Clean:Brush Shampoo

I am always so happy to give a positive review about a product- because that means said product has met or exceeded my expectations- and that is exactly what this brush shampoo has done! All I can say is WOW!
In the interest of full disclosure, I know the owner, Jessicca Ochs. Fellow makeup artist, Jessicca, and I had never met, but were mua aquaintances on Facebook.  Once I heard she was starting this product as an Indie Beauty formulator I made a point to introduce myself and offer any advice or help I could- as I believe strongly in Indie Formulators mentoring one another.  We spent a bit messaging back and forth- and Jessicca truly put her all into the creation of this all natural product. Her Passion was palpable, even through the computer screen. I felt I had met a kindred Spirit- because any of you who know me- know that is JUST how I am about MY Makeup Line! We got to officially meet Last week at the New York Makeup Show- where we handed each other samples of our products for each to test out. The ONLY Stilpulation? Honest, constructive feedback. It is THE single most valuable service others can pay to my business, and I wanted Jessica, and Clean: Bruch Shampoo, to have mine.
So- here it is. I gave this brush cleanser several different tries- on several different days, to be sure results were consistent, I also used many types of bristles or sponges, and various types of makeup as well.
Overall this products rates as a- MY KIT WILL NEVER BE WITHOUT THIS! and frankly, yours shouldn't be either.
Jess- gave me both the olive oil based, and the goat's milk based- I washed half the brushes in one, and half in the other- eveny distributing them into equal types, and levels dirty. They performed exactly the same- so, in this instance, it will come down to personal preference- (Mine is olive oil simply due to diary allergies)
She also scented mine with Lemon essential oil, as citrus is always a big win for me- if you're thinking uh oh, fragrance? never fear- as she offers unscented- but the fragrnace is so light- and does not linger on the brushes at all- it merely adds a pleasant trace of aroma to mask any unpleasant wax or oil smell that some people don't care for.
Now, for the cleaning itself. I love the nice sturdy jars they come in- and she opted to go with the wider mouth so even large brushes can be swirled in without potential damage. I pre-wet the brushes- and added some water to the top of the soap in the jar- swirled- and worked it into brush and rinsed. I would then risne the top of the soap as well if needed. For mildly dirty brushes this was it- done- clean! super fast and my all time favorite aspect? Super clean rinse- I hate any residue feel left on brushes and these rinsed SO clean- But at the same time brushes were softer feeling- almost as If I had conditioned them- bonus! and it was all the hair types, badger, synthetic, taklon, Sable...and beauty blender too!
Now, I had a few uber dirty brushes (these were all my personal brushes)- several having thick cream makeup, or red goopey lipstick, and several w waterproof liner.- again- holy amaezballs! It def took more than one cleaning- but that is to be expected with brushes this dirty- I can say the less dirty ones cleaned up first try- and- a little tip for the super dirty ones? Wet brush, run through soap, work it in, let sit while you clean others- then come back to it. Letting the soap sits helps to emulsify any cream product worked deep into the brush- and cleans up even faster!
Once I was finished I rinsed the top of the soap, right in the jar, dried with a tissue, and capped to store.
Lastly, because of the all natural formula, which contains no harsh surfactants, no sulfites, and no alchohol- it doesn't strip brushes. The only thing anyone may notice is, due to milder surfactants, it may suds less, - but I will tell you, that is because it is working! Just like shampooing your hair- it doesn't suds up as much on dirty hair- that's because it is WORKING on cleaning the hair! I tried re-washing a clean brush and it sudsed right up- so this is also a pretty good indicator of when your brushes are clean!
All in all- I give this such an amazing thumbs up! Jessicca will be officialy launching her product on Monday, May 13th. You can find it here: and local FFM users will be glad to know that Fortunate Face Minerals will be stocking some as well! (especially since you all always ask me what to use!) Her 2oz will retail for $10, and her 4oz (pro Size) will retail for $15, and will be offered initially in Unscented, Lemon, & Lavender- Find it here: http://www.cleanbrushes.com and soon at Fortunate Face Minerals!