Have You Cleaned Them Lately?

I'll admit that I do not clean my brushes weekly; in fact, even with a Sephora brush cleaner in my bathroom cabinet, I went almost two months without cleaning!  I'd clean one or two here and there, especially if I was trying new products, but it was not routine.  Since the Spring, I've been in the habit of cleaning at least every other week.  I do it on a Sunday, when I spend most of the day catching up on shows and doing laundry after church and brunch.

Last week, I finally finished my brush cleaner from Sephora, so I was in search of a new one.  I went to Ulta because I had a 20% coupon good for my entire purchase; I also had restock and wanted to try some new products.  I asked one of the floating makeup associates on the floor for her recommendation.  She said baby shampoo.  It works well for both natural and synthetic brushes.  Baby shampoo, in general, has less chemicals than "adult" shampoo and even some of those brush cleansers.  In fact, I compared the main ingredients of my empty Sephora bottle with , and they had one common ingredient.  In addition, the Sephora cleanser actually contained one type of parabens*, while my Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo does not.

I used Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo with Lavender last Sunday early afternoon.  Baby shampoo works great!  In fact, I think it works better at getting any gunk at the very bottom of the bristles.  Baby shampoo is cheap and available at local drugstores and grocery stores.  No need to make a special trip to a makeup counter!  I actually use baby shampoo once every season for about 2-3 weeks, just to give my hair a break from my normal routine shampoo or before switching brands of shampoo.  I used something I already have!  This also justified my purchase of a new pressed powder, lol. :)

Stop by your local drugstore or grocery store and pick up some baby shampoo!
 
Here was my routine:

1. Rinse the brushes with lukewarm water.
2. Apply a very small amount of shampoo to each of the brushes**.
3. Give each brush a good rub and squeeze - fan out then bunch up the bristles a few times too.
4. Rinse suds with lukewarm to cool water until clear water is running through the brushes.
5.  Squeeze out excess water.  Use a paper towel(s) to help.
6.  Fan out to the brushes' natural position, then lay out to dry on a hand towel.
7.  Before going to bed, turn the brushes over and place them onto a clean dry hand towel (or use a different side of the first hand towel as long it's a dry side).






*In world of cosmetics, paraben has become sort of a taboo.  Parabens are used in cosmetics as a preservative, but according to some medical/health journals, they have been associated with cancers.  Makeup brands like to advertise their products as paraben-free.  It definitely is nice when they can do that, but based on an FDA report, parabens are safe at levels up to 25%.  Most cosmetic products that contain parabens list them near or at the bottom of the main ingredients, which is a sign that it's probably not at levels of 25%.  If you want to FDA's summary, click here

**Instead of applying shampoo directly onto the brushes, get a small cup and add the appropriate amount of shampoo that you'll need for all your brushes.  After Step 1, just lightly dip the brushes into your cup, and follow through with steps 3 thru 7.