Cleaning your brushes

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I had posted back in March about Japonesque discontinuing its Parian Spirit brush cleanser:

https://www.makeuptalk.com/t/133522/makeup-show-2013-parian-spirit

Quote: Parian Spirit produces a high quality brush cleanser that cleans, conditions, and disinfects your makeup brushes.  If you're familiar with Japonesque's brush cleanser, Parian Spirit was the company that produced their cleaner for the last 15 years.  Japonesque decided recently to start formulating its own brush cleaner due to the 6 month shelf life of Parian Spirit.
The cleanser is still effective beyond 6 months for cleansing and disinfecting, however the color will be cloudy, the smell won't be the nice citrusy fresh smell, and it will take longer to dry. (typically it's dip/spray, blot, blot, ready to use)  Because of this, they suggest NOT buying in bulk, and only buying what you can use in 6 months (the bottle sizes are anywhere from 2oz to 64oz because of this)

This is what they had told me:

"Make sure all containers are tightly sealed when not in use to reduce evaporation. Evaporation may cause oiliness. To reduce oiliness blot brushes completely dry with absorbent cloth/paper"

"If you shake the bottle and it becomes cloudy, it is past its "peak performance" and will take slightly longer to dry and may be oilier. Time to buy a new bottle for professional use, but don't throw it away it's still a great cleaner if drying time is not an issue."

Parian Spirit is still being sold everywhere else it normally has, but it is just no longer being sold under the Japonesque line.  The difficulty of dealing with a perishable item is you need to be diligent on "First In, First Out" sales, and hiding your newer bottles until all of the older bottles have sold out, or throwing away old unsold bottles.

http://parianspirit.com/US_Suppliers.html

Beautylish, Cinema Secrets, Frends, Naime's, Nigel's Beauty Emporium, Alcone...all the major beauty supply stores still carry Parian Spirit's same formula.

(side note, the spray bottles are really nice to clean false lashes.  Pull them off the eyes, put them on a paper towel, spray the lashes, fold the paper towel over the lashes, pat, pat, open the paper towel, and all of the mascara and lash glue is basically melted off.  Really gentle way of cleaning them.)

I like Cinema Secret's spray bottle too, melts the makeup off, but I feel like Parian feels a bit more natural? Might be the smell and the fact that they don't have the additional ingredients in there purely to extend shelf life. I've had clients tell me they loved with Cinema Secret's brush cleansing scent though (one person seriously asked me if I had brought an air freshener with me and was spraying my brushes to freshen them up.)

Koren and London Brush Company both have a bar soap type of brush cleanser/conditioner if you prefer that to a spray or dipping method.

 
Originally Posted by AmeliaPond /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I use either the Bare Minerals cleanser, called Well Cared For, or the beautyblender cleanser. I prefer the beautyblender cleanser.
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These are really useful to me.. Thank you so much for sharing..

 
Originally Posted by diablosita /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I used dawn and then a little olive oil to keep them soft, and it worked well.
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I have a question for dry/powder makeup brushes - after I wash them and rub a drop/few drops(?) of olive oil into the brush how long should I let them sit/dry before using them ?

 
I have a question for dry/powder makeup brushes - after I wash them and rub a drop/few drops(?) of olive oil into the brush how long should I let them sit/dry before using them ?
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Try blotting your brush on a paper towel (not kleenex) to make sure any oily residue is absorbed. Then use it. Remember... Oil doesn't dry, it has to be absorbed.
 
I use my makeup remover and cleaning milk to clean the brushes, with warm water. Then squeeze the water, shape the brush with the fingers and let it dry. That's it.

 
Since I'm a poor college student, I use dawn with Olay beauty Hand renewal. It's antibacterial dish soap with moisturizer for your hands. I clean my brushes with it once a week. It cleans it and keeps the bristles soft and conditioned-Plus, it's cheap!

 
Most of the time I just use soap and water. I'll use dish soap or some olive oil soap I have, that way they smell nice. I used to use makeup remover but it was so wasteful. In all honesty I don't have time to spot clean my brushes with spray every day so instead  of using spray I use makeup wipes to clean my brushes on a daily basis. Then deep clean them about 1-2 per week. I'm such a germaphobe. At this point I have a lot of different brushes so I don't have to clean them constantly.

 
I use johnson's baby wash to wash my brushes ,its gentle and won't affect my bristles or loosen the glue as washing with harsher dish detergent can loosen the glue .Any organic shampoo  works fine too.

gentler=better

 
I just bought a foundation brush from Urban Decay, how often does it need to be cleaned? I still have some makeup brush cleaning spray that I can use...

 
Originally Posted by stefflg79 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I just bought a foundation brush from Urban Decay, how often does it need to be cleaned? I still have some makeup brush cleaning spray that I can use...
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Wash it with soap and water at least once a week. Spot clean with a brush cleaner at least after every use.

 
I usually just use Johnson's Baby Shampoo. Leaves the brushes nice and soft. Also like tgooberbutt said if you hang them upside down they keep their shape better and last longer :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
I wipe each brush on a designated hand towel after use to get residue off. Then once a week or so I wash them with a makeup remover/facial cleanser that was too harsh for my skin (unless I was taking off a full face). Gently squeeze the water out and lay flat on the same towel to dry. Usually this happens on laundry day, so the towel is clean as well :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> Do it at night and they're dry by morning :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
I too use a baby shampoo to clean my brushes and even though I have a TON of brushes, I still clean them every week, sometimes every two weeks if I want to just use more brushes. I may have to look into that homemade cleaner recipe as I want something that is going to maintain the softness of my brushes. I have been putting a lot of money into high end brushes from Hakuhodo lately and I definitely do not want to have to repurchase those bad boys any time soon.

