Can we talk about how I was over-cleaning my brushes for 8 years?

I had a client two months ago with severe breakage and I couldn't figure out why. Turns out I was scrubbing my brushes with alcohol after every single use which dried out the bristles and caused them to split. A senior stylist at a salon in Dallas caught me doing it and said I was basically sanding down the hairs. Now I only wash with gentle shampoo once a week and just wipe them between clients. Anyone else learn a basic brush care habit way later than they should have?

2 comments

2 Comments

jenniferw8219d agoMost Upvoted

My friend from beauty school swore by rubbing alcohol and brush cleaner mixed together. She did it for years until her mentor saw her doing it and basically took the bottle out of her hand. Her brushes were so frayed they looked like old paintbrushes. She switched to just baby shampoo once a week and her brushes literally looked brand new within a month.

briancarter19d ago

Wait, her mentor literally ripped the bottle out of her hand? That's wild but honestly sounds justified if the brushes looked that bad. I can't believe she went years thinking alcohol was fine when it basically melted her brush hairs. Baby shampoo is the way to go for sure, that stuff is so gentle it hardly strips anything.