Caring for my brushes

SO. A little while ago I posted about my new found love of cosmetic brushes. I have a collection of 8 brushes in total. Foundation, Concealer, Base Coat, Eye Crease, Corner Eye, Blending, Smudge and Cheeks brushes. And I have had a ball experimenting with them.

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As my collection are a set of good quality brushes. I put quite a bit of effort in caring for them so that I could enjoy them for as long as they are meant to last. So almost every week, these little babies get a spa treatment from me.

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I thought I'd share how I clean my brushes as there are heaps of ways to do it (like facial cleaners, baby shampoo, brush cleaners etc..). But I found this way the best and the cheapest. And seeing how frequently I wash them (I wash my foundation and concealer brush immediately after they get used), this will go a long way.

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Plus it's how oil painters wash their brushes so it's a proven method.

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So what I do is to pour a portion of dish washing detergent (anti-bacteria ones) and olive oil onto a small plate. About 2 portions AUS 50 cents detergent to 2 portions AUS 20 cents olive oil. This does about 3 to 4 brushes.

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Than I swirl my brushes around to mix the cleaning mixture and work them back and forth on my palm to get rid of whatever make up left on them. NEVER squeeze or rub the hairs of the brush with your finger tips. That will ruin the shape of the brushes.

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After working the cleaning mixture through the brushes, I rinse them off with warm water. And paper towel them dry before hanging them up like in the picture above.

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Brushes should never be dried on their sides or hair side up because the water from the washing could damage the glue that holds the hairs together. The last thing you need is to have your expensive brushes leaving traces of hair on your face.

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And I also found this product that I am seriously thinking of purchasing. It is called "The Brush Guard" (Google the name and you will find it). If you click on "how to use". You will find that my method of drying is one of the what NOT to do.

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Think I had better get some of those guards soon.