Beauty Thesis

The experimentation and exploration of a makeup addict.

A bit late to be getting home from work.. now what to make for dinner.
Posted by Nepenthe Posted on Feb - 23 - 2010

Do It Yourself ~ Brush Cleanser

A lot of people talk about investing in makeup brushes and unless you make it habit to waste money, it only makes sense to take care of your investments. Keeping your brushes in good condition has a lot to do with routine cleaning. This keeps the bristles in good repair, which can allow a years old brush to look like new.

There are lots of options when it comes to keeping your brushes clean. The most thorough is commonly called a deep clean. This is when you literally take your brushes to the sink, and wash them like you would your own hair; wet, shampoo, condition, style/shape and dry. While this is a great way to clean your brushes, it can be very time consuming with numerous brushes. A quicker alternative is to spot clean, which you can do more frequently. You can pick up cleansers at various shops and online retailers, or you can make your own. Most people probably have these items at home already, which makes it a very affordable option. Just keep in mind that if your dish soap or shampoo/conditioner has a scent it will be on your brushes, so if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing you may want to find some non-scented ones.

Please keep in mind that the following measurements are just a rough estimate, depending on how much you want to make and the size of your bottle. I use a 250mL spray bottle and it lasts at least a month.

  • ¾ cup of distilled water
  • ¼ cup of isopropyl alcohol (minimum 70%)
  • ½ tbsp of dish soap
  • ½ tbsp of shampoo
  • 1 tbsp conditioner (spray/liquid condition is best)

** alternatively you can use 1 ½ tbsp of a 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner

Everything goes into a 2 cup measuring cup, (very) gently stir everything together and then pour into your bottle.

Categories: do it yourself
Benefit Cosmetics LLC

3 Responses so far.

  1. Amina says:

    thank you for your support! I really appreciate it!
    Taking notes on that brush cleanser. I usually use baby shampoo so this is very helpful

  2. Shayla says:

    Definitely a neat idea, thanks for the recipe! I’ve also heart of using antibacterial dish soap and olive oil for deep cleansing…going to try that out this weekend! (I got Brush Guards, too!)

    • Nepenthe says:

      Adding in the dish soap made such a difference, it cuts through the oils better than any shampoo I’ve tried.

      I actually need to try using olive oil, I’ve heard it pulls out a ton of stuff.. but admittedly I’m concerned about removing it completely.