How to clean makeup brushes

Makeup brushes can be gross! If you take care of your makeup brushes they will last decades. You can use a commercial spray brush cleaner for in between uses. About once per month or whenever they just really need a deep cleaning, you will want to give your makeup brushes a deep cleaning. Thieves Household Cleaner is a good option for every now and then, but your brushes also need to be conditioned. The vegetable glycerine in this recipe will help condition your brushes, leaving them soft and conditioned. Years back I decided to try making my own homemade brush cleaner instead of the chemical commercial cleaners on the market. Many attempts were made until I found the right combination of ingredients to properly clean my dirty makeup brushes. This is a quick and simple recipe using items you probably already have around your home.

You will need:

• 1/2 cup distilled water
• 1/4 cup witch hazel {Amazon link}
• 2 tsp Dr. Bronner's castile liquid soap {Amazon link}
• 2 tsp vegetable glycerine {Amazon link}
• 2 drops lavender essential oil
• 16oz glass jar {Amazon link}
• 4oz glass jar {Amazon link}

Instructions

Mix water, witch hazel, castile soap, vegetable glycerine and lavender essential oil together in a 16oz jar.

Pour about 1-2 ounce of the makeup brush cleaner in a small jar and swish your brushes in there for a minute to get the access makeup off. Discard the dirty makeup remover.

Then place all the brushes into the 16oz jar filled with the rest of the cleaner. Swirl the brushes around for a minute, then let them sit in the cleaner for about 10-15 minutes. Dump out the dirty makeup brush cleaner and rinse brushes under warm running water. Pat the brushes dry. Using a microfiber cloth will help them dry faster.

Shape each of the brush tips to the correct shape and lay out on a towel to dry.

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Homemade DIY Laundry Detergent - Borax Free

In the quest to free my home of unwanted chemicals and toxins, I found you can make your own laundry detergent. Not only is this borax free laundry detergent cheaper to make than the Tide Free I used to use, it works just as well or better! In just a few easy steps you can make your own non-toxic laundry detergent as well.

You will need:

• 1 bar Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile soap - Unscented/ Baby Mild {Amazon link} - You can used scented if preferred.
• 1 cup washing soda {Amazon link}
• 1/2 cup baking soda {Amazon link}
• 1/2 cup citric acid {Amazon link}
• 1/4 cup coarse sea salt {Amazon link}
• Essential oils {optional}
• Silica gel {Amazon link}

Instructions

First you'll need to finely grate your bar of soap. I put my bar of soap through the grate plate on the top of my food processor which shreds it.

Then I use the food processor to get it to a fine powder. You can you a cheese grater or whatever you'd like, just make sure to grate it finely.

Mix the finely grated soap, washing soda, baking soda, citric acid and salt together. Stir well.

*VERY IMPORTANT* You’ll also want to add a desiccant to your mix to keep the soap from clumping up. They are super easy to make. Just put a teaspoon or two of silica gel in a clean fabric bag or baby sock, and tie up the opening as tight as possible so no gel escapes. The desiccant will absorb moisture in the laundry detergent from the soap bar. The silica is reusable, see instructions on the box for details.

Put your laundry detergent and desiccant in a large bowl where you can have room to stir it around. For the first few days, stir your mix several times a day. After that, the mixture will be nice and dry and there will be no need to continue to stir. You don't have to wait until it dries to use the detergent though.

If you would like to scent your laundry detergent, you can add the desired amount of essential oils to the whole mix, or each individual scoop. Thieves is a good one to use to add additional immune boosting properties! Contact me if you'd like to purchase or more information on Young Living essential oils.

Add 1 tablespoon of your homemade detergent per load. For really large or heavy soiled loads, I use just a tad more, but not much.

Order your custom personalized waterproof stickers (or personalized digital downloads for you to print) from Davet Designs to personalize your laundry detergent container.

Using the affiliate links in this blog to make purchases helps support my site. Thank you in advance!

Day 41 Loving YL - Thieves Household Cleaner as laundry detergent

When your toddler gets sent home from pre-school with two ruined sets of clothes AND his shoes from diarrhea, you need some major cleaning help!!! Thieves household cleaner to the rescue. Yes, that was not a mistype! You can use your Thieves household cleaner AS your laundry detergent! Use 1-2 capfuls per load and wash as usual. Not only will your clothes be super clean, but they will smell nice as well. Thieves household cleaner comes in two sizes, the 14.4oz bottle or the 64oz bottle (as shown). Thieves household cleaner can also be used as your dishwasher cleaner and more. Just about anything in your house can be cleaned with the Thieves household cleaner. This is by far my favorite Young Living product that I could not live without.

The improved Thieves® Household Cleaner has increased cleansing power and an even safer, more sustainable formulation. The new formula contains ingredients from renewable plant and mineral sources, vegetable-based surfactants, and even more Thieves and lemon essential oils for extra cleaning power. Bottle is 100% recyclable.

Day 29 Loving YL - DIY Thieves Cloth Wipes

Why buy pricey toxic cleaning wipes, when you can make safe natural reusable ones yourself? And for a fraction of the cost! Thieves cloth wipes are a must in my kitchen. I first cut up a t-shirt into roughly 10x10 inch squares. In a mason jar, I combine 1-2 capfuls of Thieves household cleaner, 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water. I fold up the wipes and stuff them into the jar onto of the liquid. The fabric will absorb the liquid. When ready to use, ring out wipe, use, then toss in laundry! Note: When I run out of wipes, I still have some liquid left in the jar, then I stuff in new clean cloths until the liquid is gone. Each jar will cost about $.75 to make.

A clean, beautiful home invites family and friends to come together. But when your cleaning leaves a strong, chemical scent, others might not want to gather. Create a welcoming home that’s safe for everyone with the fresh and inviting scent of Thieves® Household Cleaner.

Formulated with the power of Young Living’s Thieves oil blend, you can get a deep clean without dangerous or synthetic ingredients. Thieves cleaner also includes the scent of Lemon essential oil for an even more uplifting aroma. Chores will feel like less of a chore with the sweet-and-spicy scent and effective cleaning power of Thieves Household Cleaner.

This all-purpose cleaner can be used on any surface in your home for dusting, spot cleaning, scrubbing, or any other cleaning need. Wherever you use it, you’ll feel good knowing it’s safe to use around everyone in your family, including pets. Spot test in an inconspicuous area before applying this product to woods, plastics, fabrics, and granite. If staining or damage occurs, discontinue use on the material.

Day 14 Loving YL - Neutralize odors in a stinky vacuum

I thought vacuuming was suppose to make your house cleaner, not make it smells like a wet dog! Pet owners know what I'm talking about. I opened up my vacuum and put 3 drops of Purification essential oil by Young Living onto the air filter today before I vacuumed. My house smells great! Not only did it smell great, but the purification actually neutralizes the odors in my house. Why haven't I tried this before?

Purification can be used directly on the skin to cleanse and soothe insect bites, cuts, and scrapes. When diffused, it helps to purify and cleanse the air from environmental impurities including cigarette smoke and other disagreeable odors.