Clean as a Whistle: How I Clean My Brushes

Hey guys!! I've been wanting to share with you a trick that a friend who is a Fine Arts student shared with me a couple of years ago, It's pretty cheap compared to those brush spot cleaners and baby shampoo if you don't have a kid using it in your house. I was doing some research because my friend is such a prankster and I don't wanna get right into it because it may not be true. #TrustIssues BUT!!! I found a similar technique on Youtube so I tried it immediately and it does so well for my brushes like *WAPAK!!* clean! The things needed are yet again found in the kitchen so I know you're like "Kitchen Buddy!! Kitchen Buddy!!" because I get all my DIY stuff in the kitchen but let me ask you this... Where else?? My intro is getting long again so let's just get started.

1. Prep The Materials Needed

All you need is a gallon of olive oil.... Just kidding a little bit of olive oil, a fair amount of dish washing soap and brush guards. 

2. Combine the Ingredients?? #TheHeck

Sorry I dunno how to call the two... chemical? concoction? I dunno. Just combine a dish soap and a lil' bit of olive oil. The olive oil is runny so it looks like it is the same amount as the dish soap, but no. The Antibacterial Dish Soap removes all the gunk in your brushes. It removes the oil, all the excess makeup and all the things you dip it to. Compared to baby shampoo, it is antibacterial it removes all the bacteria that made your brushes their home and just transfer to your face every time you use them but the bad thing about it is it dries up the hair, this is where olive oil comes in. Olive oil is used to give the hair moisture period. This is not a DIY to explain all the vitamin E shenanigans so...yep.

3. Clean Those Brushes

First is to take your embarrassing gnarly brush, next is to dip and swirl it into the mixture, then wipe it on your hands depending on the brush shape. If your brush is like the brush on the above picture, a circle..thingy... wipe it to your palm in circular motions.

But if your gnarly brushes are like these flat eye shadow brush and lip brush, wipe it in back and forth, sweeping motions. After that, if you finally think it's good to go, put it on a piece of paper towel.

4. Rinse

Rinse the brushes in running water. This way all the soap and oil residue will be removed.

5. Blot Out The Excess Water

Using a paper towel, pat the brushes dry so that the excess water will be removed so it is easier to dry

6. Put On Your Brush Guards

What this does is it makes the brushes retain its original shape. It also serves as a brush stand so that the brushes won't misshape.

7. Let It Air Dry

What I do is I roll a bath towel over a paper towel to serve a wall or post where I can lean the brushes upside down. Through gravity, the water drips down on the paper towel and makes the brushes dry.

You can not dry your brushes upright and side ways because this way the water would find its way back inside the inside-y parts of your brush and that loosens the glue of your precious brushes and makes the strands fall out. Also, do you remember when you are a kid and it's raining and water got into your wooden door and you can't close it because it doesn't fit your door frame and it's like #WelcomeRobbers for a couple of days and your mom tells you that your door swelled up? It is the same principle as your brushes. Wood tends to swell up with constant encounter with water. Your brush handles, typically made out of wood, also experience that.

See?! After a few hours, or a day, your brushes would be nice and clean and the brush guards really help to retain its shape.

And that's it!! I hope you found this post useful. How about you? Do you have any tips on leaning your brushes? Please leave them in the comments below. Thank you so much for reading and I'll talk to you guys soon!!

So Much Love,

Ina ♥