Cleaning our makeup brushes, for the most part is a task none of us really like to do. Honestly, it’s something many people don’t do often or at all.. If you weren’t already aware, it is extremely important that you clean and sanitize your makeup brushes at least once a week for a few reasons.  

1. Dirty Brushes Can Hold Bacteria

2. They will change the look and feel of your makeup, and not in a good way. 

3. Brushes that are cleaned and stored properly last longer, which means you will save money! 

4. Dirty brushes can clog your pores and cause break outs. 

5. They can cause viral infections and skin irritation!  

Now, if you are are one those beauties who has been using the same foundation brush for 8 months and have never even so much as wiped it off with a napkin.. dont worry, I’m here to help. Also, that’s gross girl get your life!  

You can make your own makeup brush cleaner right at home with just a few simple ingredients that many of you may already have at home right now.  

What you’ll need:  

• 1 cup of warm water

• 1 TBSP dish soap

• 2 TBSP white vinegar

• 1 TBSP olive oil  

• A Medium sized plastic bowl

• Paper towels  

The measurements for this don’t have to be exact, you can totally eye ball it depending on how much you personally feel that you need and how many brushes you have to clean. I suggest mixing the dish soap and warm water first, as this will be the majority of your solution and will determine if you need more or less vinegar and olive oil. 

Dawn dish soap is my favorite to use, especially the pink one because honey it smells lovely! (Using the regular blue is just as good, and doesn’t have a fragrance) This will remove all dirt, oil and left over bacteria from your brushes. Warm water of course will help to loosen the old makeup, some of you may need hot water because I know those brushes have been festering for a while.. don’t be ‘shame girl we have all been there. Once you have the right amount of the first mixture add in your white vinegar, vinegar will help to disenfect your brushes and make sure there are no creepy crawlies up in those synthetic hairs child!

And don’t forget to add that dash of olive oil, I love doing this because many makeup brushes are made with natural hair fibers such as goat hair and sable. The benefit of having natural hair brushes is that they tend to be softer and allow you to blend effortlessly as they are able to move more freely and work wonders with powder products. Using olive oil helps to keep those brush hairs very soft and comfortable for the face. 

Dipping your brush into the solution you will want to get the hairs completely covered, while being sure to keep the water from getting into the metal part of the brush handle, so that it doesn’t become loose and ruined. Taking your hand under warm running water swish the brush in circular motions and rinse occasionally, continue to repeat this process until you no longer see any makeup residue or soap. You can also use paper towels or a surface that has ridges, like a brush cleaning mat instead of using the palm of your hand. Trust me, if you have a lot of brushes to clean investing in the Sigma brush mat is a great idea.. pass it on, save a life! 

Once all traces of that concealer you got as a sample from the Sephora 2 years ago is all gone, be sure to press all excess water out and lay them down flat to dry. I suggest having the brush hairs hanging over the egde of a counter surface so they can dry evenly on each side.  

And you literally just rinse and repeat.. it’s that simple! Now we don’t have to feel bad about or nasty habits and save a bunch of money on car insurance! Actually that last part is a lie but at least your makeup will continue to be laid and that’s all we can really ask for in this world!