Wednesday, March 13, 2013

How To Clean Facial Makeup Brushes for Acne Prone Skin

  

  As I've mentioned before, I used to have very severe acne and have been on Accutane twice so my skin is very sensitive.  In the past when I used shampoo or makeup brush cleaners to wash my facial makeup brushes I always would break out afterwards.  I knew dirty brushes or my fingers was just going to add to my acne problem so I had to come up with a solution.  This is what I came up with and still do today to deep clean my face brushes.

  I buy whatever "acne" wash is the cheapest and use this to cleanse my brushes.  For natural bristle brushes (brushes meant for powder products) I add jojoba oil to condition but olive oil works too.  This is how I clean my facial brushes:

Step #1: I'm using my favourite blush brush, the MAC 109 brush which is a natural bristle brush.  Synthetic brushes (like foundation or concealer brushes) are much stronger and don't need conditioning.
Step #2: I mix a blob of both the acne cleanser and jojoba oil in the palm of my clean hand.  I have used more than normal here so it would show up in the picture.
Step #3: Add a bit of water to your hand and swirl your brush around your palm until you see all of the product coming out.
Step #4: Rinse your brush under the tap and be careful not to get water at the base of the bristles.  If you get too much water at the base of the bristles it can cause the glue to wear away which will make the hairs fall out.
Step #5: Squeeze out the excess water with your hands and shape the hairs.
Step #6: Leave your brush flat to dry on a clean towel.  Never place wet brushes upright to dry as this can cause water to run into the base of the bristles and wear away the glue.  I live in an old house with radiators so I place them on top of one in the winter to dry or next to a window in the summer.

I generally wash my powder brushes once a week and my foundation/concealer brushes daily but of course it depends on how often you wear makeup.  Hopefully this helps someone who is having the same problem with breakouts as I did.

20 comments:

  1. such a lovely post to read!
    I have blemish prone skin as well as sensitive. I will try this out! :)
    Hareem x

    http://iheartmexo.blogspot.com/

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  2. This is a great idea! I will do this to give my brushes a really deep clean from now on. The cleaner the better! Xx

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    1. I find my makeup looks nicer when they're clean as well :)

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  3. Even though I have " normal" skin I wash my brushes at least weekly. It makes such a difference! And everyone loves a clean brush

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    1. Yeah I don't really get pimples anymore but I'm so afraid that I still use this method.

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  4. Love this post! Never thought of using an acne cleanser. That is pretty smart! I don't have many natural bristles, so I don't have an oil to condition them with.

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    1. It cleans much better than shampoo does too!

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  5. I never thought of using an acne cleanser to wash my brushes, but I should have. I much rather use a facial cleanser than a brush shampoo because like you, I found that I would breakout afterwards.
    I'm currently using a brush cleanser- just for the sake of using it up, but I am on the lookout for pesky pimples! If it does become an issue, like it did in the past, I'll switch back to a facial cleanser.
    Sorry- I kinda rambled on there!

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    1. Yeah some brush cleansers are so strong and scented, who wants that on their face? No, you didn't ramble!

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  6. Never thought of using Jojoba oil before, it is such a good cleanser for the skin though so it makes sense! I've only used shampoo before so thanks for the tips!

    www.SamuelJamesMorris.com

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    1. Jojoba oil is my wonder product. So many uses for it and it's great for your skin :)

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  7. Ooh, these tips are super helpful! I have acne-prone skin, so I'm definitely concerned about fully cleansing my brushes. Love the idea of mixing an oil for a deep clean with an acne wash to keep the bacteria at bay. Thanks for sharing! :)

    -Jen

    www.vibrantbeautyblog.com

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    1. The oil really helps the brushes stay in good shape too!

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  8. This is a great tip! I've noticed myself breaking out when using certain products to wash my brushes (from body wash, to shampoo to dish soap). Perhaps a face cleanser would be the way to go!

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    1. Yeah when you think about it there's still some on your brush and it transfers to you skin :(

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  9. I've been using my face wash to clean my brushes too for the longest time and agree it definitely works. Amazing that you had acne... Your skin looks so flawless. I have troubled skim but am too scared to take any medications for it. Anything else you found has helped?

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    1. Great minds think alike ;) Thank you, I do have a lot of scaring though. Unfortunately the only thing that really helped was medication :(

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    2. Bummer, at least you've gotten though it though! Xo

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