I think I ruined my make-up brushes!

A couple months ago I bought some Essence of Beauty brushes from CVS. Well, they were getting pretty yucky so I decided to wash them with baby shampoo and rinse them with water and let them air dry. I know that I rinsed them really well, but maybe I didn't... Anyways. I let them dry and now they have this filmy sticky residue and the hairs of the brush don't seperate. I thought baby shampoo would work okay for them, because I do that with my MAC brushes. I hate to throw them away cause I really really like them! Is it okay to wash them with baby shampoo? and is the sticky filmy stuff because I didn't rinse them well??

Do the bristles feel kind of stiff? You probably didn't wash all the soap out, I would just wash them again and rinse them really well. I doubt you ruined them.

also, I wash mine with Cetaphil cleanser, and it works great if you already have that.

Yeah, the bristles do feel kinda stiff. Thanks for the Cetaphil idea.. I actually have some so I will try that when ever they need a good cleaning again

Opps I didn't know this thread posted twice.. Hope the mods delete it

i have always washed my brushes with baby shampoo...and they're not doing any harm to my brushes so maybe you didn't rinse them out well enough..i dunno...but a lot of people/professionals would say that its actually better to wash with baby shampoo than brush cleaners since it more mild and won't dry out and ruin the hair on your brushes...

Also, sometimes they put in a solution to stiffen the brushes before you buy them so they don't get all splayed and yucky when you buy them, so maybe you just didn't wash all that out.

Try putting some mild hair conditioner on them if the stiffness is not removed by washing them again.

did re-washing work?

I had that film on my foundation brush when I first started washing it..and the others are right...it was that I wasn't getting them clean..

i agree about using baby shampoo. it seems to be the best thing. well i'd say it's from the soap. a good rinse should do the trick. but i also think that at least a monthly deep cleaning with a brush cleanser isn't a bad thing..it really deep cleans.

Hmm...sounds interesting. How do you deep clean your brushes?

I would try rinsing them again and make sure you shape them so that they don't lose their shape.

Originally Posted by Marisol I would try rinsing them again and make sure you shape them so that they don't lose their shape. ditto.

I went ahead re-rinsed the brushes and they aren't as stiff but still seem filmy. Also, I did reshape them and some of them didn't reshapen very well..

How are you washing the brushes? If you are GRINDING them into your hand, that is a no-no. You should brush them into your hand gently. Rinsing them completely (water should run clear). In fact, I was mine 2-3 times each time I use them. If you are using brushes for applying cream/paint type make-up, all of that leaves a residue and so needs a more thorough cleaning.

After you've given them a good washing, lightly condition them, rinse them again (water should run clear) and then soak out the excess water from the brushes, shape and lay flat to dry.

Hope that helps.

Is it your eyeshadow brushes that feel like they have a film on them. My EOB eyeshadow brushes felt like they had a film on them when I first purchased them. The film seemed to disappear eached time I washed my eyeshadow brushes.

Put them in warm water (not boiling)... It should dissolve the film

It also works with the film that comes with new brushes (specially art store ones); it's a film made of starch or gum arabic (on the case of those from art stores) that dissolve when put for some time on warm water

Originally Posted by KimC2005 A couple months ago I bought some Essence of Beauty brushes from CVS. Well, they were getting pretty yucky so I decided to wash them with baby shampoo and rinse them with water and let them air dry. I know that I rinsed them really well, but maybe I didn't... Anyways. I let them dry and now they have this filmy sticky residue and the hairs of the brush don't seperate. I thought baby shampoo would work okay for them, because I do that with my MAC brushes. I hate to throw them away cause I really really like them! Is it okay to wash them with baby shampoo? and is the sticky filmy stuff because I didn't rinse them well?? EOB brushes are just fine to wash with baby shampoo, I wash mine with it after every use without a problem and without the brush bristles messing up.
You might not have washed enough of th esoap out of the brushes, what I do is put a little bit of baby shampoo in the palm of one hand, wet the brush with the other, and gently rub it into the baby shampoo and work it into a nice lather.

Then I rinse it out very well under lukewarm water. Make sure to fluff the brush around in the water so that any soap that is hidden way deep in the brush will get out.

Then I gently wring the brush dry, reshape it, and put it upright in my cup to dry overnight.

I do the same exact thing that Leila does and I have never had a problem with any of my brushes. Hope you are able to fix the problem you're having with them, those brushes are awesome!

Originally Posted by Cheebs Hmm...sounds interesting. How do you deep clean your brushes? What I do is wash them with baby shampoo every week, sometimes every few days, it just depends. then i wash them with a brush cleanser once a month. using it only once a month seems to really seems to clean them well...i got this tip from someone one here..don't remember who though.

i agree with anne7 you should rinse them again.