A D.I.Y Spot Brush Cleaner...

Hello! Firstly, let me say welcome back to my blog and I hope you're all well. know it's been a very long time since I last posted so, please forgive me for that and thank you all for being so patient. I am back now though and planning to post every week again.

So,on to this post. Cleaning your make-up brushes regularly should be a permanent part of your beauty routine. Not just to care for your brushes but to care for your skin. Brushes that contain old make-up will be also plentiful in bacteria. This, you don't want on your face! *thumbs down*

If you own lots of make-up brushes you will know it can be quite tedious cleaning them regularly. I'm yet to meet a make-up artist or beauty enthusiast that actually looks forward to cleaning their brushes.

So, what can you do to make life easier for yourself? Well, In between periods of washing your brushes and not, you can do something called ''spot cleaning'' which is quicker than a full on clean and will sanitise and clean your brushes up nicely until they need to be thoroughly cleaned.

A while back I purchased the brush cleaner from M.A.C and also one from The Body Shop. They worked fine but weren't cheap. When they ran out, I began to look for a more affordable option. Alas, I didn't have much joy. Then, I had a thought! Why not just check the ingredients and see what is in these expensive brush cleaners? *Cue light bulb above my head*

DRUM ROLL PLEASE...Alcohol, water, fragrance and some sort of moisturising element. Wow! I can do this and save a fair bit of money doing so! Ok, here's what you'll need:

• An Empty Spray Bottle
• Distilled Water
• Rubbing Alcohol (Surgical spirit)
• Baby Shampoo
• A Conditioner Of Your Choice (no oils as we're not washing it out)
• A Clean Cloth Or Towel

The cleaner with all ingredients added (Above).

I haven't included amounts in mls of what you need to use as it depends on the size of the bottle you're using. I have shown it as a ratio. So, you want approximately 30% of alcohol first, 60% water and the remaining 10% to be your baby shampoo and conditioner. 

The conditioner is not essential but alcohol can be quite drying, so I add it in as it works well with the baby shampoo in keeping the brushes soft. Also, my brushes are synthetic thus tend to be more durable and not as soft as natural brushes.

When you have your cleaner all mixed and ready, shake it up and get your chosen brushes.

Spray the mixture directly onto your brush head and begin to wipe it onto your cloth.

This is how the brush looks after it's initial clean. You can go ahead and repeat the process if it needs more cleaning.

Now, line up all your other brushes and repeat the process until they are as clean as can be. They won't need much drying but lie them all flat to dry and air out before using them.

So, there you have it! As you can see, this method has worked great. Clean and DRY brushes which are ready to use again should you wish to reuse the same brushes rather than dirtying others. I will say this... let the brushes air for at least 5-10 minutes so the alcohol can evaporate (This is a personal preference of mine). 

This is a really inexpensive way to clean your brushes and the products are so readily available. You will probably even have them lying around your house! AND..you can treat yourself to something pretty with the money you have saved ;-)

Please let me know if you will be trying this and how it goes.

How do you spot clean your brushes?

Thanks as always for stopping by and I hope this helps!