DIY Makeup Brush Cleaner

Consider this as your PSA for the day. 

Clean your makeup brushes, ladies!

Before I became a distributor for Senegence, I rarely used makeup brushes, and when I did I honestly could not have told you the last time they were cleaned. I didn’t think about the importance of properly cleaning your brushes until just recently. And y’all… I’m disgusted at myself. 

I went YEARS without cleaning my brushes. They hung out in the bottom of my makeup bag, gathering dirt, germs, broken makeup and who knows what else. I may not have used them often (which is probably a good thing…), but when I did, who knows what I was putting on my face.

So come February when I started investing in higher quality makeup, I decided it was time to invest in some nice brushes too. I headed up to Ulta, looked like a fool wandering around aimlessly, and bought my first set of nice (aka not hand me downs from my cousins) brushes. And immediately I could tell a difference between those and the ones I used to use. It may be the sheer fact that it was the first time to ever use a clean makeup brush, or just the fact that the bristles were so much softer and smoother on my skin, but I was amazed.

I never knew brushes could be so amazing, and I decided it was time to start taking care of them. I bought some brush cleaner and began using it about once every two weeks. After a while I started to be able to tell when my brushes needed to be cleaned, because they were stiff, gunky and turning the color of my makeup. So I started cleaning them more regularly, and now I’m never going back. There’s just nothing quite as nice as a clean makeup brush!

And when I began doing research about the importance of cleaning your makeup brushes, I was flabbergasted. Yep, you heard me right- flabbergasted. I had no idea the damage I was doing to my face and my brushes by not cleaning them! Did you know that¹…

1. Your makeup brushes can grow bacteria?
   I mean think about it… You cart them around in your makeup bag, rub them all over your face, lay them on your bathroom counter, and who knows what else. Every time they come into contact with something new they are more than likely to encounter some bacteria while they’re there. A study found that “after one month, uncleaned makeup brushes held more bacteria than researchers were even able to measure.”¹ Ew. 
2. You can get a smoother finish with clean brushes?
   When your brushes don’t have a bunch of dried makeup caked on them, they are able to smooth out your products better for a more flawless finish. This will help prevent wrinkles, damaging your skin and other signs of aging when you don’t have to “work your face” as hard. 
3. You can lengthen the life of your brushes by cleaning?
   When you get lots of build up on your bristles, they can break easier and won’t last as long. Not only will this make your makeup look messy, but you are hurting those brushes you probably paid a pretty penny for!
4. Your dirty makeup brushes may be causing you to break out?
   Wait, what?? I know… who’da thunk! Remember that bacteria that can grow on your brushes? Well it can cause clogged pores, irritation to your skin and an increase in breakouts on your face. If you have noticed more blemishes lately, maybe your makeup brushes are to blame! 

And the list goes on. So let’s just say, I’m keeping my brushes clean from now on! 

If you’re just as disgusted with yourself as I was, don’t worry. I gotchu, girl! This DIY makeup brush cleaner is SO easy to make, and will give you a couple of months of clean brushes for a fraction of the cost of buying it. You can customize the smell and even add some drops of your favorite essential oils (as long as they are oils that can possibly come into contact with your skin!). I bought all of my ingredients at the Sunflower Shoppe near my apartment, but you can also find it all on Amazon, which I’ve linked below. #yourewelcome 

DIY Makeup Brush Cleaner

1/2 cup Witch Hazel (I got some with Aloe Vera in it, which helps strengthen your brush)
2 Tbsp Castille Soap (mine is Rose scented and smells AMAZING)
1 tsp Grapeseed Oil (to soften and strengthen the bristles)

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container. I used an old soap bottle that I rinsed out really well (two recipes of the cleaner fit inside!), but you can also use a mason jar or something similar. 

And there you have it! Easy peasy. ;)


 

Check out more of my beauty posts here!

Now it’s your turn to talk! Answer one of these questions in the comments below:
How regularly do you clean your makeup brushes?
Have you ever tried making your own cleaner at home?

Sources:
1 https://www.rd.com/health/beauty/cleaning-makeup-brushes/

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