often expensive and as with many things I use, I like to make my own very simple and effective alternative. All the ingredients used will deep- cleanse the brush, remove the bacteria and keep the applicator soft and protected so that it lasts longer.
In order to create this brush cleanser, only a few simple ingredients are needed. To the bowl of lukewarm or cool water (be careful not to use hot water), add a few pumps of antibacterial hand wash, a little extra virgin olive oil and a few drops of apple cider vinegar. I don’t usually measure out how much of each I put in. You want the mixture to be enough for the amount of water, but be careful not to overdo the oil as it can be hard to get out and will need more washes with hand soap alone. Once you have made this, swirl your brush into the mixture trying not to submerge the brush past the bristles too much.
You will start to see some of the colour from the makeup in the mixture. Once coated with the mixture after a few swirls, use a similar swirling action to rub the brush onto your palm to release the colour and really condition the brush with the mixture. Again you will see more of the makeup start to run from the brush.
Once you have massaged the brush into your palm to release any makeup pigment and dirt and kill any bacteria, hold just the bristles under cool water to rinse out. Again make sure the brush is facing downwards and try not to let water into the brush handle.
You can repeat this process until they are as clean as possible, and also if you find that there is some excess oil on the brush, add some hand soap to your palm, massage your brush into the soap and rinse as before. Once you have removed the colour and cleaned the brush thoroughly, you need to lay them to dry. It is best to reshape the brush whilst wet and place them on a towel that is elevated slightly, off the edge of a surface. The most important thing here is to make sure that the bristles are not laying higher than the end of the brush handle, or that you do not dry the brush upright with the bristles at the top. The bristles should face downwards.
Leave your brushes to dry completely before using them again and you are good to go!! So why did I use these ingredients?
– Apple Cider Vinegar is responsible for removing the makeup and you will see just how your bristles transform from being colourful straight back to the original colour of the brushes. You can even use white vinegar which does the same thing. Apple cider vinegar does however, have a ‘slight’ stench but I make up for that by using a citrus-smelling hand soap!
– Olive Oil moisturises the bristles and keeps them super soft. There is nothing worse than ruining the quality of your brushes by stripping away their natural softness so it is important to keep them protected and nourished.
– Antibacterial Handsoap is a given for this process. It will remove all the impurities and kill any bacteria in and around the brush allowing you to use clean and bacteria-free tools on your face! An added bonus for me is that it gets rid of the lingering apple cider vinegar smell!
Check out my post ‘TOP TIPS: Makeup Brush Cleaning‘, for my real important tips on taking care of your brushes!
Love Nimisha
xoxo
