Fun Friday: Brush Preservation

Many of us in the beauty world are quite obsessed with makeup brushes, and when I say obsessed I mean the 'we cannot stop buying them even though we have a million and now our makeup area is so filled with brushes that we can't actually fit any makeup there anymore', kind of obsession. Since we all now how crazy expensive brushes are I thought I would do a post with a few tips on how to preserve that vast brush collection we (I mean me), have accumulated.

The first thing you can do to preserve those expensive brushes is never store a wet brush with the bristles facing up...common sense right, well most people forget that when you use wet products like foundation, liquid hi-lighter, cream blushes, anything that makes your bristles feel wet or damp will cause damage to your brush. The best thing you could do is have a hand towel that you wipe all of your makeup brushes onto after they have been used, to remove any leftover makeup.

Also when you store your brushes they should never be stored bristle side down as this will cause the hairs of your brush to fray out and eventually break, as well as it will very quickly change the shape of your brush, so that favorite tapered brush will soon become a flat frayed mess.

The next thing to remember about preserving those fancy brushes, is never carry them in the same bag that your makeup is stored in, if you do as your bag is moved around throughout the day (especially if it is stored in your purse), the makeup moves which then rubs against your brushes causing hairs to fall out as well as causing your brushes to become frayed. If you need to carry your brushes with you or for travel always store them in a separate bag which is long enough for them to fit in without the hairs of the brush being pushed up/down by the end of the bag. 

Finally the best way to preserve your brushes is to clean them on a regular bases as well as condition them. All you need for cleaning and conditioning is sulfate-free shampoo and extra-virgin olive oil.
Always make sure to keep any water from going up the barrel of your brush and thoroughly remove all oil and shampoo, also allow for it to dry completely before using.