Basic Hygiene: Cleaning Makeup Brushes and Makeup Cases

Makeup tools are easy to get dirty from the constant transference of makeup to our fingertips/brushes, fingertips to our face, and then back on to our makeup products again with our greasy foundation covered fingertips. This accumulation of cosmetic dirt is almost unavoidable and without cleaning our tools, not only does our makeup products look unappealing but more importantly bacteria can be transferred to our skin which can potentially cause break outs. 

This is why it is important to clean our makeup tools (especially brushes) from time to time. Here I’ll be demonstrating some of the basic cleaning procedures I do to prevent these bacterial transferences and to maintain a hygienic and clean bathroom. 

Before I start doing any of my make up, I always use an antibacterial wipe or hand sanitizer such as Dettol. This will ensure that I have clean hands to start off with. 

1) Cleaning Makeup Cases:

Without cleaning your make up cases, your make up products could look like this (fingerprint and foundation marks everywhere) 

Before cleaned

After cleaned

You can clean your make up by using Isocol. Here I have transferred some of my Isocol into a spray bottle I bought from Daiso. All you have to do is spray some of the Isocol on to some tissue and start cleaning your products with it. 

2) Preventing Makeup Cases from Getting Dirty:

If you want to prevent your makeup cases from getting dirty easily, you can use Antibacterial wipes (bought from Big W). If you use Antibacterial wipes in between every application of makeup, it will help keep your hands clean and prevent them from transferring make up onto your products. 

You can also use these antibacterial wipes for cleaning those stubborn mascara/eyeliner stains off your eyelash curler.

3) Cleaning Makeup Brushes:

For a quick clean, I use Isocol or Antibacterial wipes. These products are really handy to use on your brushes every day as it is quick and simple but will still help sterilize the brushes and prevent bacteria from transferring on to your face in between each use.  

For a deep clean, I use Johnson's baby conditioning shampoo as it is quite gentle on the brushes. To help maintain softness to the brush, I use a hair conditioner. Here I am using Herbal Essences long term hair conditioner (any hair conditioner will do). I try to do the following deep cleaning procedure once a week.

Tools you'll need when cleaning your brushes: Shampoo, Conditioner, Mug, Soap bar holder, and Towel.

Wet brushes with water.

 

Squeeze out excess water.

Brushes should be damp.

Squeeze a small amount of shampoo into the cup (enough for all your brushes).

Dip brush into the shampoo.

Brush should be slightly dipped in shampoo (not soaked in it).

Using a soap bar holder, gently start rubbing the brush against it (the reason I use a soap bar holder is because the ridges help clean the brushes more thouroughly but be careful not to press in the brushes too hard). 

The shampoo should start to foam up.

Once you think the brush is clean enough, start to rinse the shampoo out with water.

When rinsing, rub against your palm for an extra clean and to ensure all the shampoo comes out.

Once there is no soapy residue left..

..squeeze out the excess water.

Once all brushes have been shampooed, you can start to condition them.

Squeeze sufficient amount of conditioner for the all your brushes on to your palm.

Slightly dip your brush into the conditioner.

Rub in the conditioner with your fingers.

Leave the conditioned brushes to rest for 15 minutes. This will allow the conditioner to soak in even more.

Rinse out the conditioner.

Dry the damp brushes with a towel.

Shape your brushes to it's original shape.

Repeat this procedure with the rest of your brushes.

and finally leave the brushes on a towel to dry (usually takes a day or two for the brushes to fully dry).