Foundation Brush Frustration

I have 5 different foundation brushes, all of which were dirty.  The whole reason I have so many is that they never seem to come clean so I'm forever buying new ones to try to get the best foundation application possible.  Well, I had finally found a (cheap!) foundation brush I love and it was ruined with caked in foundation that won't come out no matter how much I wash it.  (The e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush, $3, buy here)

Despairing over my brush loss, I started to think.  What makes foundation break down on your face in the first place?  The natural oils of your skin, of course.  So what if I used oil to break down the foundation stuck in my brush?  Just might work!  Oh, the brilliance of thought.  So I took some olive oil to one of my brushes that I wouldn't mind ruining and tried it out.  The foundation MELTED right out!!  Finally, a solution!!  The only problem was that then I couldn't get the oil out with the usual baby shampoo that I wash my other brushes with.  So next I used Dawn Dish Soap (gets oil out of dishes, right?) and voila!  my brushes were clean of foundation and oil and they were as good as the day I bought them.  I just thought I would pass this info along to you!!

I used some generic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Dawn Dish Detergent.  I find it easier to pour a little oil in a small cup and dip the brush in.  Then put a small amount of dish detergent with a good bit of water in the other cup.  The result is clean, soft foundation brushes!