How I Clean/Disinfect My Makeup Brushes & DIY Brush Drying Rack

My brush cleansing routine is far from extraordinary. However, I still know a lot of people who spend $15-$20 on brush cleansers that don't last! For just a little more money, you can cleanse your brushes for more than a year, as opposed to a few months, and this routine will clean, condition, and disinfect your brushes.

Typically, for powder brushes, I recommend deep cleansing at least once a week. For foundation and concealer brushes, or really any brush that is used to apply liquid or cream products, I recommend deep cleansing after every use. Liquid and cream products are more likely to trap bacteria than powder products. When dirty brushes are applied to the face over and over again, they will spread dirt and bacteria, and can be a major cause of breakouts! 

To begin, I always lay out paper towels, simply as a holding place for my brushes before they are hung to dry. Then, I section out my brushes based on use. There is no particular reason for this, I just find it easier to manage that way. 

Extra virgin olive oil is the key to cleaning your brushes. Many people are scared of the word "oil." However, extra virgin olive oil has so many amazing uses, including being an amazing brush cleanser! It helps to break down even the toughest product buildup, as well as condition your brushes.

I've had this bottle for at least a year now, and still have plenty left. You can buy huge bottles of this in any grocery store, ranging in price from $3 to $20, depending on the size and quality. The bottle I have is from Costco, and has also been used for cooking. It has been very well loved.

I take just a little bit in my hand, and swirl in one brush at a time. You will instantly begin to see product coming out into the oil. I like to squeeze the bristles to try to get more product out of the brushes, but keep in mind, squeeze, don't wring. Don't twist the bristles to get the excess oil out. Squeeze, almost like you would a toothpaste tube. 

I usually repeat this with five or so brushes before moving onto the next step.

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap is a "pure-castile" soap, which means that it is a vegetable oil-based soap. Again, here's that "oil" word. However, this soap cleans so deeply yet gently, and because of the organic oils, it doesn't strip the brush hairs of the oils they need to stay soft. No one likes prickly bristles on their face, especially around the delicate eye area! The soap I use is the Baby Mild Liquid Soap, and ranges in price from $3 to $60. My 16 oz bottle cost about $10 at my local Sprouts Market! You can use this locator on their website to find a bottle near you. Their website is fascinating, and talks all about the products and why they work. The best part is, there are absolutely no harsh detergents in this soap, making it safe for use just about anywhere. You can even use it to brush your teeth!

Anyway, enough blabbing about this product. The cool thing is that you only need a couple of drops to cover quite a few brushes. This stuff is potent. Again, just swirl your brush around in the soap, and rinse in warm water until you are no longer seeing suds.

Quick Tip: Make sure to avoid getting water above the ferrule. The ferrule is the metal piece that connects the bristles to the handle. Getting water into the ferrule can cause the wood to warp, or the glue to decay, both of which will lead to broken brushes. 

From here, I lay my brushes flat on the paper towels to soak up the excess water before moving onto my next bunch of brushes. You can always stop here, but there is still a chance of water leaking into the ferrule and ruining your brushes. To prevent this, you can always purchase a brush drying rack. Or, you can make you own with some clothespins and a hanger! 

To create your own brush drying rack, you will need clothespins, a wire flexible hanger, and a safe place to hang your brushes. You can also use chip clips, but wooden clothespins are so cheap and easy to get a hold of! I got mine in a pack of 50 at Target for $1.79. 

Assembling this drying rack is so quick and easy! First, I twisted the top of the hanger, so that the hanger would be parallel to the wall my brushes will be hanging near. I chose to hang my brushes on a towel bar in my bathroom, which sits about 3 to 4 inches away from the wall. 

Next, add the clothes pins! Face the mouth of the clothespin downward, and attach it to the hanger. You can add as many as you like, but I generally like to keep at least an inch between each brush. Then, place the brush handle into the mouth of the clothespin! You should be left with a little something like this:

Keep in mind that this may not work for brushes with thicker handles. For example, the clothespins were not big enough for my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. If you have any larger-handled brushes, I suggest using chip clips instead. This works really well for kabuki brushes! Hanging your brushes upside down will also speed up the drying process, all thanks to gravity. 

Now, before you use your brushes, you need to make sure that they are sanitized. I like to use tea tree oil to sanitize my brushes. Tea tree oil is an essential oil that is poisonous to ingest, so do NOT eat it, and do not get it in your eyes! I can tell you from personal experience that tea tree oil in your eyes is extremely painful. However, when diluted with purified water, it has been used for many different cosmetic purposes. In fact, my beloved Cosmetic Warrior mask from Lush contains tea tree oil! I purchased mine at Target, but it can also be picked up at your local drug store. 

