make-up brush cleaner

I cringe to admit that I don't clean my make-up brushes as often as I should.  Okay...I've only cleaned them once since I started wearing make-up...and that was probably 15 years ago.  Sure, I've bought new brushes in those 15 years but I do still have some of the very first brushes I ever used. 
I was wasting away my night on Pinterest last night and found a link for some homemade cleaners.  I've been thinking of making my own cleaners for a while now and just haven't taken it anywhere yet.  As I was looking last night I found a simple, easy cleanser for my make-up brushes.  It was simple, I had all the ingredients in my home already, and better yet I had time to do it.  So...for the second time in my life I cleaned my make-up brushes. 

OH THE SHAME OF IT.

My brushes were so dirty that I had to soak them for one, yes...1, full hour.  They were dirty.  Okay, not 'dirty' but make-up drenched dirty.  But - ew.  I couldn't believe I touched those to my face everyday.  Yuck.

Anywho...they are brilliantly clean now and drying on my kitchen table.  I refused to take a picture of how dirty they were before I started and I didn't want to show you how dirty the solution was after I was finished but I'll sure show you them now!

Clean as the day I bought them!  I've decided that I need to start cleaning them more often.  Say...once a month.  I couldn't believe how easy it was to clean them.  The last and only time I cleaned them I used facial cleaning soap and boy was it hard to get them clean.  Not to mention trying to get out all those suds from the bristles.  That's probably why I never cleaned them again...

All you need is hot water and white vinegar.  Really...it's that simple.  Just mix them in a bowl and swish your brushes in the mixture a few times and then rinse with water.  But...if however you haven't been taking good care of your brushes you may just have to let them soak for say...one hour.  And you might just have to double the recipe to tackle all that grime.  And if you're brushes are exceptionally dirty you may have to really rub the grit out of them.  I just rubbed them back and forth across my palm under hot water for a few minutes to really break up all that gunk.  On one of the powder brushes I had to rub some of the bristles between my fingers to get all that dried foundation off, but it worked!
Now I just hope that they all dry before tomorrow!  I have some errands I need to run and I don't have any dry make-up brushes!  Yikes!

Happy cleaning!!

The Recipe:

Make-Up Brush Cleaner
From the kitchen of:
Makes:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup white vinegar

Recipe Instructions:
1.  Mix the water and vinegar in a bowl.
2.  Swish your brushes around in the mixture a few times and then rinse with warm water. 
3.  Leave to dry completely before using.