DIY Daily Brush Cleaner

DIY Daily Brush Cleaner

Clean your brushes!!!  One of the best lessons I've learned so far, but deep cleaning takes soooo long.  I found some daily brush cleaners at Sephora one day and was explained it was a great in between to deep cleaning, but man they were pricey!

So, home I went and research ensued.  I looked at several popular brands of daily brush cleaners and found two common ingredients: Water and regular old rubbing alcohol.  In my search I found several variations of DIY cleaners, some including vinegar (YUCKY smelling nastiness), shampoo, dish soap, natural oils, olive oil, etc.  After trying many formulations, I decided mixing the things I personally liked or was comfortable with and found one that works great for me.  So here is my version I've been using.

What you'll need:

-Spray Bottle- Any size will do
-Rubbing Alcohol-Kills the bacteria and germs on the brushes
-Witch Hazel- This is an astringent and will help protect your face (I also use this as a toner twice a week)
-Baby Shampoo-Cleans your brushes, but isn't as harsh as regular shampoo
-Leave in conditioner of your choice (I used a leave in oil treatment this last time since that's all I had on hand)- Helps keep your brush bristles healthy and soft. 

Here is my line up:




For this DIY, I didn't want to give you amounts like 1 tsp because you could be using any size bottle and I would hate for you to have to figure that math out to fill your bottle properly.  So instead I'll be explaining it in terms of what portion of ANY bottle you'd fill. :)

Here is the breakdown....and by all means this isn't precise science so too much or little won't hurt anything.

1) Fill your bottle 1/3 of the way with Alcohol
2) Pour some witch hazel over that until your bottle is at the 1/2 full mark
3) Add a splash/squirt of baby shampoo
4) Add a splash/squirt of leave in conditioner- if you are using oil like me use a few drops (add more depending on your bottle size)
5) Finally fill the remainder of your bottle with water (this should be roughly 1/3).
6) Mix your bottle.  I swish the product side to side and around, but a few quick shakes will do too.  And you're all set!

Here is a fancy picture I made for you visual learners out there:

To use:

1) Spray your brush bristles (I generally do 2 sprays for small brushes and 3-4 sprays for larger ones)
2) On a clean paper towel rub your brush back and forth.  You will see the product start to transfer onto your paper towel
3) Repeat steps 1-2 for particularly dirty brushes (my foundation and blush brush always take two goes)

Enjoy and I hope this helps save you time and money!  I am now able to spot clean my brushes every 2 days and then deep clean twice a month.

Have any suggestions on what you use in your DIY cleaner...share with me below!