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This Natural Makeup Brush Cleaner uses three simple, non-toxic ingredients and can be whipped up in 60 seconds flat.
Let’s face it, makeup brushes get pretty gross if they’re not cleaned regularly. After daily makeup applications, your makeup brush can become filled with old makeup, dead skin cells, unwanted oils and bacteria.
It may not seem like it, but cleaning makeup brushes is a critical step to keeping your skin healthy and clear. A dirty brush can cause your face to break out, or even worse, lead to funguses or pink eye—SAY WHHAAA?!
We get it though, in the day-to-day hustle, cleaning your makeup brush isn’t necessarily at the top of your to-do list. Then there’s all the questions, like, “What type of cleaner should I use?” “How do I find one that’s non-toxic?” “What’s the best way to dry my brushes?” and “Will it get the job done without wrecking my brushes’ bristles?”
Don’t worry, we’ve got the answers.
We love this cleaner because it’s:
- Cost-effective
- Made with natural, non-toxic ingredients (unlike commercial cleaners, which often use potentially irritating chemicals)
- Safe for both synthetic and natural fiber brushes
- A great way to promote healthy, vibrant skin
What you’ll need
- Makeup brushes
- 2 glasses, mason jars or small containers
- Castile soap
- Witch hazel
- Distilled water
- A textured silicone cleaning pad or textured tea towel
Allowing your brushes to dry
While many people place their clean brushes in a cup to dry, we advise against this. Hanging your brushes allows your bristles to dry in the open air (kinda like clothes on a wash line). Because the brush is suspended, the water drips off the bristles and away from the handle.
This helps dry your brushes faster and more evenly. It also prevents water from trickling down the handle, which inevitably causes your brush to break down because the water loosens the glue that holds the brush and bristles together.
Hanging them
After washing your makeup brushes, we suggest using elastic hair ties to hold them upside down on a bathroom towel rod or kitchen stove handle to dry. Place a towel underneath where you’re drying your brushes to prevent any water from dripping on the floor.
Using a clean towel
Another option is to pick a flat surface with an edge (a bathroom countertop is perfect) and lay out a clean towel along the edge of the surface. Lay your clean brushes flat on the towel so that the bristles are hanging over the edge and air can circulate around the bristles to dry them evenly. Place a towel underneath where you’re drying your brushes to prevent any water from dripping on the floor.
How much time does it take for my brushes to fully dry?
- Synthetic fiber brushes: Brushes with synthetic bristles tend to dry quickly, so you can clean your brushes the day or night before and they’ll be ready for use the next morning!
- Natural fiber brushes: Brushes made with natural fibers take much longer to dry, so they should be cleaned in the morning (after you apply your makeup) so that they have a good 24 hours to dry. We often do this over the weekend, rather than a hectic morning throughout the week.
How often should you wash your brushes?
We’ve read articles that have suggested washing your brushes daily, but the thought of that alone is exhausting. Because we’re big believers in a life of balance, we wash our brushes once a week, over the weekend, when our schedules aren’t so hectic.
Storing your cleaner
You can pre-mix and store your cleaner in a glass jar to simplify the process, just be sure to only dip your makeup brushes in the solution you plan to use.
Once you dip your brush in the solution, all bets are off and you’ll immediately see why. The liquid will quickly go from a clear soapy color to a cloudy makeup color.
Because this solution contains distilled water and there’s no preservative to prevent bacteria from growing in the water, you’ll want to use it within 1 to 2 weeks. You can slightly increase the shelf-life by storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Print
DIY Natural Makeup Brush Cleaner
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Course: , -
Prep Time: 5 minutes - Total Time: 5 minutes
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Yield: 1 cup 1x
Description
This natural makeup brush cleaner uses three simple, non-toxic ingredients and can be whipped up in 60 seconds flat.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Castile soap
- 3 tablespoons witch hazel
- 3/4 cup (distilled) water
- Small mason jar or glass container
- Small bowl
- Textured silicone cleaning pad or textured tea towel
Instructions
- Start by pouring the Castile soap, witch hazel and distilled water into a small mason jar. Mix to combine. This mixture can be used immediately or stored and used multiple times to clean your brushes.
- When you’re ready to use, pour as much of the mixture as needed into a small, shallow bowl.
- Give your brush a quick rinse under water and then swish and swirl your brush around in the cleaner (the cleaner will likely turn murky after doing this). It’s not absolutely necessary, but we like to allow our brushes to soak for 2-3 minutes in the solution.
- Remove your brush from the cleaner and run it back and forth over a silicone cleaning pad or a textured towel a few times.
- Give your brush another rinse under water and use your hand to gently massage and squeeze off the makeup and cleaner. Rinse and repeat the process until the brush is nice and clean. Toss the used solution.
- Reshape your brush and allow it to dry completely before using (a few hours to overnight). We suggest using an elastic hair tie to hold the brush upside down or laying it along the edge of a countertop (explained above).
- Repeat weekly or biweekly to keep your brushes clean and increase their longevity.
Notes
Use within 1-2 weeks or store in the fridge to increase shelf life.
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Keywords: Natural Makeup Brush Cleaner, Makeup Brush Cleaner
Category :Bath & Beauty, Do It Yourself, Natural Body Care, Recipes, Self-Care 
