Help with cleaning brushes - hard water

Arielle123 · 05-09-2008, 06:04 AM

I was just wondering if anybody has any suggestions for cleaning brushes when you have hard water? The water in our apartment is so hard (we've had to do all kinds of things when doing laundry). So now when I wash my brushes they get gross and hard in parts and just aren't nice when they dry.

Does anybody have this problem or know how to deal with it?

laurie_lu · 05-09-2008, 06:37 AM

Buy a cheap clarifying shampoo like Suave and wash your brushes with that. It will strip the hard water minerals off the hairs and any residue from your makeup off as well.

***Adrienne*** · 05-09-2008, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laurie_lu

Buy a cheap clarifying shampoo like Suave and wash your brushes with that. It will strip the hard water minerals off the hairs and any residue from your makeup off as well.

I never thought of this. Thanks for the tip!

mimosa23 · 05-09-2008, 07:47 AM

I do a final rinse in some bottled mineral water. Seems to keep the bristles really nice and soft!

Arielle123 · 05-09-2008, 08:52 AM

Thanks for the tips! I wash my hair with clarifying shampoo sometimes for the very same reason so I don't know why I didn't make the connection to try that with the brushes! Sometimes it just takes someone else to clear the cobwebs

Thanks so much I will definitely try that.

Scooter · 05-09-2008, 03:50 PM

I use Parian Spirit, but discovered that although it's great for natural hair, it leaves synthetics feeling kinda greasy. Now I use Dr Bronners Pure Castile Soap - I LOVE IT!!!

***krazykid90*** · 05-09-2008, 05:06 PM

I have lots of hard water because of all the calcium carbonate in rocks in Alberta. I just use a regular brush shampoo and I've had no problems. Currently I'm using the Estee Lauder one.

***Sirvinya*** · 05-11-2008, 02:03 PM

I live in a hard water area. I use MAC brush cleaner and I haven't noticed a problem.

Arielle123 · 05-11-2008, 03:46 PM

The clarifying shampoo works great! It's good to know that a regular brush shampoo should also work. Thanks!

lacolora · 05-11-2008, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scooter

I use Parian Spirit, but discovered that although it's great for natural hair, it leaves synthetics feeling kinda greasy. Now I use Dr Bronners Pure Castile Soap - I LOVE IT!!!

I love this stuff, I use this to bathe also.....it's wonderful and does not leave you dry and I also use it for my brushes, glad to see I'm not the only one!

xjackie83 · 05-11-2008, 09:23 PM

I have hard water, and I wash the brushes (and myself) with dr. bronners too.

egyptomaniac · 05-11-2008, 09:35 PM

I have hard water too! Its awful! From years of trial and error, and doing a lot of research, this is what I've found: If your brushes are natural hair(really it goes for synthetic too), washing them with clarifying shampoo or any shampoo for that matter, that has sodium laurel(laureth) sulfate(s) in it is going to really damage your brushes----the same way it really damages your hair. [there's a lot of info in the web about how bad SLS's are]
What I use for both my brushes and my hair is a good SLS-free shampoo, and then a quick rinse with apple cider vinegar. It sounds strange, I know, but the vinegar neutralizes all the harsh crap in hard water. [there's also a lot of good info out there about vinegar rinses]. I use a solution of 1 tsp. vinegar to 1 cup water. I wash my brushes with Burt's Bees shampoo (SLS-free) and then give them a quick swish in the vinegar solution, then rise out. It smells to high heaven, but I promise, the smell goes away when the brushes dry.
Same for my hair too. The hard water was making it dull and lifeless, and if I do a vinegar rinse 2-3 times a week, it makes it much smoother, shiny, and bouncy.
sory for the long post! HTH!

***simisimi100*** · 05-12-2008, 06:01 AM

we in Israel have a super hard water and I wash my brushes with shampoo and conditioner.
its makes my brushes very soft.. !

Arielle123 · 05-16-2008, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by simisimi100

we in Israel have a super hard water and I wash my brushes with shampoo and conditioner.
its makes my brushes very soft.. !

Never thought to condition them - that's an interesting idea. Thanks! Now if only I could find a good way to deal with clothes washing I'd be all set. Stupid hard water!

Quote:

Originally Posted by xjackie83

I have hard water, and I wash the brushes (and myself) with dr. bronners too.

Where do you buy dr. bronners? Is it used as a body wash? I've never heard of it. Sounds good though.

laurie_lu · 05-16-2008, 03:32 PM

Conditioner won't work so well if your brushes are synthetic. They're not porous and won't absorb the conditioner like natural hair brushes will.