"Cooties Are Gross" & Other Reasons Why You Should Clean Your Brushes

In order to get the best application and clarity of color, you need to clean your brushes regularly. Remember, the cleaner the tool, the better the application! When cleaning, you do have a couple of options: 1. The first is the simplest - using professional brush cleansers. These can work beautifully. One great benefit is that most of them dry quickly, which makes them convenient. You dip or spray your brush with the cleanser and wipe it off on a towel, cleaned to perfection. 2. Your second option is to shampoo your brushes. Because brushes are made from hair, shampoo works great; the brushes will just take longer to dry. Dampen your brush, then, with a bit of shampoo in the palm of your hand, work the brush into the shampoo (a gentle baby shampoo works best and is not too harsh), and rinse. I find it best to lightly condition the brushes after washing (a light leave-in hair conditioner works well, because it is lightweight, but be sure to rinse out afterwards), then rinse them. Finally, squeeze out the excess moisture (making sure to reshape the brushes, so that they dry to the correct shape) and lay them flat to dry. Key word: FLAT! Otherwise, if you dry them standing up, water creeps down inside the handle of your brush and slowly rots your brush away from the inside out! Yikes. Have Fun & Be Fabulous!