Cleaning Makeup Brushes with White Vinegar and Olive Oil
When was the last time you cleaned your makeup brushes? If the answer is “never”, you might want to re-think your strategy. According to experts, we should be cleaning our brushes at least once a month to keep them free of dirt and bacteria. Dirty brushes cause all sorts of skin irritations and even promote wrinkles.
Before you throw out your current brush stash, give them a quick clean using these all-natural ingredients you probably have at home:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Liquid Castile soap (or any mild soap)
Distilled white vinegar
Warm water
Once you have all the ingredients ready, it’s only a few simple steps to have like-new, clean makeup brushes:
- Pour some olive oil onto a clean washcloth (about a teaspoon worth). Then gently press the bristles of your dirty brush back and forth into the oil until it is saturated. Here you just want to moisten the bristles and loosen the dirt–avoid getting oil onto the handle of the brush because it may ruin the glue that keeps the bristles on the brush.
- Combine the Castile soap and warm water into a bowl. Swish the brush back and forth in the soapy water. Use your fingers to wash the bristles and release any embedded dirt. Do this process one brush at a time and then use a fresh bowl of cleaner for each brush. Repeat as necessary until each brush is cleaned fully.
- Pour 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar into another bowl. Put your clean and squeeze-dried brush (bristles only) into the vinegar. This step will kill any bacteria that may be on the brush. Do not get the handle wet.
- Lastly, rinse the brush under warm water. Squeeze any extra water from the brush, reshape the bristles and place each brush into a brush guard or turn brushes upside down in a clean toothpaste holder or dish rack to dry. You don’t want the excess water to run into the handle.
Cleaning your brushes regularly will not only keep your skin healthy, but will make the brushes last longer and perform better.
Talk to us: How often do you clean your makeup brushes?
image courtesy of flickr CC/Sodanie Chea