Think about this for a second…..you wash your clothes, your sheets, towels, rugs, in your car…how often do you wash your makeup brushes? GROSS!!!! I highly recommend weekly, but I am guilty…so let’s say at least twice monthly….{still really gross}. Brushes pick up dead skin cells, sebum, make-up, and whatever is floating around the air. The brushes have bacteria on them, and harbor new growth…I want to wash my brushes at this moment! There are sprays and solutions I used in the past when I was a make-up artist to sanitize my brushes in between clients, but that is only a quick fix when there wasn’t time to WASH them. I had a few that caused reactions on the skin, because of the harsh ingreidents in them. They also would dry my brush fibers and they wouldn’t preform as well.
Using real or high quality brushes really makes all the difference in longevity, so washing them isn’t an issue. I have brushes from AVEDA that are 20 years old!! Most of my brushes are gloMinerals that I purchased in 2005. Invest in your brushes, because it does matter! I have had synthetic brushes from salon brands over the years, and they all eventually ended up in the garbage. The bristles would be rough, not dispense make-up evenly, and fall apart.
I have found the best way to wash brushes is to use a gel facial cleanser {rebalance worked great!} I also use Dr. Bronner’s soap, it works well without leaving a residue behind. When washing synthetic bristles, usually found on brushes for liquids and creams, I use an oil first! Whatever I have in my kitchen, usually it’s an olive oil. The oil helps to break down the make-up and it does a fabulous job! Follow by rinsing the oil with warm water off the bristles, then use the soap to wash away the oil and remainder of make-up. You may need to rinse and repeat to get the oil off completely. Powder brushes and others, you do not want to use the oil- it isn’t necessary and would be tough to get it off. I start by holding the brush down in a stream of water to get the bristles wet NEVER run water into the brush!! Water will get in there, break down the glue and even mold! 
After the bristles are wet, put a dime size of soap in your palm and gently circle the bristles of the brush around. Rinse under the water, holding the brush head down. Repeat until water runs clear!
To dry your brushes, carefully squeeze excess water from the bristles. Once they are no longer “dripping” lay them at an angle with the brush head lower than the stem. This way, any water that got inside will drain out. Brushes take about 24 hours to dry.
You will be amazed when you first use your clean brush, your make-up application is smoother and delivers better coverage. You might also notice your skin clears up, if you have breakouts or blackheads. Enjoy!
EVER yours,
Katie Brown
Blended Aesthetics HAS moved!!! 
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