Cleaning Brushes 101 'Everything you need to know' - Page 9

well i only wash my brushes once i week since i go to school i dont use eye brushes so they only get used maybe 3 times a week, however i do condition them everytime, only brushes i dont condition everytime i wash them is my eyeliner ones as i do them everyday and quickly too dont have time to condition them

edit to add: i think its ok to condtion them once maybe even twice a week just make sure to wash it all off so it dusnt leave any behind

this might help

http://www.specktra.net/forum/showth...ht=conditioner

thanks! helps a bit, but I'm still confused about how often to condition

hah im not sure there is really a 'special' techinique lol i just do it how a do it on my hair. wash them with baby shampoo wash it off then jst basically put conditioner on them leave for 15-20 mins then wash it off then leave to dry

How often are you washing your brushes? I would wash them once a week and then condition them afterward. For everyday cleaning I would do mini cleanings with brush cleaner or swiping them over makeup remover towlettes.

I fully wash my 239 everyday (it gets a lot of pigment on it & I like them to stay white) and my 217 about once every 3-5 days, depends how much I use it.

Why is it that my brushes never keep there shape. I mean it could be the very first time I have ever washed it and I will see splaying. I don't know what I am doing wrong, it's obviously me because this will happen w. almost all of my loose or fluffy brushes even w. my 239 and I try to like squeeze/twist them tightly into shape while they are wet and before I let them airdry (this is what my MA suggested) but mine are still losing shape...please anyone any suggestions!!!

the squeezing/twisting tightly would do it. I just place mine in between a towel (doubled over) & presss. Mine all look great.

ACK!! please do not squeeze or twist the brushes tightly or be rough with them. This can cause plenty of problems. Gentle...be very gentle


As for conditioning your brushes it usually not required but you can use hot oil treatments on them. Use the same way you would on your hair then cleanse them.

I do this for the brushes I use on clients to help keep them soft.

Try not to use heavy conditioners on them because overtime it can cause build up.


Also any conditioning or oil treatment should not be done often. More like once every 3 months.

For the cetaphil user, I used to use cetaphil as well and my sister in law (who is a former MAC employee of 7+ years) told me that it is better to use shampoo on the MAC brushes as they are made of natural hair. Since I've started using shampoo I notice that the bristles come out softer and it is working out better for me.

I use Clinique's brush cleaner. I love it, it's gentle yet effective at getting every drop of color off my white haired brushes!!

I use MAC brush cleaner diluted to half strength and I haven't had any problems yet.

me too.

i wash my brushes once a week using some mild soap or dish soap and WARM (not hot!) water. i rub in the direction of the bristles to get all of the product off, then reshape them (if necessary) and lay them out to air dry overnight.

I wash my brushes roughly every 2-3 days (my eyeshadow ones) with a drop of shampoo. I wet the brushes & swirl them through the shampoo until clean, and than rinse. about once a week I condition them.
for face brushes I do the same thing, but my foundation I wash every two weeks and my blush around once a month thats what the MAC MA told me to do.

I just went through the MAC brush cleaner myself...As stated above I find I make a Brush Cleaner Cocktail with work for me. Take a lil MAC BC mix with a hint of water , dump into a spray bottle. Lay the brushes flat on Kleenex spray the brushes. The original res will wash off. Take Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo add a SPLASH of MAC BC gently wash brushes. Good as NEW! If your doing this specifically for your Eye brushes I like to use a dab of make-up remover to get rud of the dried liner...

Lots of great tips and ideas. Thanks everyone!!

I tend to have an eyeshadow brush for every family of colors... I have repeats of some so that I don't get a lot of color transfer/muddiness. So brushes used with cream or fluid makeup (especially face products) get washed about once a week. The eyeshadow ones are washed every 2-3 weeks. After every use I gently brush them out against a paper towel to get rid of some of the color deposit. When I actually wash them I put a drop of makeup remover and a bunch more warm water and I take each brush dip and swirl them for about 10-20 seconds then in my hand I put a drop of Johnson's baby shampoo and I turn on the warm water. I run my hand with shampoo under the water... take the rinsed brush and swirl in my palm just the way I woud apply with them. I then rinse it in the running warm water... I lay them on a paper towel and brush them into their correct shape. Anything fluffy gets moved off the edge of the table for drying/reshaping. I move them to our dining table because I can't stand the thought of leaving them to dry in the bacteria of the restroom. =(

.....

