Caring for your brushes

Three methods

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Makeup brushes can be made from natural hair, synthetic bristles or a mix of both. Natural hair makeup brushes require a lot of tender love and care - both when it comes to cleaning and to storing them. How well you treat a natural hair makeup brush will determine its longevity. Synthetic bristles are far more resistant to harsh cleaning agents and can be spot-cleaned and deep-cleaned much more frequently.

Everyday spot-cleaning without the use of cleaning or disinfecting agents

The cleaning method which is the gentlest on the bristles and does not carry any risk of damaging them. Can only be used to clean brushes which are used exclusively to apply powder products (loose and pressed-powder eyeshadows, foundations, finishing powders and blushes etc.). Once you have applied your makeup product, tap the brush against the top of your hand or your finger (in the case of smaller brushes) before gently wiping it on a dry piece of tissue paper or a soft cotton towel.

This cleansing method allows you to remove excess powder from the brush but will not remove every last trace of it.

Therefore, we recommend this method to those of you who only use brushes on themselves and have a signature makeup routine they follow everyday.

Everyday, spot cleaning on-the-go with a disinfectant brush cleanser

Although this method can negatively affect the longevity of the bristles, it is nonetheless essential in makeup artistry work to ensure clients’ health is intact by minimizing the risk of bacterial cross-infection. This method calls for the use of a disinfectant and/or brush cleanser with disinfectant properties, typically in the form of a liquid or spray. To clean and disinfect your brush in one go, apply a small amount of the disinfectant/cleanser to a clean tissue and rub your brush back and forth, pressing gently against the tissue. You may need to repeat the process a few times to remove all traces of makeup from the bristles, particularly when cleaning foundation or concealer brushes.

When cleaning your brushes using this method be sure to do it as gently as possible. Use windshield wiper rubbing motions for brushes with a flattened ferrule and circular motions for round top brushes.

Alcohol in brush disinfectants dries out the bristles of the brush causing them to lose their elasticity, become brittle and prone to breakage.

Deep cleaning with water and a gentle brush cleanser

Try to deep clean your brushes as rarely as possible, without compromising basic hygiene standards. It is impossible to say how often you should deep clean your brushes as it depends on how often you use them and whether you use them exclusively on yourself or on other people as well. Even your skin type factors into the equation - if your skin is prone to breakouts, be sure to deep clean your brushes regularly to prevent bacteria build-up, which could lead to breakouts.

Step 1. Dip the head of the brush in warm or lukewarm water. The water you use when deep cleaning your brushes cannot be too cold or too hot. If the water is too cold it will not create enough lather to dissolve all the product build-up coating the bristles of your brush, and as a result you will not be able to rinse all the makeup off. Hot water not only does not work better than warm after but also damages the bristles so it should also be avoided at all cost.

Step 2. Pour some cleanser into the palm of your hand and massage it into the bristles of the brush. If the brush has a flattened ferrule use back and forth motions, if the brush has a round top,use circular motions. Build up a good lather and be sure to rub the brush gently against the back of your hand for a good 30 seconds.

Step 3. You can use your fingertips to gently massage the bristles of the brush with your cleanser of choice. This method is particularly effective when cleaning large, densely-packed brushes.

Step 4. Rinse the brush head thoroughly in lukewarm water.

Step 5. Run your fingertips across the bristles a few times to squeeze out excess water and then gently pat the brush dry with a clean cotton or paper towel.

Step 6. Gently reshape the bristles of the brush to their original shape and lay them flat to dry on a towel with the brush heads hanging over the side of the counter you are drying them on. This allows your brushes to dry in their correct shapes so you don’t end up with a brush that is flat on one side and fluffy on the other. This method also prevents brushes from becoming mildewy. Ideally, let your brushes dry overnight before using them again.

Keep in mind that natural-fibre brushes dry in a specific manner, namely the bristles on the side of the brush tend to stick out in a haphazard fashion, much like human hair tends to frizz when left to air-dry. As a result, natural-hair makeup brushes always become fluffier the moment you first deep clean them. However, you can prevent this from happening by drying your brushes in special brush guards to ensure their bristles do not splay out when they dry.

Using hair conditioner on your natural-hair Hakuro brushes

We do not recommend using hair conditioner on our natural-hair brushes, particularly on a regular basis. Most hair conditioners soften the bristles of the brush by filling in the gaps between their cuticles. Therefore, your brushes may feel softer to the touch but are also likely to have less grip after being treated with hair conditioner, which in turn may result in patchy makeup application. What is more, although most hair conditioners can be rinsed out the next time you deep-clean your brushes, frequent use of certain types of hair conditioners on your brushes can actually permanently damage their bristles in the long run - they may be softer but they may also not perform as well. We hope you take all of this into consideration before you decide to use hair conditioner on your Hakuro brushes and if you do decide to use hair conditioner then you will do so knowing all the pros and cons.

Brush-cleaning gloves

Feel free to use all kinds of brush-cleaning gloves or trays when cleaning your synthetic Hakuro brushes, but when it comes to cleaning your natural-hair Hakuro brushes,we highly recommend you only use soft, bendable brush-cleaning tools so as not to damage or break the delicate bristles of the brushes.

Cleaning agents

For brushes made from natural-hair fibers, we recommend you only use very gentle cleansers or shampoos, preferably ones made specifically for cleaning makeup brushes. Cleaning agents found in some regular cleansers and shampoos can stick to the bristles of your brushes, making them prickly to the touch and less flexible. Over time, this can cause the brush to not perform well and result in patchy makeup application. If you notice your brush cleanser of choice has had such an effect on your brushes, be sure to rinse your brushes really thoroughly each time you clean them to make sure you have removed every last bit of the cleanser from the bristles. Or consider switching to another brush cleanser.

Shape protection

Lay the brushes out to dry on the edge of a counter with the brush heads hanging out over the counter to prevent shape loss.

Temperature

Please do not expose your wet brushes to direct sunlight or the heat of a hair dryer.

Storage & transportation

1

Each brush is placed in a rigid cardboard box, which protects the bristles from breakage and allows the brush to maintain its shape in transit.

2

Your brush order is then placed in a larger box, made from sturdier cardboard to prevent any damage during transport. We have three sizes of these boxes and choose the one that best fits the size and length of the brushes you ordered when packing them to be delivered to you.

3

The use of plastics at every stage of production and transport is limited to zero or the necessary minimum. All our packaging is 100% recyclable.

Storing your brushes

Avoid storing your brushes in a humid environment.

Elastic brush guards

If you do not want your brushes to fluff out when air-drying, consider drying them in professional brush guards or wrap them loosely in a layer of soft see-through tissue paper (wrapping them tightly may deform the bristles).

Reshaping your brushes

If you would like your brushes to maintain their original firm shape yet also have some fluffiness to them there is one extra step you need to do when deep-cleaning them, namely you need to pay extra attention to how you dry them. Right after you have cleaned them, lay them out to dry on the edge of a counter with the brush heads hanging out over the counter. Once your brushes are about 70% dry, slip on some brush guards before letting them air-dry completely.