自製美妝蛋彩妝刷清潔液 | DIY Makeup Brush & Sponge Cleaner
Hear me out. I’ve been washing makeup brushes for over 20 years. From silicone brush mat, to StylPro cleaner and dryer, from brush soap, to cleaning solution, to castile soap, to dish washing liquid, to my DIY Biodegradable All-in-One Cleaner Sal Suds copycat - I’ve tried them all. No matter how much I love makeup, the brush and sponge cleaning process is simply tedious, annoying, time consuming, you name it. Although the invention of silicone brush mat and spinning electric brush cleaner are helping, neither brush soap nor cleaner solution are cheap.
Pricing aside, I find that brush soap, castile soap or dish washing liquid are too foamy to rinse off, especially when cleaning makeup sponges; and they don’t always clean foundation, liquid makeup or pure pigments off easily. On the other hand, cleaning solution can be more effective but not always easy to rinse off and can sometimes leave brushes with a slight oily coating on the brush hair, which I detest brushing across my face.
I use isododecane as the base, which is also the main ingredient in StylPro Makeup Brush Cleanser. Although I can appreciate the ease and speed of the “dry cleaning” method that StylPro uses - dip in the solution to dissolve all the dirtiness and spin to excrete and dry off - I still find properly rinsing and washing necessary. Therefore, in addition to isododecane, I use mild surfactants that are not too foamy like potassium cocoyl glycinate and decyl glucoside to help with the rinse off. However, I do not want too much of it or too harsh of a surfactant, as I do own a few natural bristle brushes. I find that the amount I’ve used provides enough foam to help and to indicate that I’ve given a good rinse, but not so much bubble that I feel like my sponges are grip strengtheners or that I’m whipping up a cappuccino with extra foam when using the StylPro.
Originally, I tried isohexadecane, which I always have on hand as the base for DIY reed diffuser solution. It’s like isododecane’s more emollient sibling - it does work and clean the brushes well but is slightly harder to rinse off. On a side note, isohexadecane has a much better longevity as a reed diffuser base. I don’t mind having both ingredients in stock, since I do go through quite a bit of both for my home fragrance and my brush cleaning needs. You can of course choose one or the other.
I’ve also added Olivem 300 which combines the little water I’ve added with the rest of the ingredients and helps tremendously with the rinse off. It, to my surprise, also slightly thickens the solution slightly to a shampoo like texture, which helps with the hair bristle gripping onto the solution and dissolve liquid makeup even more effectively.
How to Use:
Pour some solution into a container - I use my StylPro bowl.
For powder brushes (regular eyeshadow, setting powder, blush, bronzer etc.), I’d wet my brushes first; for brushes with liquid products or pure pigments (and sponges) I don’t. I dip the brush hair into the solution a couple at a time and make sure they are saturated with the solution.
With the amount of brushes I have to clean each time, usually well over a dozen, the brushes would lay flat by my sink with the brush heads dangling and dripping into the sink for a few minutes.
I then rinse off the brushes till the water runs clear.
For small brushes (eyeshadow, concealer) and sponges, I just run them under the water
For med to large size brushes (face brushes), I use my StylPro to spin in water, and change my water 2 or 3 times or until the water is clear.
For Artis or oval toothbrush makeup brushes, I use a silicone brush mat during rinsing, as the brush hair is more dense and compact and the mat helps with a more thorough clean.
In addition to not wishing for disposable makeup brushes anymore and happier when cleaning my makeup brushes, I was able to clean off some fuchsia pigment stain off a white goat hair eyeshadow brush that I have previously cleaned and remained stained for months. I didn’t find adding conditioning agents like polyquaternium or centrimonium chloride necessary, though you can try adding some, especially if you are more delicate with your expensive natural bristle brushes. The solution has a faint smell that’s not fragrant but not too stinky. It does rinse off and doesn’t linger on the brush hair, so I prefer not adding any fragrance.
Happy Cleaning!
我使用的原料比例:
異十二烷（擴香基底/溶劑）Isododecane 60ml
胺基酸起泡劑 Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate 15ml
葡萄糖起泡劑（癸基葡萄糖甘）Decyl Glucoside 15ml
300型水性橄欖油（卸妝油乳化劑）Olivem 300/Olive Oil PEG-7 20ml
水 Water 20ml
抗菌劑 Broad Spectrum Preservatives 1ml | ¼ tsp 茶匙（或依產品建議比例，一般北美DIY部落客建議Liquid Germall Plus這個品牌）
生活日常DIY Household Recipes:
DIY原料線上購買:
iHerb.com
城乙化工行
第一化工
順億化工
香草工房
冠亦商行
Amazon.com
Lotion Crafter
MakingCosmetics