What would be the best for getting fluidliner off your brushes? I notice it gets rather hard when it dries... i'll brush it back and forth on a dry towel to make it soft to use it again the next day... would using eye makeup remover damage the brush?

i just now started using baby wipes after i'm done with doing my makup in the morning then i'll probably get into habit of cleaning them every 2 weeks or so

As odd as it sounds....I shampoo and condition my brushes <_<

I have seen a lot of people say that they are using baby shampoo to wash their brushes. I mentioned this once in front of some of the ladies I work with at the counter, and they said that the PH in baby shampoo is very high and damaging to your brushes. They said it will eventually loosen the bristles and cause them to fall out. Before they told me that, I had MA's tell me all the time that baby shampoo would work fine. So I hope none of you have had this happen! Also, we use full strength brush cleaner (not diluted) at the counter after each MU application, and the brushes do fine. So don't panic if you have been washing them this way. It may be too strong for other brands of brushes, though, I don't know. I try to use a shampoo that is for dry or damaged hair to clean my brushes because it keeps from drying out the bristles and makes them feel very soft and new. I don't know if this is good for them, either, though, as I don't know the PH of these kinds of shampoos.

BUMP... (with new questions)

Bumping this mainly because I'm new here and brush cleaning questions have been with me for a while. I use MAC Brush Cleanser and the method I use is I squirt a little into one of those small, individual-sized glass containers like you might serve pudding or some other small dessert in. Then I swirl my brush around in it really good and then rinse my brush by holding it brush end down, under running lukewarm water, squeezing the brush a couple of times between my thumb and forefinger. After I've squeezed the water from it one last time I store the brush upright to dry. I've not had any problems with this method but wanted to ask the following:

1. I've heard that alcohol (the plain old, everyday, first aid kind) is an acceptable brush cleaner. Fact or fiction?
2. I clean my brushes after each use, mainly because I only have so many of them and I'm always using different colors day to day. Is cleaning them this regularly not a good thing?

oh man, I wash mine like every other day...Shoot...Is that bad?? when not washingwit hte cleaner, or soap how do you guys keep em clean?

i use baby shampoo too just put a dime size amount on my palm and sweep the brush back and forth. then wash it out with water. if its really dirty then i do it again until the water comes out clear. then i lay them on a paper towel to dry.. lOl i do this every other day (only because i have two sets of brushes. but other than that i guess once a week is okay /= lOl

my MA told me that I should use hair conditioner on my brushes once in a while. she said she does hers once a week. because their brushes are made with real goat hair and it will help keep them. She said she's had some of her brushes for 9 years. I assume this is only for the real hair brushes. not the foundation brushes. but I do it to my 187 too since it has goat hair at the base.

i don't know if someone has already suggested it, but i found that my brushes are a lot softer if i use demineralised/distilled water in the last rinse, instead of normal tap water... probably this is because in my city water is full of calcium, but maybe it's worth a try!

Brush Cleaning suggestions

Me too... I think the best advice also comes from the people that have the longest longevity of their brushes and what they do. Anyone with advise plz mention how long that you have been using this process, it may help others decide what to do.

Myself... I have had my brushes (all MAC) now for 9+ years and this is what I do:

clean my personal brushes once every 2-3 weeks with MAC's brush cleaner by wetting a brush until is is sopping wet then pour a bit of brush cleaner into the cup of my hand and clean then squeeze the excess water out and lay on a paper towel (flat) to dry overnight. The diluting rule is the ONLY way to use the brush cleanser the right way without it being too stong. With having the brushes already wet before I touch the brush cleanser, I basically do the same thing to delute it but save time and product by doing it this way.

for my professional set that I use for freelance work, I do the same but deep clean with a shampoo (for color treated hair because it is less stripping) and then santize by pouring the brush cleanser onto a paper towel and then brushing all bristles over it and letting dry. (this paper towel method is fantastic for also using in between cleaning to lift away colors and sanitizing between cleanign with water.)

I've been with MAC now for over 5 years and this is what all of my clients do now and they tell me it works great for them. I will say that there are other artists that suggest shampoo and other customers that swear by it... but... I can also say that I always have customers that come back with brushes sheading that say that they were told to use shampoo and that was the end result. They only have their brushes for months or even just a year when they come back.

Here are some things to consider...

--does your cleaning method sanitize your bristles? if not, do you really want anything not sanitary to touch your face everyday?

--are your brushes being conditioned in any way? the hairs on most brushes are natural hairs. imagine your own hair... shampooed but never conditioned.... very likely the hairs will become brittle.

If you have any brush cleanser that does sanitize, clean & condition then you are doing great. If the MAC cleanser doesn't work for you, I also recommend Bobby Brown's brush cleanser and Laura Mercer Brush cleaner. Both are ones that I hear work for other artists and have used myself in a pinch and they did a great job. I am not sure though if they sanitize but the brushes looked, felt and worked great after I tried them. For myself, MAC's cleanser is my choice because I had no issues with it yet, my brushes are in great condition after years of using it & it is only $9.


hope this helps ;-)

me too. cleanse off oil rocks to break down anything that likes to stick like glue ;-). it's my face wash too, so its plays double duty for me.