 
After reading the various threads on brush cleaners, I am surprised most if not all members on this board don't purchase brush cleaners for daily cleaning. There are so many brands out there that it's shocking to me that most people don't use them. Yet they go the homemade route. There is nothing wrong it, it's just that I am puzzled why they choose the homemade route over the store bought route. Homemade brush cleaners take too long, are messy, take 12-24 hrs to dry, don't properly condition, in short way too much work. Off the shelf brush cleaners, you dip / spray, wipe them dry and you're done. And your brushes are clean, sanitized, dry, and conditioned. I do understand the weekly gentle shampoo cleansing, as I do this as well. My question is: Why do people go the homemade route for brush cleaners? Just curious.

 
Originally Posted by vogueboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
After reading the various threads on brush cleaners, I am surprised most if not all members on this board don't purchase brush cleaners for daily cleaning. There are so many brands out there that it's shocking to me that most people don't use them. Yet they go the homemade route. There is nothing wrong it, it's just that I am puzzled why they choose the homemade route over the store bought route.

Homemade brush cleaners take too long, are messy, take 12-24 hrs to dry, don't properly condition, in short way too much work.

Off the shelf brush cleaners, you dip / spray, wipe them dry and you're done. And your brushes are clean, sanitized, dry, and conditioned.

I do understand the weekly gentle shampoo cleansing, as I do this as well.

My question is:

Why do people go the homemade route for brush cleaners?

Just curious.
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I think some people go the homemade route because:

  • They see a vlogger on Youtube swearing by the homemade method despite the vlogger not having any experience with professional or store bought cleansers.
  • They have the items on hand to do a homemade version.
  • They think that store bought cleansers are bad for their skin.
  • They think that store bought is too expensive (it can be with shipping).
  • They can't get professional ones in their area.


Brands on the market that I've used or know about + cost (on some).

  • Cinema Secrets Professional Makeup Brush Cleaner$3.30, 1 oz

    $13, 4 oz

    $24, 8 oz

    $36, 32 oz

    I actually have a bottle of this and tend not to use it due to the smell. The scent is suppose to be vanilla but to me it doesn't smell that way so I avoid using it.
  • Parian Spirit$6.50, 2 oz

    $9.50, 4 oz

    $12, 8 oz

    $18, 16 oz

    $30, 32 oz

    $50, 64 oz

    Note: Parian spirit USED to make Japonesque's brush cleaner however as of earlier this year (2013) they no longer make it for Japonesque however SOME ULTA's still have the old Japonesque Parian Spirit in stock as they will sell it until it's all gone.

    I've also used this and have repurchased this twice now. The odor of this one is very strong but the scent is of oranges so I don't mind using it at all. I actually tend not to use this exclusively on my brushes but also use a spray bottle (I was originally given a 2 oz bottle and kept the bottle for refills) to spray my lashes to remove glue and mascara. I've used it on my truck when someone took a Sharpie to it and drew on it (removed the sharpie right off). I've used it to clean the stupid makeup stains from my desk that didn't come off with soap and water.
  • Beauty So Clean
    [SIZE=small]$16, 4.2 oz[/SIZE]

    [SIZE=small]$25, 8.5 oz[/SIZE]

    $20, 200 wipes

    I actually have both the pro and the Chocolate (limited edition) and I like the scent of both since it's more sweet than strong. Some people didn't like the chocolate and thought it was too arficial but I like it.
  • Ben Nye
    [SIZE=small]$?, 2 oz[/SIZE]

    $?, 8 oz

    $?, 16 oz

    I haven't used this one in year so I don't even remember what it smells like but I do remember it worked really well in removing their stage makeup from brushes.
  • Mona Lisa's Pink Soap$2.49, 1oz

    $4.69, 4oz

    $7.09, 8oz

    $9.19, 12oz

    $49.95, Gallon

    I've been using this for years now since it was recommended to me from someone at Beautylish. Love it, gets my brushes super clean but it is NOT a cosmetic brush cleaner as it was intended for artists brushes. It IS non-toxic, contains no chlorides, alkalis, phosphates, solvents or alcohol. It does a wonderful job in cleaning the brushes but it is NOT a disinfecting cleaner.
  • Koren Zander's Brush Soaps$10.95 pro (comes with a case)

    $8 (no case)

    I have so many of these soaps including two of the pro soaps. Love how intense the scent is but like Mona Lisa's Pink soap this does NOT disinfect brushes merely is a proper soap to wash. The first set of soaps I bought at IMATS 2013 (January) has lasted me a very long time. I've used up two bars so far and am working on my third one but I don't use it daily and I change out my brush washing routine frequently as one day I may use his soap, other days Mona Lisa's and other days just use my Parian Spirit jar.

There are also store brands from Sephora, Ulta, Naimies and the prices vary. I had the Sephora one a while back and didn't like it.

Links:

 
Ahhh! Thanks Zadi for the perspective. I never thought of it like that, well, until now. My mindset is all set stuff right now... The way most of the posts are worded, some members seem very sure of their stance, that they don't offer another option, that's when I forget credibility. Usually I don't think about it on a union set. Hence my confusion. At any rate, thanks for posting the most popular brush cleaners out there! ;) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> it gives me some other options to choose from. Cheers! ;) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

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