Tea tree oil is known for its antibacterial properties, but because it is an essential oil, it will not dry out your brush hairs like an alcohol-based antiseptic would. 

To create your tea tree oil brush disinfectant, you will need a small spray bottle. You can pick one up at just about any drug store. I suggest checking the travel section. Fill your bottle with purified water. The rule of thumb for creating this disinfectant is, know how many ounces your bottle contains! For each ounce of water, add one drop of tea tree oil. Only one drop per ounce, meaning, if you have an 8 oz bottle, only use 8 drops. 

After you have properly filled your spray bottle, close it tightly and shake. Mist the mixture onto your bristles and you're ready to use your freshly cleaned brushes! 

- d. 

DIY How To -- Mason Jar Candles from Recycled Candle Wax

Let's be honest. Candles are not cheap, and often times, you run out of wick before you run out of wax. Sure, you can use a candle warmer, but those can get a bit pricey. I absolutely love my Leaves candle from Bath & Body Works, and I feel a bit cheated every time I run out of wick prior to running out of the amazingly scented wax.

Mason jar candles are a cheap and easy solution!

For this project, you will need the following supplies:

• Any candle that you want to salvage
• A mason jar
• Candle wicks with attached anchor
• A pot deep enough to hold the entire candle

When I did this project, I used an 16 oz mason jar and 3.5 inch candle wicks, both purchased at my local Michael's. Mason jars can be found in many different stores -- anywhere from the grocery store to Walmart. However, Michael's was the only place where I could find single mason jars, for about $1.50. Candle wicks can be found at your local arts and crafts store, and I only paid $3 for my set of 12. As you can see in the photo, I already have some wax in the jar. I had two Leaves candles that I wanted to combine to create another candle. If you are only trying to salvage one candle, I would suggest using a 4 or 8 oz jar instead. 

Now that you know what you need, let's get started!

First thing's first. Fill up your pot about halfway with water, then place it on the stove on high heat. You will need to wait for the water to begin to boil. 

While you wait for the water to boil, take a strong knife and begin cracking the wax in your used candle. I would suggest sticking the knife directly into the wax and twisting. It doesn't have to be perfect. The cracks will just allow the heat to penetrate the wax more quickly.

Once your water is boiling, carefully place your candle into the water, and turn down your stove to medium heat. This will keep the water from boiling over. You may be wondering, "Why don't you just microwave the candle?" Well here is my answer! Candle wicks have a metallic anchor that is attached to the glass, in order to keep the wick in place. Because of this metallic anchor, the microwave will begin to spark. In extreme cases, your microwave can explode, but regardless, it's a dangerous thing to play with, and you may end up simply breaking your microwave. 

As your candle sits in the boiling water, it will begin to look a little bit like this:

See that melting? At this point, bring your stove to low heat, and then you can gently stick your knife back into the wax to start breaking it up again. This will speed up the melting process. The great thing about this method is that the boiling water will not only melt the wax, but also the glue that holds the wicks into the jar and the glue on the labels, making clean-up significantly easier. 

Once your wax is completely melted, turn off your stove, and use an oven mitt or thick towel and carefully remove the jar from the water. I cannot stress enough how important it is to be careful and protected! You can easily burn yourself, so please, be cautious. After you remove the candle from the water, slowly pour the melted wax into your mason jar. 

From here, you can place in your wick. There is no real method to how to place your wick, just adjust until you are happy with its placement! Make sure that the anchor is flat before you put the wick into the wax, otherwise you will not have a steady base for the wick as it burns. 

If you would like to recycle the jars your candles originally came in, take the same knife we used earlier and scrape the wick anchor from the bottom of the candle jar. It should come off pretty easily, since it has been melted by the boiling water. The labels on the candle should also slide off easily. If you are left with any sticky residue, take a cotton ball and some tea tree oil, and the stickiness will come off almost immediately! From here, just wash out the jar and you now have some new small storage containers! These are great for storing things like cotton buds, cotton balls, lip balms, pens, rings, earrings, etc.

The quickest way to solidify your new candle is to let it set for ten minutes. After ten minutes, fill up a bowl with cool water, and place your candle into the water. You will notice the wax will begin to set almost instantly. Be careful when doing this, because if you place the warm glass into the cold water too quickly, it may cause the glass to shatter. When it's all set, it should look a bit like this!

Don't forget to cut the wick down so that it can properly burn the wax. I cut my wick down to about 1/4 of an inch. 

This is a super easy project that only takes about half an hour to do, and it's a great money saver. Bath & Body Works 3-Wick Candles normally go for $20 each, but recycling candles by using mason jars is a great way to save a candle, and save a buck! 

- d.