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"  Photo: Getty First we discussed which brushes are essential to every woman&amp;#039;s makeup kit, now we&amp;#039;re going to show you how to take care of them. Makeup brushes often have a hefty price tag (and you can&amp;#039;t have just one), so we want to ensure that you get the most out of your investment. Plus, after so many uses they become caked with residue, oil, and dead skin cells, becoming breeding grounds for bacteria that you, in turn, put back on your face. Eww. Related: 11 Makeup Brushes Every Woman Needs to Own It&amp;#039;s pretty gross when you actually think about it, because who really cleans their brushes as much as they should? Admittedly not us, and that just seems like a recipe for a breakout. But it&amp;#039;s never too late to make a change, right? So after makeup artist Kayleen McAdams enlightened us on which brushes we need to buy, we asked her a little bit about her cleaning routine. McAdams washes her brushes every single time she uses them on a client, but suggests the average woman wash hers every two weeks (some more often, some a little less depending on how much use they get). A good way to know when the brush is ready to be washed is when it is no longer soft, and of course, if the makeup residue is cake-y and visible.  Related: 10 Makeup Tricks Every Woman Needs to Know You can use unscented bar soap, dish detergent, or baby soap mixed with lukewarm water to clean your brushes. But if there is a lot of product embedded deep into the bristles (since it&amp;#039;s been awhile since they&amp;#039;ve been cleaned), a DIY version may not always get them as clean as a brush-specific formula. McAdams uses The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver or BlenderCleanser. &amp;quot;I like them because they don&amp;#039;t leave the brushes smelling too fragrant like many of the alcohol-based spray-on cleansers,&amp;quot; she explains. &amp;quot;I find that those products dry out the brushes and cause them to lose their shape.&amp;quot;  When washing with whichever soap or cleanser you choose, be sure to be very gentle as not to change the shape of the brush yourself. Avoid the barrel below the bristles, if it gets wet it can cause them to loosen and fall out. After the brushes are rinsed out thoroughly, lay them on a flat towel or McAdams suggests using the Benjabelle Brush Tree as a drying rack. (If you place them in something standing, the water will run down into the handle and cause rust.) After about six to eight hours, the brushes will be dry and you can do your makeup once again, bacteria-free. Bonus Tip: For brushes that are extra cake-y, use a dab of almond or olive oil to break down the residue before you wash. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/news/a15532/how-to-clean-makeup-brushes/>