How To Properly Wash Your Makeup Brushes

I love my job for many reasons. One of the main reasons is that each day I get to discover new products, services and books which are created by amazingly talented people who share a passion for ethical beauty, luxury and life in general. Today, is no exception. I received a book in the mail today called No More Dirty Looks written by two very fabulous divas who I already know I want to have share a bottle of wine & conversation with. These two women are Siobhan O'Conner, journalist and the features editor for GOOD magazine and Alexandra Spunt who is a journalist and marketing consultant in Los Angeles.

The book is broken up into several sections including:

• Your Hair
• Your Face
• Your Makeup
• Your Body
• Your Nails
• Your Diet
• Your Lifestyle

They basically covered the going green, clean and non-toxic from toes-to-nose and then some. I will be reading each chapter over the next week or two and sharing my finds. For now, here is a great little how-to-guide for cleaning your makeup brushes. I know that I tend to go way to long in cleaning my own brushes because it seems like a hassle. But the ladies broke it down into a few easy steps to maintain a clean healthy makeup routine. Here it is, let me know what you think:

1. Squeeze a dime size of shampoo (the natural choice you either made or purchased as recommended in their book) into the palm of your hand
   
   
2. Wet the soap and then gently coat each brush with suds.
   
   
3. Using circular strokes, loosen up the crud on the bristles, being careful not to smoosh them flat into your palm. This can ruin your brushes and loosen the glue that keeps the bristles attached to the wand.
   
   
4. Next, pinch out the soapy water from the base to the tip until the water runs clean.
   
   
5. When all your brushes are washed, grab your conditioner (seriously) and stroke each brush through a tiny dab in your palm, gently coating the bristles.
   
   
6. Rinse well, again pinching the bristles from base to tip, until they don't feel slick anymore. This will extend the life of your brushes, and if your conditioner isn't giving you acne, it won't mess up your face either. (If it is, for crying out loud, get a new one.)
   
   
7. To dry them, lay them flat on the edge of your sink or counter. Do this at night. By morning, you have bacteria - and grime - and oil - and makeup-free brushes.
   
   
8. Repeat biweekly. Your face will thank you.

Let me know what you think of this routine. And look forward to more fabulous tips from the ladies of No More Dirty Looks as I make my way from cover to cover.

p.s. You can find and connect with Siobhan and Alexandra on Facebook.