How often do you clean your brushes?

Hello lovelies,

I think it's time for another little confession from yours truly...I made a little resolution to be a bit better about washing my make up brushes this year, and decided to try washing them every week...and I was doing quite well up until the last week of January, where it all went pear shaped. To be completely honest, I think I probably only use about 6 brushes every single day, and I normally try to give them a swipe with my brush spray every other day, but as I don't feel this cleanses them properly (particularly the kabukis I use to apply my mineral foundation), I decided to try and be more responsible about washing my brushes properly. However, I somehow ended up really busy, and being away for 2 whole weekends, I found my weekdays filled with household chores when I got home from work, which didn't leave much time to fiddle around washing the 15 or so brushes I use most often! As a result, they were starting to look a bit like the image below.

(taken off Google images)

But, the good news is I somehow managed to find time to do it today, as my guilty conscience was totally wearing me down (almost a month without washing my brushes properly, eek), and being the illustrious beauty blogger than I am, I multitasked by doing a deep cleansing treatment and popping on a clay mask on my face while washing my brushes...how's that for a time saver win!

In case you're wondering, it's really good to keep your brushes clean as it minimises cross contamination, stops bacterial growth and keeps your colours true (because you aren't trying to dab on colour using a brush that's already saturated with product). So in the long run, you'll probably end up using less product too, which is definitely more economically sustainable! 

I usually clean my brushes by leaving them to soak for a couple of minutes in warm soapy water (you can use shampoo or face cleanser), and then I swirl each brush in a dab of shampoo on my palm, using back and forth motions, working up a good lather (the colour of the lather can be quite horrifying, so just prepare yourself for that). Never douse the whole brush head in water as it can cause the glue that holds the bristles together to loosen up, creating excess shedding and ruining the brush head. I then 'swish' the brushes in clean water or run it under the tap for a wee while until the water runs clear. Some people like to add a dab of conditioner to their brushes, I normally don't as I've been using the same brushes for years and find them very soft, but today I treated my kabukis to a tiny dab of conditioner...I'll see how they feel tomorrow when it comes to make up application, at the very least they'll smell gorgeous! :)

I normally squeeze the water out gently with my hands, and then press them between the folds of a clean towel to absorb as much excess moisture as possible, before gently shaping the brushes into the right shape (this is very important for angled/slanted brushes like blush brushes). Try not to wring the water out as that can ruin the brush. I normally finish by just laying mine out on a flat surface overnight to dry. It took me about 20 minutes from start to finish today to wash, condition and blot-dry 15 make up brushes.

How often do you clean your brushes, and how long does it take you? Do you start to get a bit antsy when you know you haven't washed them in a while?

Much love,

MM.

x