Clean your makeup brushes in a simple way

So you are done with the household chores? Your kitchen is cleaned, dishes are away, floors are shiny and now you are going to put time on the fun stuff?  If you are like me, I like to dedicate time to my hobbies and my makeup brushes need love, too!! Let me share a quick but more importantly, effective way to give your brushes a fresh and clean treatment.

All you need is olive oil, a gentle dishwasher soap, a couple of bowls and water.  Note: do not use hot water.  Hot water may affect the stickiness  of the glue that holds the bristles to the handles and can cause them to shed.  Also, note: all these suggestions and products are better for non-expensive brushes.  Most brands sell makeup brushes cleaners, so please keep that in mind if you baby your brushes .

Olive oil, the extra virgin kind, will help with softening up the residue of makeup, skin oils and dirt that could have built over time. Gentle dishwasher will break down the residue of the olive oil and remaining dirt.  I bought olive oil in a spray. You can also pour some in an empty and clean spray bottle.  Or pour a little oil in a bowl and swirl your brush on it until you see the oil changing colors.  For the dishwater soap, same concept: swirl and watch until it looks clear.  Then rinse and rinse well so to make sure that there are no residues.

The drying part is the easy part.  Once they are clean, gently remove the excess water and place them on a clean drying-mat or towel and roll them inside of it.  At some point, let them air dry. Drying time would vary depending on the temperature of the room where they are located but usually overnight is a good time to wait. Don’t dry them standing up. Water may affect the glue and loosen the bristles. 

How does this sound? Do you clean your brushes often? Do you use special remover or just whatever you can find? Let me know. Also, if you have any other ideas, I will love to hear from you!