Brush Hygeine

Let’s talk brush hygiene. If you’re like many people you’re probably wondering, “what hygiene???”

But, when you think about it, it makes perfect sense, you put your makeup brushes into makeup and onto your face everyday so they should be clean. Additionally, the product build up (in my opinion) makes the brush perform at sub-peak levels.

The general consensus regarding brush cleanliness is that you should wash them once a week.

Now you’re thinking, “ugh! But that’s so tedious.”  Well, I agree. I wish I could say I’m a model citizen and that I wash my brushes every Sunday at 4PM on the dot, but I don’t. Especially at the ridiculous quantity of makeup brushes I own it can turn into a 30-45 minute ordeal. But, I’ve gotten my brush washing system to a place that makes it less terrible. Let’s go over the supplies I use:

• Unscented bar soap (Dr. Brommer’s is my favorite)
• Brush washing mat (or mitt, but I ❤ my mat. It’s from TJ Maxx, they have them all the time)
• Towel OR rubber bands and a towel bar.
• Podcasts (I recommend Hidden Brain, Planet Money, Freakanomics, or Casefile True Crime)
• Alcohol swabs (or alcohol and cotton pads)

Great, now you’ve got your supplies. The first step (very important) is to play a podcast so you don’t die of boredom.

Next, wet your brush with warm water (do not get the barrel wet) and swirl it onto the soap. Once it is soapy rub it over the mat until the brush looks clean. Run under the water to make sure it runs clear and then get any soap out. I then gently squeeze out the excess water and reshape the brush.

Now comes the drying. My favorite method is to hang them on a towel bar with elastics (see below). I find this dries them the quickest. This method also works with a clothing hanger. Otherwise find something to prop the brushes against to dry them at an angle on a towel to prevent the barrels from getting wet.

The last thing you want to do is to wipe down the barrels with alcohol to kill any germs that are on there from your hands touching them everyday. Tada! You’re done and ready to conquer tomorrow’s makeup look.

TIP: If you have 1000000 makeup brushes like me, I recommend rotating the ones you use and just cleaning the ones you’ve used, to save yourself the hassle.