A Guide to Makeup Brushes...

Who doesn't love makeup brushes? They just feel so much more "official" and "professional" than just using your fingers to apply makeup. Plus, they are pretty indispensable when it comes to achieving that barely-there natural no-makeup look.

But, most makeup brushes are made from non-sustainable materials. The bristles on these brushes are usually made from heavily dyed animal hair. The handles are usually made from metal and wood or some other non-biodegradable material.

So here is a guide to finding some more eco-friendly options:



THE BEST BRUSHES ARE THE ONES YOU ALREADY OWN:
If you invested in an uber expensive set of brushes, say MAC for example, and they are still in good shape, keep them! Helping the environment isn't just about throwing away all of your old belongings and replacing them with "green" versions. NO! It is also important to take care what you already have so that it lasts a really long time- this help reduce waste too. Plus, getting rid of a not-so-environmentally-friendly item often means that it will end up in a landfill. No thanks! 


WHEN IT COMES TIME TO REPLACE YOUR MAKEUP BRUSHES, THERE ARE A FEW OPTIONS:

Invest in extremely high-quality synthetic (animal friendly!) brushes made by an ethically and environmentally responsible company that will ideally last your whole life time...

Aveda Flax Sticks Brushes $65 

Bristles are Synthetic, 

Handles made from natural materials and 

post-consumer recycled resin

Another option is to purchase synthetic bristle brushes that are simply made from recycled materials by a company that might not be so ethically and environmentally responsible as say... Aveda....

EcoTools 5 Piece Brush Set $12.50
These brushes are made from recycled materials,
but they are packaged in non-recycled materials
and they are made in China
(which might indicate unethical production- i.e. sweatshop labor)
And they are most likely made in a factory that is
probably not using green production technology.

A third option is to buy synthetic bristle brushes that are NOT made from recycled materials, but that are made by companies who use green technology and recyclable packaging...

The Body Shop and Origins both sell lines of synthetic bristle brushes.

Both of these companies use recyclable packaging (Body Shop even prints receipts on recycled paper) AND do not test on animals.

TAKING CARE OF YOUR BRUSHES:

 If taken good care of, brushes can last many years. In my former life as an "unnatural" makeup addict, I used to use MAC brush cleaner to clean my makeup brushes. Looking back, it's kind scary to think that I was using something about as toxic as paint stripper to clean brushes that I used daily on my face! Now, I use an inexpensive organic children's shampoo to clean my brushes. 

1. Use lukewarm water to clean your brushes. I like to fill up a glass and soak them so I don't waste as much water.
2. Apply a drop of children's shampoo to the end of the brush bristles and work it through the dampened brush head, being careful not to go too high.  (The idea is to clean the part of the brush that is dirty- the higher up part of the bristles hardly ever touches makeup).
3. Avoid getting too much soap on the part of the bristles nearest to the ferrule (aka the metal thingy that holds the bristles together) and also avoid using water that is too hot- this might melt the glue that is holding the bristles in place. 
4. Refill the glass with fresh water and dip the brushes up and down until all of the soap is rinsed from the bristles. 
5. You may need to refill the glass one more time if your brushes are really dirty. (Don't worry- you're still using less water by filling the glass three times than by just letting the water run down the drain).
6. VERY gently squeeze excess water from the brush head. 
7. Lay flat on a towel to dry overnight

Jason Naturals Extra Gentle Children's Shampoo

Wegman's $6