Makeup Brushes: How To Properly Care For Them

Let’s face it, when you purchase high-quality, professional makeup brushes, you are making a significant investment.  In order to protect your investment, proper care of your brushes is makeup brushnot only highly recommended, but essential.

Properly cleaning your makeup brushes will save you time, money, and even your skin! Each time you use your brushes, they become contaminated with skin oils, bacteria, debris, and old, oxidized colors. Cleaning your brushes will help remove these contaminants so that your makeup application will not only be easier, but also be fresher and cleaner. Plus, your brushes will last so much longer.

Your brushes should be thoroughly cleaned at least once per week with a gentle brush shampoo or ultra gentle facial cleanser.  It doesn’t need to be a hassle- all you need is about 5 minutes.

How To Wash Your Brushes:

♦ Simply run your brushes under warm water and apply the cleanser to the bristles. Gently massage the cleanser into the hairs or fibers, but do not fully submerge the brush in water. Always point your brushes downward, taking care not to get water into the ferrule, the part of the brush that connects to the handle and the bristles. Getting water into the ferrule will loosen the bristles, causing the brush to shed excessively. Continue to wash the brush thoroughly, butsilicone brush cleaning glove gently, until there isn’t any more pigment coming out from the bristles.  To make your life even easier, we recommend a silicone brush cleaning glove or mat.  You can find one here at Amazon.

♦ Next, gently squeeze out any excess water, re-shape the bristles if necessary, and lay your brushes flat to dry on a paper towel. Never stand the brushes upright to dry.

♦ Last but not least, once your brushes are dry, store them in a closed container such as a clean makeup case or even a plastic bag. This will prevent environmental pollutants such as dust, pet dander, and mold spores from finding their way onto your makeup brushes and eventually onto your skin.

We recommend using a brush cleaner spray, such as Cinema Secrets, for in-between cleanings cinema secrets brush cleanerto help remove daily residue.  It thoroughly dissolves all mineral pigments, sebum buildup and whisks away dead skin cells, leaving your brushes fresh, clean and ready for the next application. Plus it’s acne-safe!  You can purchase it on Amazon.

It’s important to note that not all makeup brushes are created equal. You have animal hair brushes and then there’s synthetic brushes.  All of PRIIA’s brushes are synthetic.  They are made of a nylon fiber, are extremely durable and will last almost a lifetime if cared for properly.  We chose not to offer animal brushes because the question of animal cruelty is always front and center for us.  Plus, animal hair brushes do not wear as well as their synthetic counterparts.  Just like the hair on your head, makeup brushes made from animal hair can get roughned cuticles on the hair. When the cuticles are roughned, the brush starts to feel ‘scratchy’ and can actually cause small micro-tears in the skin when applying your makeup.  These micro-tears create inflammation and we all know where that leads…red, itchy and inflamed skin.  Ouch.

And one last thing…

All of these brush cleaning tips won’t mean a thing if you don’t actually do them. So go ahead and get to protecting your investment!  One…Two…Three…WASH!