Do you clean your makeup brushes?

You use them everyday but how often do you clean them?
I've found that many people skip the cleaning or rarely clean their makeup brushes. This WILL change by the time you finish reading this blog. I'm going to talk about why you should clean your brushes, how to clean your brushes, and how often you should clean them. You'll practically be a pro!

Why do I need to clean my brushes?
It's SO important to clean your brushes, I cant even begin to stress this enough. Your face has natural oils which can get mixed with nasty bacterias. The brushes become a breeding ground for bacteria. Not only are you spreading that on your face, but you are also dipping it into your makeup and spreading the bacteria to your makeup. If you have acne, this will make it worse. You are spreading the bacteria from your pimples across the rest of your face causing the bacteria and pimples to spread!

So how do I clean them?
There are several ways to do this, and a few steps.
Cleaning and sanitizing
Many makeup companies like MAC make brush cleansers which work well. But if you dont want to spend the money there are alternative methods.

You can use baby shampoo and rubbing alcohol(or as they say in the UK, surgical spirits!)
1. Gently wet the brushes, BUT try your best to not get the metal part of the brushes wet. When the brush hairs that are bound in the metal part get wet they have a hard time drying and can eventually get mildew. This proves to be VERY difficult, and I have yet to find a better way. Just do the best you can, you'll eventually need to replace your brush set anyways.
2. Put a pea sized drop of baby shampoo, or any other mild shampoo, or use a brush cleanser, in your palm and gently swirl your brushes in your hand. Then rinse. Repeat if necessary until no color comes out. (You'll be surprised by what colors will be in your sink!)
3. I would suggest buying a small or travel sized spray bottle and put your rubbing alcohol in it. Mist each of your brushes with the rubbing alcohol and then lay your brushes flat to dry.

How often should I clean my brushes?
I suggest at least every 2 weeks(twice a month) or more often if you have acne. You can use your rubbing alcohol sanitizing spray everyday to keep the bacteria from spreading!
You can also use the sanitizing spray on your makeup! One or two sprays on your eyeshadows, palettes, blush, compacts, almost everything will help sanitize your makeup as well!

Hope this has been informative and that you will clean your brushes from now on! Happy cleaning!