Makeup Brush Cleansing

Hello, my loves! Today I wanted to post a trick I've learned about cleaning makeup brushes. I know there are a ton of brush cleansers out there, but this is more of a DIY deep cleanse for your brushes that I do weekly! Keeping your makeup brushes/sponges clean attributes greatly to your skin's overall health. I've begun double cleansing my brushes, just as you would double cleanse your face: First, you cleanse with an oil {I use hemp oil} and you then follow with any cleanser {I use organic baby shampoo, but I've had to use my Aleavia prebiotic cleanser as of late since I haven't gotten around to buying the baby shampoo!}

Oil Cleansing Method

Today, I want to discuss my experience with the oil cleansing method {OCM}, and what "recipe" of oils I use! I discovered this method over a year ago on Pinterest, but I didn't begin to research it until around this past Fall. I first stumbled across Mommypotamous' blog which you can find here, and you can also google "oil cleansing method blog" and a ton of how-to articles will pop up! I found her blog to be most helpful, and she also has a troubleshooting post found here that includes tips and tricks to beginning the OCM.

Photo by: The Essential Wellness

Okay, down to the nitty-gritty; I researched essential, conditioning, and astringent oils like Mommypotamous mentioned in her blog, and I decided to create a recipe of a 1:4 part oil: 1 part astringent oil to 4 parts conditioning oil because I have normal to combination skin {I'm oily in my t-zone, dry around my nose and cheeks}. I also have really sensitive skin as I've mentioned in previous posts, so I knew I needed to completely avoid castor oil. Many blogs recommend using castor oil, but it's extremely potent and harsh, so unless you have very oily skin and are not sensitive in the least, I would not recommend using castor oil. I decided to try 1 part grapeseed oil to 4 parts hemp seed oil, and I added a few drops of tea tree oil, carrot seed oil, lavender oil, and jojoba oil {as you can see, nearly any oil can be purchased on Amazon!}. It turned out the 1:4 ratio was a little too oily for my skin, so I stepped down to a 1:3 ratio of the grapeseed to hemp seed oil and that was much better, and currently what I'm using. There are a lot of factors that come into play when choosing an oil blend, such as your skin type as well as your skin concern {i.e dryness, blemishes, oiliness, etc.}, so do research to determine what's best for you individually. I oil cleanse in the evening only and use this process to remove all my makeup and build up from the day. The steps are super simple: